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The Word Was God

As we contemplate the Christ and try to grasp what our Lord really means to mankind, we need to seriously consider the words of the apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). We know that John speaks of Jesus, for he goes on to say, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).

As John introduced the epistle of 1 John, he wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 Jn. 1:1-4).

In the book of Revelation, John sees a heavenly vision, and describes Jesus in this fashion, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (Rev. 19:13).

The name “WORD” expresses the wonderful nature of Jesus as much or more than any other. “Word” comes from the Greek word logos (logos), and basically means that by which we communicate our will and our thoughts to others. Thoughts can only be understood in terms of “words.”

Paul says, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:11-13).

God’s thoughts must be expressed in “words” for us to understand. Thus, we understand that “words” are the medium of communication with others — that which expresses one’s inner thoughts to another.

Jesus is called the “Word” because He is the revelation and the expressed idea of deity. The Hebrew writer expresses this thought in this fashion, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:1-3). Thus, Jesus is the Word — the revelation and expression of God. Jesus is the Word because He is the means by which the Father communicates His will and delivers His commands to His creation.

It is interesting to note that John in a vision sees Jesus having “in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” (Rev. 1:16). The Hebrew writer proclaims, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). Again, we see the idea of Christ as the Word — the revelation and expression of God and His will.

We now understand more fully the words of Jesus, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48). Why will we be judged by the words of Christ? Because the Word, Jesus Christ, is the oracle of the will of Deity. We comprehend more precisely then Jesus’ proclamation, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus also said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24). The Word, God’s revelation to man, is the only means through which we can come to the Father.