Who is the Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning?

March 23, 2015 by Aquino Bayani

John tells us of the Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. (Jn 1:1-3, New Living Translation)

At first glance, John 1:1-3 seems vague as there appears to be two Gods: (1) the Word Who was God, and (2) God Whom the Word was accompanying.

To unravel this mystery, let us continue reading John chapter 1, particularly verses 14 and 18:

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (Jn 1:14, NLT)

No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (Jn 1:18, NLT)

So, there you are. The Word is none other than the Father’s one and only Son Who is Himself God Who accompanied God in the beginning.

To render John 1:1-3 clear, let us substitute “the one and only Son” for “the Word”, in this wise:

In the beginning the one and only Son already existed. The one and only Son was with God, and the one and only Son was God. The one and only Son existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through the one and only Son, and nothing was created except through the one and only Son. (Jn 1:1-3, emphasis mine)

Question: If God and His one and only Son is God, are there two Gods?

Answer: The answer is provided by the one and only Son of God when He became Man and was named Jesus:

Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:25-30, NLT)

Question: Is Jesus claiming that He and the Father is one God?

Answer: Yes, Jesus is claiming that He and the Father is one God that is why the people tried to stone Him to death for claiming to be God:

Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?” They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.” (Jn 10:31-33, NLT)

Biblical Testimonies that the one and only Son of God (the Word) coexisted with God and accompanied God in the beginning:

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. He was present originally with God. (Jn 1:1-2, Amplified Bible)

Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. (Jn 1:1-2, The Living Bible)

No one has ever actually seen God, but, of course, his only Son has, for he is the companion of the Father and has told us all about him. (Jn 1:18, TLB)

“I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” (Jn 8:38, NLT)

Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” (Jn 8:42-47, NLT)

These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. (Jn 16:25-30, King James Version)

Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. (Jn 17:5-8, NLT)

Since the one and only Son of God (the Word) coexisted with God and accompanied God in the beginning, God created all things through Him, that is, the one and only Son of God (the Word) created all things for God:

He (the Word) came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. (Jn 1:10, NLT, emphasis mine)

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. (Col 1:15-16, NLT)

And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. (Heb 1:2, NLT)

He (God) also says to the Son (the Word), “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.” (Heb 1:10-12, NLT, emphasis mine)

Since the one and only Son of God (the Word) coexisted with God and accompanied God in the beginning and He created all things for God, naturally, He precedes all His creations:

>The one and only Son of God (the Word) existed before anything else:

>The one and only Son of God (the Word) existed before Abraham:

Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (Jn 8:54-58, NLT)

NLT Footnote to John 8:58: Or before Abraham was even born, I have always been alive; Greek reads before Abraham was, I am. See Exod. 3:14.

Other versions of John 8:58:

Jesus: “The absolute truth is that I was in existence before Abraham was ever born!” (The Living Bible)

“Believe me,” said Jesus, “I am who I am long before Abraham was anything.” (The Message)

Jesus answered, `I tell you the truth. I already was before Abraham was born.’ (Worldwide English New Testament)

One of the most revealing versions of John 8:58 is provided by the official Bible of Iglesia ni Cristo:

“Truly, truly I tell you,” said Jesus, “I have existed before Abraham was born.” (The New Testament : a new translation (1913) by James Moffatt)

Question: Did the people then believe Jesus existed before Abraham was born?

Answer: Like some depraved people today, the depraved people then did not believe Jesus existed before Abraham was born so they tried to stone Him to death:

At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple. (Jn 8:59, NLT)

>The one and only Son of God (the Word) existed before John the Baptist:

John the Baptist’s embryo was already in its sixth month of gestation in his mother’s womb when God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary to woo her consent to be the mother of the one and only Son of God:

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. (Lk 1:26-38, NLT)

Even though John the Baptist was older than Jesus by six months, he knew that Jesus long existed before he was born:

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” (Jn 1:15, NLT)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’ I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.” (Jn 1:29-34, NLT)

>The one and only Son of God (the Word) originated from everlasting:

When Herod asked where the Messiah or the ruler of Israel is supposed to be born, the leading priests and teachers of religious law took their answer from the prophet Micah which they quoted incompletely:

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” (Mt 2:1-6, NLT)

Here is the complete quote from Micah 5:2:

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. (Micah 5:2, NLT)

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2, KJV)

Thus, the origins of the Messiah or the ruler of Israel are from the distant past, that is, from everlasting.

Who is the Messiah or the ruler of Israel whose origins are from everlasting? He is none other than the one and only Son of God (the Word) who was named Jesus when He became a Human Being:

But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mk 14:61-62, NLT)

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” (Jn 4:25-26, NLT)

For the record, Jesus is the one and only begotten Son of God (the Word).

As there are abundance of perverts who claims to be God also because they say they are also sons of God like Jesus, below are Biblical testimonies that Jesus is the ONE AND ONLY begotten Son of God:

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, KJV)

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (Jn 1:18, KJV)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Jn 3:16, KJV)

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16, NLT)

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Jn 3:18, KJV)

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.” (Jn 3:18, NLT)

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1Jn 4:9, KJV)

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. (1Jn 4:9, NLT)

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. (Jn 20:31, NLT)

Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” (Acts 9:19-20, NLT)

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. (Heb 4:14, NLT)

All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. (1Jn 4:15, NLT)

And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (1Jn 5:5, NLT)

And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. (1Jn 5:20, NLT)

Therefore, who is the Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning?

The Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning is none other the one and only Son of God who was named Jesus when He became Man:

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. (Lk 1:30-35, NLT)

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (Mt 1:18-25, NLT)

Posted by Aquino Bayani

Source: splendorofthechurch.com.ph

The Way to the True Jesus Christ

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Who is the Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning?

Who is the Word Who was God accompanying God in the beginning?

No comments:

Post a Comment