“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that were made.” (John 1:3, NKJ)
The first chapter of the gospel of John and the first letter of the apostle John have a remarkable parallel. In the discussion in between the two chapters a great mystery is laid out, a “mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:9).
Throughout the Old Testament it is clear that the “invisible” God (1 Tim 1:17), in other words the One who cannot be seen, creates by speaking. As Elohim, a name He calls Himself in Genesis, the Creator and Maintainer, the words that come from His mouth are words that create. Thus, there are no fewer than 1446 Old Testament references to the various manifestations through which God speaks His word in a large variety of associative “words” (e.g. communication, chronicles, proverbs, commandments, books, speech, promises, news, messages, sentences, reports, advice, goals, signs, songs, and so on). Therefore, as it says in Gen 1:3: “Then God said … and there was …”
These words that proceeded from God’s mouth (Matt 4:4) were often carried over verbally (Ps 78:1-2), but were later written up in “books” (see for example Dan 9:2) or scrolls (Ezra 6:2). The word Bible literally means “books” in Greek.
John 1:1-3 thus lays a very important foundation stone: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” For the first time John states theoretically that which Jesus emphasised in John 5:37-40: “And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
The Scripture (a word occurring 51 times in the New Testament), is (also) the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God. God spoke Jesus and created through Him! Thus, as John 1:14 spells it out: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”, along with Col 1:16: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible …” He is (also) the Word. Hence, just as Christ is the Word made flesh, so too the Word is the inscribed Christ!
Therefore, according to 1 John 1:1-3: “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, concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declare to you …”
- Sela: Ponder the last sentence of the second last paragraph and secure this mystery.
- Read: 1 Sam 6; Ps 122 ; Luke 3
- Memorise: Ps 122:3 & 6
