The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
Let’s start at the beginning. Jesus’s story doesn’t open with his birth. It doesn’t begin at the announcement of his conception. And it doesn’t start with the Old Testament prophecies that foretell the coming Messiah.
To start at the beginning, we must go back even further.
From our perspective, Jesus’s story begins at creation, at the dawn of time. He was there. All things that were made, were made by him. This means that Jesus is not only our Savior, but also our Creator.
The apostle John’s poetic biography of Jesus makes this clear. Without Jesus, we and the world we live in wouldn’t exist.
John opens his epic book with the words “In the beginning.” Interestingly, the opening passage in the Bible, from Genesis, also starts with this phrase: “In the beginning.”
Yet in Genesis there’s a fourth word: God. As in “In the beginning, God.”
Though in Genesis we might wonder if God refers to Father God or God as Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), John confirms that Jesus was there and played an integral part in the formation of our reality. (And the Holy Spirit’s presence is implied as well in Genesis 1:2.)
Whereas Genesis opens with “In the beginning, God,” John opens with “In the beginning was the Word.”
This doesn’t reference the written word of God (Scripture) or the spoken word of God (the Holy Spirit), but God himself. In actuality, Jesus is the Word of God.
As the Word of God—both Creator and Savior—Jesus embodies life. His life shines brightly in the darkness to all people so that they may believe and receive him. In doing so they become children of God. We may become children of God.
John establishes Jesus’s presence at creation. Yet this is not his beginning either, but merely the earliest account where we see him at work.
As eternal God, Jesus precedes our world as timeless and immortal, without beginning or end. He is everlasting, coming to us from infinity past and lasting with us into infinity future.
Yet despite all that he is, he condescends to humble himself and enter our physical reality as a helpless baby so that he may one day save us.
Do we celebrate Jesus as both our Creator and our Savior?
Have we received him and become children of God? (See John 1:12–13.)
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for who you are and what you did. May we always remember this and to celebrate all that you’ve done for us—and are doing.
[This devotional is taken from the November 27 reading from The Advent of Jesus.]
Celebrate Christmas in a fresh way with The Advent of Jesus. It’s a forty-day devotional that prepares our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus in an engaging read. Begin your Advent journey now and gain a greater sense of wonder for the season.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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