Today’s Passage
John opens his Gospel before the beginning itself. He reaches back past Abraham and past the very first sunrise to introduce someone he calls the Word. You will see a clear claim here: Jesus has always been God, existing long before Bethlehem.
Context Echoes of Genesis
The phrase “in the beginning” opens Genesis 1:1. John chooses these exact words intentionally so every Jewish reader would recognize the reference immediately. Genesis describes God speaking the universe into existence, and John identifies the exact Person doing the speaking.
John 1:1–2 (BSB)
¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning.
Read verse 1 carefully. John makes three distinct historical and theological claims. First, the logos, pronounced LOH-goss. Strong's G3056, word, reason, the spoken expression of thought. Greek philosophers used this term to describe the rational principle governing the universe. John applies this term to a living, breathing Person. This Person existed before time and spoke all matter into existence. already existed “in the beginning,” before creation occurred. Second, the Word “was with God,” establishing Him as a distinct Person. Third, the Word “was God.” John states a direct, unvarnished fact: the Word is completely and eternally divine.
John 1:3–5 (BSB)
³ Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
A creator exists apart from his creation. Since Jesus made everything in existence, He stands entirely on the Maker’s side of the line. Verse 4 identifies Him as the source and owner of life itself. Verse 5 states a historical reality: the light shines, and the darkness remains powerless to extinguish it.
John 1:14 (BSB)
¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The eternal Word took on human flesh while retaining His full divinity. He became entirely human and moved into a physical neighborhood with real people. The phrase “made His dwelling” points directly to the tabernacle in Exodus. That tent housed the presence of God during the wilderness wanderings. Now, God’s presence occupies a human body, walking physical roads and eating at wooden tables.
Study notes The Same Claim in Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews builds the identical case. The Son radiates the glory of God and holds the entire physical universe together by His spoken command.
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:3 (BSB)
The evidence points to a clear verdict: Jesus has always been God. He existed eternally before His incarnation at Bethlehem. Sometime today, speak one true statement out loud about His identity. You might say, quietly or boldly, “You are God, and You came for me.”
Pray to Close
Pray today in response to the evidence of who Jesus is. Thank God that the eternal Word who formed the universe chose to take on flesh and dwell among us. Ask Him to give you clear eyes to see Jesus exactly as He is, in His full divinity. Confess any times you have treated Him as a mere moral teacher rather than the sovereign Creator.
Worship for Today
What a Beautiful Name · Hillsong Worship
This song opens where John 1 opens, with the Word who was with God from the very start. It then follows Him as He walks among us as a man. Sing it as your own answer to today’s passage.
Listen: