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.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 1: 1-5 NLT
This passage gives an eternal glimpse into the person of Jesus. Have you only thought of Jesus in the day He lived? Historians do –they label Him a human who walked the earth once during His 33 years among us. Believers, although knowledgeable of His existence prior to His appearance on earth as well as hopeful of His reappearance in the near future, should challenge themselves to meditate on this passage in John. These 5 verses, when placed in context with the entire life of Jesus, allow us to fully appreciate the Savior we worship.
In the first two verses, John outlines Jesus’ full Godship, the Lord that He was and is. He is not subject to God’s rule, but is the ultimate expression of it. Verse 2 makes their connection clear:
He existed in the beginning with God. John 1:2 NLT
There is no separating Them, there is no ranking Them one over the other –They are one.
Then we learn His connection to all of creation. Before He came in the flesh, He had already walked the length of existence from one end to the other. He knew all that this world held, and would hold, because He formed it. From a blank canvas, His love and grace flowed across existence and painted a beautiful world full of peace and joy. He paid attention to every detail, every color, and every shape until He knit an unforgettable tapestry.
…nothing was created except through him. John 1:3 NLT
Lastly, we see Him giving life to creation. Before He gave His life, He gave life to everything. How privileged we are to have a Creator love us so much that He would later trade places with us in order to save us from ourselves. The most powerful description of Jesus in this characterization of Him is among the last few words:
… and his life brought life to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:4-5 NLT
The Amplified Bible states it this way:
…and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. (verse 4-5)
What an image – a light that not even darkness can distinguish. At some point, go into a room without windows or doors, perhaps a closet, and sit in the darkness. This is where we would be without Him. Then, shine even a small light and notice the entire atmosphere change, feel hope rise!
This is the “Word,” who not only existed before time as we know it and walked among us in the flesh, but now sits with the Father in Heaven waiting to welcome us home.
This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. 1 John 4-10 MSG
Blessings!
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.