Just Who Is 'The Word?'

0950D

Tom: Dave, as you know, we’ve been spending a great deal of time in this segment on the gospel. And we’re in no hurry to change subjects, for, as the scripture says, “We’re not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth,” and of course, that’s Romans:1:16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
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Today, we’re starting through the gospel of John, with an emphasis on the verses which will help us better understand the gospel of salvation. As we search these scriptures, I want to keep in mind, Dave, something that you pointed out in An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith: “Critical to a true reception of the gospel is 1) knowing who Jesus is; 2) knowing who we are; 3) knowing what Jesus accomplished on the cross.”

So, before we begin with verse 1, do you have any thoughts related to the overview of John’s gospel that might help us in understanding the gospel of John?

Dave: Well, Tom, I never look at an overview or try to divide Bible books or epistles into certain sections, and so forth. I’m not critical of those who do, but somehow, I just go through it verse by verse and read what it says, and, of course, the very first verse presents Jesus as God.

Tom: Right.

Dave: And we have scriptures in John’s gospel. We have accounts of the life of Jesus and teachings of Jesus that we don’t find anywhere else. The famous passage in John 3, with Nicodemus: “Except a man be born again…” None of the other gospels give that account. We have the woman at the well, and we have some tremendous imagery in this book that you don’t have in others. “The water that I give will be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.” It relates to the very thing we were talking about earlier: This isn’t some kind of H20. This isn’t holy water. He’s talking about a spiritual reality that cannot be expressed in some sacramental form.

So, we have that: “I am the door.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the true vine.” We have some intimate statements from Christ. We have His high-priestly prayer, and we have the declaration, Tetelestai!”  in chapter 19, verse 30, I think—somewhere around there, where Christ says, “It is finished!” And we have His appearances after the Resurrection, to His disciples, and breathing upon them, “Receive ye the Holy Spirit,” and a little more detail than you have in the other gospels. And, of course, His appearance at the lake, when Peter says, “Well, I’m going to go fishing.” And the guys say, “Yeah, okay, we’ll go with you. I guess this Jesus thing—maybe, let’s not get too excited about…”  I mean, I’m not judging their hearts. I’m not putting words in their mouths, but it seemed as though they were ready to go back to their old life. That was where Jesus called them.

And Luke, of course, gives that in detail, when Peter says, “Depart from me, I’m a sinful man,” and then, finally, it says, “They forsook all”— Peter and Andrew and James and John, and they followed Him. Now, they’ve seen the Lord. He’s died for their sins. He’s resurrected. Now, Peter says, “Well, I guess, guys, we’re going to get back to the old profession!” (Dave, chuckling). And that’s when Jesus comes and commissions Peter again: “Feed My sheep.” And that’s sort of a… I guess I gave you a quick overview.

Tom: Yeah. It was good! I was also thinking—earlier we talked about men’s opinions; people adding things to it and making religion up as they go along. Not thinking that, but certainly in rebellion against God. But Jesus makes a very strong point in this gospel: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by Me.”

Well, let’s get right after it! Beginning with—this is the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verse 1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Let me add, too, to that: “The same was in the beginning with God.” Now, this “Word…”

Dave: Well, we’d better go on, Tom, “All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made,” ok?

Tom: Ok. But I want to go back to the deity of Christ. We mentioned that earlier, and I want to cover that. In Revelation:19:13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
See All..., who is this Word? That’s what I’m going after here. It’s Revelation:19:13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
See All..., and says, “His name is called the Word of God.”

Dave: This is the one on the white horse, who’s coming to destroy Antichrist.

Tom: Right. This is the Second Coming of Christ.

Dave: Mm-hmm.

Tom: So, Jesus identifies Himself as the Word.  So, there’s no mistaking who John:1:1-3 [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
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Dave: And when you get to John 8, Jesus says to those Jews who claim they believed on Him, “If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples.” That was a shock to them. “Oh, we’re following the Word of God.” Wait a minute! This is the Word of God who is speaking to them, and they don’t know it. Now, of course, this does present…well, He is the expression of God to man. He is the one who makes God visible to man. He came as a man. And He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Again, we have this in John’s gospel, not anywhere else.

So, this is God, who is revealing Himself to and is speaking to man. Now, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, who deny that Jesus is God, they love to go to this verse, because they have their own “translation.” It is not a translation. In fact, I can remember 50 years ago, they’re reading in the New World Translation, where it says, “Well, this does not follow the ordinary rules of Greek grammar, but this is one place where that rule does not apply.” So the second time, it said, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and they say, “No, ‘a god, spelled with a little g,’” because they deny that Jesus is God.

Now, all through the gospels, where it says those in the boat fell down and worshiped him—a number of times you have people worshiping Jesus, and He accepts that worship. The New World Translation, the Jehovah’s Witnesses translates it: “They did obeisance,” like you would do to a king. Wait a minute! It’s the same Greek word. What right do you have to change the meaning of it, just because you don’t believe that Jesus is God? But this is the very same word that is used for worshiping God, and Jesus is accepting this. But when you read it, you either have one God in verse 1: “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” You either have one God, or you have two Gods—one spelled with a big G and the other with a little G.

Well, then, how many gods are there? Count the gods. Is there more than one God? No, there’s only one God. God in the Old Testament says, “I am God. There’s none else beside Me.”

“Is there a God beside Me?” God says. “Wait a minute! Check it out! Search the whole universe.” There is no other God. Okay? All of the gods are false gods.  So if you’ve got two Gods in here, one of them is God and the other one is Jesus (spelled with a little “g”) and then you have a false god, and Jesus is a false god. But no Jehovah’s Witness would want to agree to that. It’s very important…

Tom: Dave, let me jump on that, because Jehovah’s Witnesses, they’re very religious people. They do lots of work.  I mean, you want to compare them with any other group, they…hours-wise, the time they put in, all that they go through, and here they just have a “little difference of opinion.” They think that God—Jesus is not Jehovah God, but He’s “a god.” What’s the problem with that?

Dave:  Well, a serious problem, because all through the Old Testament, Jehovah, as they want to call Him, or Yahweh, more accurate, says, “I am the only Savior.” Well, then, Jesus, to be the Savior, must be God! Isaiah:9:6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
See All...: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” That is the eternal Son of God. “The government shall be upon his shoulders….” (So even the rabbis have to acknowledge this is the Messiah.) “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God.” Now, the Jehovah’s Witness says, “Well, that’s not almighty God.” I’ll give you 37 verses in the Old Testament where Jehovah is called “mighty God.” “Mighty, almighty,” it doesn’t matter. God is God. But then it says, “The mighty God, The everlasting Father.” So the babe born in Bethlehem was the Son, he was also the Father! And when Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” He was right in line with what the prophets had already said!

Tom: Yeah, but, Dave, doesn’t that do damage to the Trinity? How can Jesus be the Father?

Dave: Because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one! Three persons, one God. Do I understand this? I don’t understand it, but I know that philosophically. I know that it’s biblical. All through the Old Testament—you have Elohim, a plurality. That’s “gods,” literally. We quoted earlier: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Literally, it’s “Gods.” “In the beginning, Elohim…” But then it uses—for the plural noun, it uses a singular pronoun and a singular verb. So you have plurality yet singularity. It is necessary (I guess we’ve run out of time)…

Tom: Yeah, we’re going to…

Dave: We can explain why it is necessary. Otherwise if this God is a single individual before He created any human beings, he’s imperfect. He couldn’t love, fellowship, and so forth.

Tom: Yeah. Dave, Isaiah:45:21Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
See All... says, “And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior. There is none beside Me.”  Hosea:13:4Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.
See All...: “For there is no savior beside Me.” So if the Jehovah’s Witnesses have another god, have a wrong view of Jesus, they’re in trouble. Because they cannot be saved, having the wrong god.

Dave: Futhermore, Jesus was a liar if He’s not God. Why did they crucify Him? When Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,”—He didn’t say “I was,” He said, “I am”; He claims to be Yahweh, the I Am of the Old Testament—they took up stones to stone Him. Why didn’t Jesus say, “Hey guys! Don’t you…you’re misunderstanding me!” In John 10, “They took up stones to stone Him. Jesus said, For which of the…I’ve done many good deeds. For which of these do you stone me? They said, For a good deed we stone thee not, but because thou, being a man, makest thyself out to be God.” That was heresy! And then this was why they crucified Him. Jesus claimed to be God. If He isn’t, He was a liar!

Tom: Right. And He’certainly not our Savior…

Dave: If He isn’t God.