What does John 1:1 Mean?

[Richard Aberdeen]

In the beginning was the logos, and the logos was with God, and the logos was God John 1:1, inadequately translated as "Word" in most modern bibles. While it is true that the "word of the Lord" or the word of God is an aspect (or part) of God, this by no means describes everything that God is.

Thus, "the word" doesn't even begin to describe what the author of John most likely intended. John later in the same narrative quotes Jesus as saying "I am the way, the truth and the life. . .", which is perhaps a better description of what the logos most likely means in the context used by John.

To the ancient Greeks, "logos" did mean "word", but "the logos" as it says in John, referred to the divine reason, order, plan and purpose in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning; or, the "mind" and intention of God; it also meant Creator. "The logos" represents God's understanding and universal and beyond view, which at best is only very partially understood by anyone living on earth.

As Paul writes, for now we understand "in part" 1 Corinthians 13:12. Modern bibles should leave "the logos" untranslated, with an asterisk explaining more detail, as there is no single adequate English word for the logos.

Translating the Greek "the logos" as "the word" is inadequate and misleading. Based on its use in "John", the meaning of the logos, though lost in translation to most people today, may have been somewhat commonly in usage in the First Century world of Jesus and his followers, in particular among Greeks. Applied logos is perhaps best commonly understood to mean roughly, that which is really true, as opposed to what human beings think, believe or otherwise assume to be true.

Rather than being an easily definable term, "the logos" represents what is far beyond human understanding and ability to adequately either define or comprehend. This is reflected in the letters of Paul, who teaches us that both God's love and God's peace are beyond all understanding. Paul also says: "And if anyone thinks that they know anything, they know nothing yet as they ought to know" I Corinthians 8:2. Many scientists today agree that we know almost nothing, compared to what yet needs to be learned.

As already mentioned, later in John , Jesus says to his followers: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me" John 14:6. According to the Bible, there is only one true God, with various aspects like grace, mercy, love and peace.

These aspects cannot be separated, any more than we can separate our physical beings from our inward heart, mind, soul and conscious awareness. Rather, like "the word of the Lord" as mentioned in the Old Testament several times, these are all different aspects of the same one God; Jesus is love, Jesus is truth and, Jesus is the true God and eternal life.

Even we humans can feel and emanate more than one thing, like compassion, hatred, sorrow and anger, yet these are all aspects of our singular beings. And, unlike many are taught in great error, God's grace, mercy, love and peace cannot be separated from freedom, any more than water can be separated from what we need to survive.

If we don't want to be free, we cannot follow the true God, who is far more free than anyone on earth can even begin to imagine. Like the New Testament says, Jesus came "to set at liberty those who are oppressed" Luke 4:18 and if you listen to Jesus, "you will know the truth and, the truth will make you free" John 8:32. Sin chains, enslaves and oppresses us all.

Unlike Christianity and other religions, Jesus is about becoming more and more free, not less free; for "where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" II Corinthians 3:17 and there is love; "for God is love" I John 4:8; see also I Corinthians chapter 13.

Conservative preachers often grossly mislead their congregations by using this inadequate translation to equate the Bible with Jesus, saying things like Jesus is the "spoken" or "living" Word and the Bible is the "written Word", capitalizing 'Word' each time and more or less equating the Bible with God. It is a very great error to ever equate either any author of the Bible or our own understanding with Jesus.

There is God's understanding of love, justice, peace, freedom and what we want and then, there is our own far less reliable and partial understanding of love, justice, peace, freedom and what we want, which is what the Greek concept of "the logos" is all about. The logos represents what for now we understand only "in part"; The logos represents what is ultimately true, which we humans can only for now, see as if in a mirror, darkly.

Consider how much better off we would all be today if our modern preachers, scientists and educators freely admitted to the rest of us the truth, that they don't really know very much about what is really true. Many people in error put their trust in modern science, while 21st Century scientists understand almost nothing about such common things as water, viruses or the universe at large, compared to what is yet to be learned. If the James Web Telescope has taught humans anything, it is that our current understanding of the universe is completely and entirely inadequate and may indeed, be immeasurably wrong.

And if all this seems to be somewhat difficult and hard to grasp, don't feel bad, for we are all born into darkness and confusion and, God's free salvation is all about setting us free from the darkness and confusion of the society we are born into, whatever that society many be. We can be comforted in these words from Paul, who unlike many modern Christians who prance around claiming to "know" God, Paul far more humbly says, "But if anyone loves God, this one is known by him" I Corinthians 8:3.

While through Jesus we can have a growing awareness of God's grace, mercy, love, peace and freedom in the reality of our daily lives and, a growing understanding of God in relation to ourselves and other people, it is not as if we understand God but rather, God knows and understands us. God's love is very, very far better than the very best love we will ever experience from a parent, spouse, brother, sister or friend.

While making a religion out of God, Jesus and/or the Bible is a very bad idea, actually reading the Bible for ourselves is a very good idea, no matter who we are. Reading the Bible helps us understand better what is really true. More importantly, the Bible focuses on what matters to our own survival and benefit in the reality of our daily lives. The Bible is not very much about God in the larger universal picture put rather, it focuses almost entirely on God in relation to people and, people in relation to each other.

It may seem important to a scientist to discover what may have occurred a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second after a theoretical big bang. But, consider how much more important it is to our own survival and well-being, for scientists to focus their time, efforts and research dollars on how to eradicate global pollution, contain contagious disease and prevent hunger and mass starvation. Wisdom in part is about learning how to apply knowledge correctly to best help ourselves, our local and the global community.

Jesus and the authors of the Bible help us cut through what the King James version translates as "dung", commonly known today by us sinners as "bullshit", to understand what really matters for our own peace, happiness, safety and well-being here on earth. The Bible says God "hates a lying tongue" Proverbs 6:16-19 and there is a very good reason why. Lies lead to darkness and confusion and make us less free, not more free.

Like Jesus teaches us and the authors of the New Testament emphasize, the real solution to humanity's problems can be summed up in this, that we with his help (who is love), learn to treat other people like we want them to treat us. While what matters in life may seem confusing, difficult and hard to comprehend, what really matters is so simple and easy, even a small child can understand and, apply it accordingly. We all need to remember that faith without action is dead.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to Richard Aberdeen in post #1]

The Greek word "Logos" or "Word" is used seven different ways in the Bible. But the subject is, "How is it used concerning Jesus Christ?" The following came from my 1836 Greek-to-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
The Word, the Logos, in the writings of John. John 1:1-14. "In the beginning was the Word," "the Word was God," "The Word was made flesh."

1 John 5:7, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost."

Revelation 19:13, "His name is called the Word of God." It here stands for the pre-existent nature of Christ, as that spiritual and divine nature spoken of in the Jewish writings before and about the time of Christ, under various names, such as Wisdom, Proverbs 8:12-22 sequel to follow, "I Wisdom dwell, --- counsel is mine -- by me kings reign, -- princes rule, -- riches and honor are with me, -- I lead in the way of righteousness,-- the LORD possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His work of old."

Daniel 7:13, "One like the Son of man (Jesus)" compare with Proverbs 30:4, "Word of Jehovah," in the Targums for Herew, "God." Genesis 20:3, Isaiah 45:12.

On this divine Word, the Jews of that age would appear to have had much subtle discussion; and therefore, probably the Apostle sets out with affirming, John 1:1; and then also declares that this Word became flesh and was therefore the Messiah, verse14.

Some people take, "The Word," here for, "The promised." Others for "The teacher," but both of these hypotheses are without support in the origin and construction of the word itself in the Greek language.

[tygger too]

[Replying to Richard Aberdeen in post #1]

John 1:1 Primer

For Grammatical Rules "Proving" the Trinity

John 1:1c - English translation: "The Word was God [or 'a god']."
- NT Greek: θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος
---------------"god was the word."

The NT Greek word for "God" and "god" is theos (θεὸς). In the writings of the Gospel writers (including John) when an unmodified theos (the form used for subjects and predicate nouns) is accompanied by the article, "the" (ὁ [pronounced ho] in Greek), and has no added phrases (e.g., "the god of this world"), then it always refers to the only true God. - See DEF study.

But Jn 1:1c has an unmodified "theos" without the article. Therefore, even some trinitarian scholars are forced to admit that this passage may be literally translated as "the Word was a god"!
This includes W. E. Vine (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words);
Dr. C. H. Dodd (director of the New English Bible project);
Murray J. Harris (Jesus as God);
Dr. Robert Young (Young's Concise Critical Bible Commentary);
Rev. J. W. Wenham, The Elements of New Testament Greek.

The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 1985 clearly recognizes the truth about the lesser meaning of theos and elohim ('a god'):

"In the language of the OT ... rulers and judges, as deputies of the heavenly King, could be given the honorific title ‘god’ ... or be called ‘son of God’.” - footnote for Ps. 82:1.

And, in the footnote for Ps. 45:6, this trinitarian study Bible tells us: “In this psalm, which praises the [Israelite] king ..., it is not unthinkable that he was called ‘god’ as a title of honor (cf. Isa. 9:6).”

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Zondervan, 1986, tells us:

“The reason why judges are called ‘gods’ in Ps. 82 is that they have the office of administering God’s judgment as ‘sons of the Most High’. In context of the Ps. the men in question have failed to do this.... On the other hand, Jesus fulfilled the role of a true judge as a ‘god’ and ‘son of the Most High’.” - Vol. 3, p. 187.

The highly respected (and highly trinitarian) W. E. Vine tells us:

“The word [theos, ‘god’ or ‘God’] is used of Divinely appointed judges in Israel, as representing God in His authority, John 10:34” - p. 491, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.

B. W. Johnson's People's New Testament says for John 10:34-36:

"Is it not written in your law. In Psa. 82. I said, Ye are gods? It was there addressed to judges. Christ's argument is: If your law calls judges gods, why should I be held guilty of blasphemy for saying that I am the Son of God? Sanctified. Set apart." - http://www.studylight.org/com/pnt/view. ... 4#Joh10_34