In The Beginning . . .

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

These first three verses in the book of John are extremely important. The phrase "in the beginning" is used 17 times in the Bible, but only three of these (as far as I can tell) have to do with the beginning of everything.

1.  Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2.  John 1:1-2 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.  Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Other references have to do with the beginning of the reign of a king, the beginning of a year, etc. In the three verses given above we see the very beginning of everything.

. . . was . . .

 In the beginning there "was" nothing but God. There was no time nor space. The things that God created were made from nothing. That is true creation.

In that first beginning, the Word was. This unusual word was is the Greek ain and carries with it the idea of real existence, existence within oneself and nothing dependent on another for existence, as we do.

Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

This was a was in eternity, not in time. Was was not subject to limitations of time. It is eternal existence; so the Word was in the beginning. He was not created in the beginning. He is the I AM, the ever-existing One.

In this was existence, the Word was with God, meaning that the Father and the Son are two persons, as we say. The Holy Spirit is the other, or third, person of the Trinity. They were (was), however, all God equally, because verse one continues by saying that the Word was God. He had all the characteristics and all the authority and power of the essence of God.

We know from John 1:14 that Jesus was the Word, for it states that he was made flesh and dwelt among us. Now verse 2 repeats the importance of the fact that Jesus was with God in the beginning.

All things were made by him . . .

Speaking now of the Word (Jesus), verse 3 says that everything that exists in this created universe was made by Jesus, the Word; and, just in case you did not understand this positive statement, John writes it again in a negative statement, and without him was not anything made that was made.

Then, if Jesus is not the Great Creator, then we shall forever be wont to be suspicious about these verses. Faith, however, declares and confirms the truth of these verses.

Jesus deserves all the praise we can give him, because He is the Great Creator. Paul put it well in Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.