Wisdom's Corner
The Word Was God

John 1:1 states that the Word was in Heaven with God at the beginning of the universe. And it states that the Word was God. This tells us that there is more than one person in the Godhead. God the Father and the Word (we also know from other scriptures that the Holy Spirit is in the Godhead). >From studying the Bible we learn that the Word here is Jesus Christ.

But why did the inspired writer John use the title of Word here for Jesus? Is there any references in the Old Testament that might give us a clue? Would those who first received the book of John understand who the Word was?

I want you to look at a few scripture passages, Genesis 15:1-18 and Jonah 1:1-2, 2:10, and 3:1-2. In Genesis 15:1 we notice that the "word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision". In verse 2 Abram refers to the word as Lord God. In verse 4 the "word of the Lord came unto him saying". In verse five this Lord God brings him forth abroad. In verse 7 this word says, "I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur". Abram and the Lord continue to converse through the verse 18. I believe this is possibly an instance where Word of the Lord refers to Christ operating in the Old Testament.

Then in Jonah 1:1 we have the "word of the Lord" coming unto Jonah. In verse 2 the word of the Lord refers to "me". This would indicate it is a person speaking. In chapter 2 verse 10, we have "the Lord spake unto the fish". In 3:1 the "word of the Lord" comes again to Jonah and refers to himself in verse two as "I". The Bible makes a distinction between the speaking to Jonah as opposed to the speaking to the fish. Again, I believe this may be another instance where Jesus the Word is active in the Old Testament.

I do not believe that every time we read "the word of the Lord" in the Old Testament it refers to Christ. But I do believe that this is two instances where it does. If I am right, then the Jews who first heard or read John's book would know that this "Word" was the same person of the Godhead who spoke with Abram in Genesis 15 and with Jonah in Jonah chapters one and two.

This is just another example of how much we can learn from reading and studying our Bible. We can know that Jesus indeed was alive in the beginning. And we can know that He was always God.

Keep studying your Bible. Get the wisdom of God. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Mark McWhorter

Copyright 1999

Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)