Like God was the Word

The famous opening verses of John’s Gospel read:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was turned to God, and like God was the Word. This was turned to God in the beginning”.
John 1:1-2 (KNT)

With this introduction John speaks of Jesus as the Word. He wants to make it clear right from the beginning that here we are not just talking about a man, but this word was already there before everything else (John 1:3). So He is not a creature and part of the creation, but everything was created through Him. This “word” (gr. logos) is used as an expression for a greatly expanded understanding of Jesus Christ, almost identical to what Paul describes later in his letter to the Colossians:

“[der Sohn Seiner Liebe]… He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn before any creation. For in Him the universe is created: that in the heavens and that on earth … the universe is created through Him and to Him, and He is before all, and the universe exists together in Him”
Col 1:15-17

The Word became flesh

This Word, says John, became flesh in this world: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, a glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Paul later describes it as follows:

“Christ Jesus … who, when He was in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be like God; but emptied Himself, took the form of a slave, was made like men, and in the manner invented like a man; He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Phil 2:5-8

He then writes: “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God*, who is now in the bosom of the Father, the same one has portrayed Him” (John 1:18). Almost at the end of his account, John once again describes the purpose of his remarks: “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through faith you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

So far, so good.

This is about a good news. It is broadly measured by John, yet clearly focused. But let us linger a little longer on the first verses of the Gospel. Here we are talking specifically about the Word. The passage has great significance for the doctrine of the Trinity. The Concordant rendering of the New Testament reads slightly differently here than many other translations. There is a good reason for this.

In the controversy over the Trinity, it is a concern to understand this and similar biblical passages correctly. Because the discussion is often argued from the dogmas and less from the biblical text, this passage is often not really up for discussion. It is the merit of the concordants’ rendering to be able to take a look at the basic text, to be able to look through the translation, so to speak, in order to trace the basic text.

From disunity to trinity

In the doctrine of the Trinity, emphasis is placed on the fact that Jesus is not only God, but Deity, that is, equal to the Most High. He is part of the Godhead – in an unknown way. The fact that a better differentiation is necessary here will be pursued as an idea later on.

The doctrine of the Trinity emerged as a theological and political standpoint in the Arian controversy. Was Jesus man or God Himself? Many views get tangled up in the problems of this polemical account. Are there only these two extremes, or does the Bible portray something else? This question requires an examination of the person of Jesus Christ as the Bible tells us about him, and of the meaning and use of the word “God.”

An important point to understand the doctrine of the Trinity is the historical context. It is often assumed that the doctrine of the Trinity is taught directly in the Bible or is even mentioned there. However, this is not true. Rather, there was versatility in understanding until the current dogmatic determination. The doctrine of the Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, but only formulated in this way by the later churches. Or in other words: There is only an inferred reason (dogmatics) for the doctrine of the Trinity, no direct biblical statement.

There is only an inferred reason (dogmatics) for the doctrine of the Trinity, no direct biblical statement.

It is also helpful in understanding the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity that some claimed that Jesus was only one man.
Against this
the official church resisted. The definition of the so-called Trinity was worked out over several councils. However, opinions went from one extreme to the other when the councils defined that Jesus is part of the Godhead.

Against the assertion that Jesus was simply a man, now came the assertion that He was equal to the Godhead. This, however, is not directly attested anywhere in the Bible. The result of these decisions is – despite all regret about the inner contradictions – a splitting or multiplication of the Godhead: God, the Father, becomes with the Son two and still much later with the Holy Spirit as a person even three “persons” of the Godhead.

To consider: In the absolute sense (so to speak as “Godhead”) only the Father Himself is called God in the Bible. The contradiction with the biblical understanding of the One God – as witnessed throughout the Tenach and the New Testament – is obvious (Deut. 6:4, 1 Co. 8:6, etc.).

The translation

The dogmatic determination of a Trinity now reflected back to the translation. God and the Word should be one. A differentiation of the term is missing. In this sense, John 1 translates:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with God.”
(Luther 1984)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God.”
(Rev. Elberfelder, Schlachter 2000)

The councils had already indicated that any view that deviated from the Trinity was to be called a heresy. This makes it difficult to this day to have a serious conversation about the biblical text. Could this perhaps be called dogma-belief, which prevents a critical examination of the biblical testimony?

The councils had already indicated that any view that deviated from the Trinity was to be called a heresy. This makes it difficult to this day to have a serious conversation about the biblical text.

However that may be, it came from the historical disunity not to unity, but to trinity. If we are aware that these are interpretations – and not direct statements of the Bible – then perhaps we can think about the text in a new way.

Let us return once again to John’s original statement:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was[turned] toward God , and[like] God was the Word. This was[facing] God in the beginning.“
John 1:1-2 (KNT)

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. οὗτοςἦν ἐν ἀρχῇπρὸς τὸν θεόν.
John 1:1-2 (NA28).

Two expressions are striking here and will be considered in more detail below:

• πρὸς τὸν θεόν = turned towards God
• θεὸς ἦν = [wie] God was.

It makes a big difference whether the translation here should be “the word was with God” or “the word was turned to God”.

In the first case, it could be understood that the Word simply stood “beside” God. This could be interpreted as an argument for some assumptions of the Trinity – although here, well understood, neither three nor unity is mentioned.

When something is “with” God, it gives the impression of “remaining in one place,” that is, a “being with God.” In contrast, “turned toward God” speaks of a direction or orientation of the word. Then God is the One, and the Word is turned toward the One God. Thus, the Word and the One God are clearly different.

When something is “with” something else, that is, is “next to” something else, this is indicated with the Greek para. This is the case, for example, in John 1:6 “Then a man appeared, sent from God, his name was John …”. John was a man of God, he was sent “with/by God” so to speak. The same cannot be said of the Word. The word was pros ton theon (πρὸς τὸν θεόν) or “turned toward God.” Twice it is mentioned. The preposition pros denotes a direction, hence “turned toward God.” The same expression is used a few chapters further on:

“But Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had gone out from God and was going back to God.”
John 13:3

The very comparison that Jesus had “gone out from God” and was “going back to God” (πρὸς τὸν θεόν) explains the active direction. Likewise, this seems to be the correct statement for the first verses in John’s letter.

Like God was the Word

In the comparison “and [wie] God was the Word,” the Concordant rendering has inserted the little word “like” to express something that is otherwise difficult for us to understand. The Greek here literally has “and God was the Word”. However, because we are dealing with a comparison, special attention must be paid to the verb “to be”. In fact, where an immediate unity of essence is expressed – so that one can be confused with the other – the verb is missing in Greek. However, where the verb appears, it is a figurative comparison.

For example, here:

• “God [ist] Spirit”(John 4:24).

God is essentially spirit. Spirit is not an attribute, but it is spirit. That is why the verb is missing here. It is different in the next two cases:

• “God is light” (1Jn 1,5)
• “God is love” (1Jn 4,8)

Attributes are described here. God is not a lamp, nor can He be reduced to a feeling. In a sense, one could also write here: “God is like light”, because where He is present, it becomes bright in the world. Or, “God is like love,” because all the good things that we understand about love, He has as an attribute. This figurative comparison is expressed in Greek by using the verb “to be”. In German this cannot be expressed directly, which is why the KNT in John’s Gospel inserts the “how” in a sense as information for the reader: “[wie] God was the Word”. God and the Word are not interchangeable, but figuratively comparable. This again records a difference and not an agreement between the two.

The differentiation of the term “God” also plays a major role in understanding. Not everywhere where “God” is written on it, “Deity” is also in it. The designation “God” is to be likened to a function, a function that others can also assume in a limited sense (for example, human judges are called Elohim “God” (Ex. 21:6 22:8-9). More on this below.

The word was turned to God

With this short execution it can be seen that the opening verses from John’s Gospel cannot represent a plea for the Trinity. Certainly, we learn much here about the Word and about the One God, and about the relationship between the two.

The idea of a Trinity is not helpful here; it obscures more than it serves. The Word was already there before all creation. It was turned toward God. All things came to be through the Word, without exception (John 1:3). The view that Jesus was only human, or a creature (some say he was an angel) is based on false assumptions. According to John, He is not a creature, but all creatures have become through Him. For God created all things in His Son and then also created them through Him (Col 1:15-16). He is, John writes, the “Only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). This is what the biblical testimony sounds like.

The term “God” can take on many meanings. Explaining this is beyond the scope of the current article. God in the absolute sense, that is only the Father:

“For although there are so-called gods (whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us only One God, the Father, from whom is the All (and we are turned to Him), and only One Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom the universe has become (and we are through Him).”
1Cor 8,5-6

You can’t put it any clearer than that. This God, the Father, is also the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. From the following passages, it is clear that Jesus himself has a God:

• “…that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “ (Rom 15:6).
• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ … “ (2Cor 1,3)
• “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus .. .” (2Cor 11,31)
• and more

Now this also agrees with the Gospel of John when it says that the Word was turned toward God. If we think about this turning, we see that Christ did nothing of Himself, but received everything from the Father, did everything through Him and once brought everything to Him, as it is said:

“For He subordinated everything [Gott] to Him [Christus]: Under His feet. When He [Christus] then says: “Everything has been subordinated!”, it is obvious that God is excepted, who subordinated the All to Him. But if the universe is subordinate to Him [Christus], then the Son Himself will also be subordinate to Him who subordinated the universe to Him, so that God may be all in alone.”
1Cor 15:27-28

In the true sense, Christ is the mediator between God and man.

“For God is one, likewise one also is mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gives Himself as a substitutionary ransom for all, as a testimony to His own redemption.”
1Tim 2:5-6

What we find in Scripture is clear. God is one. Christ is the Word, the only begotten of the Father before all creation, mediator between the One God and man. He became a mediator by taking the form of a man (Phil 2:5-11). In this way, a clear understanding of God and His Son emerges that can be well substantiated from the Bible, which allows for deepening and strengthens trust in the statements of the Bible.