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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
Interesting is the way the New English Bible renders this verse. It says
“When all things began, the word already was. The word dwelt with God and what God was, the word was.” John 1:1 New English Bible
“God” (the Father) and “the Word” (the Son of God) are two separate divine personages. One literal rendering of this verse could be
‘In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God [Gr. ton qeon], and the Word was God [Gr. qeov]’.
In this particular instance, in using these words this way, John was conveying the thought that in the sense of divine personages, ‘the God’ was separate from ‘the Word’ yet the Word ‘was God’. By his usage of words, John is saying that the Word was God essentially (the Word was everything that God is) but He is not God in personality (in personage). Here ‘the God’ is the Father. Look at it this way. If John had said that ‘the Word’ was with ‘ton qeon’ (the God), and the Word was ‘ton qeon’ (the God)’, this would not make any sense. It would be saying that both ‘the Word’ and ‘the God’ are the same individual personages - which they are not. Here he is saying that the Word is fully and completely God yet at the same time differentiating Him from the ‘one God’, meaning the infinite God, the Father (see John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6). This was his purpose in writing this way. He wanted to say that both were God – also that God (which must mean the Father) and the Word were two separate personages. This does not make ‘the Word’ (the Son of God) any less divine than ‘the God’ (the Father) because as can be repeatedly seen throughout the NT, the Scriptures clearly reveal that Christ is God Himself in the person of the Son. It is just that the Son is not ‘the God’ in individual personage. The latter is the Father. John’s purpose was to identify the personage of the Son (see John 20:31).
Interesting is the way the New English Bible renders this verse. It says
“When all things began, the word already was. The word dwelt with God and what God was, the word was.” John 1:1 New English Bible
“God” (the Father) and “the Word” (the Son of God) are two separate divine personages. One literal rendering of this verse could be
‘In beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God [Gr. ton qeon], and the Word was God [Gr. qeov]’.
In this particular instance, in using these words this way, John was conveying the thought that in the sense of divine personages, ‘the God’ was separate from ‘the Word’ yet the Word ‘was God’. By his usage of words, John is saying that the Word was God essentially (the Word was everything that God is) but He is not God in personality (in personage). Here ‘the God’ is the Father. Look at it this way. If John had said that ‘the Word’ was with ‘ton qeon’ (the God), and the Word was ‘ton qeon’ (the God)’, this would not make any sense. It would be saying that both ‘the Word’ and ‘the God’ are the same individual personages - which they are not. Here he is saying that the Word is fully and completely God yet at the same time differentiating Him from the ‘one God’, meaning the infinite God, the Father (see John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6). This was his purpose in writing this way. He wanted to say that both were God – also that God (which must mean the Father) and the Word were two separate personages. This does not make ‘the Word’ (the Son of God) any less divine than ‘the God’ (the Father) because as can be repeatedly seen throughout the NT, the Scriptures clearly reveal that Christ is God Himself in the person of the Son. It is just that the Son is not ‘the God’ in individual personage. The latter is the Father. John’s purpose was to identify the personage of the Son (see John 20:31).