John 1:1-18. Why Doesn’t God Have a Word for Me?
If God exists, why won’t he make himself more clear? Why won’t he show his face so I can see him with my eyes? Why won’t he speak to me with audible words that I can hear with my ears, like when we spoke to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3? Or why won’t he write up some words on a wall, like he did for King Belshazzar in Daniel 5? Why doesn’t he have a word for these guys but not for me?
People ask these kinds of questions all the time. They think that if God would give them a word, they could know that he truly does exist.
Truth be told, God doesn’t just have a word for us; he has given us the Word. The Word certainly proves to us that God exists. But he does a whole lot more.
Who exactly is this Word? How did he come? Why did he come? To answer these questions, we need to take a look at John 1:1-18.
1. Who is The Word?
We meet the Word in John 1:1-3 (NIV):
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Here are some things we learn about the Word in John 1.
In the beginning. First up, we learn that he existed “in the beginning”, which is basically an Easter egg pointing us to Genesis 1, which famously begins with the words, “In the beginning…”. If The Word is there “in the beginning”, this gives a pretty strong indication that he actually existed “prior” to “the beginning”, which means that he exists before time begins. It also indicates that he exists independently of created matter, meaning that he is outside of creation. In other words, he is “eternal” and “uncreated”.
With God. In the following phrase, we discover that he was “with God” in the beginning. The preposition “with” tells us that the Word is distinct from “God” but hints that he is probably in a close relationship with him. As you read the rest of the New Testament and come to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, you realise that if two or more persons of the Trinity are mentioned, “God” often refers to the Father (“Lord” often refers to the Son as well). So, the Word existed in eternity with God the Father. Given that nothing else existed in creation, you get the vibe that he was probably in a close relationship with the Father. This hunch is confirmed in verse 18: he is “in closest relationship with the Father.”
Was God. In the next phrase in verse 1, we discover that the Word also was and is “God”. Here, the word “God” refers to the idea of divinity. It’s not saying he is the same person who gets mentioned in the previous phrase. That would be confusing, given that we just heard that he was “with” God, which offers a point of differentiation! I know I just said that “God” usually refers to the Father when one or more persons of the Trinity are mentioned in the New Testament. This phrase is one of the times when that is not the case.
There are some sects (often door-knockers) that argue that John 1:1 has been mistranslated from the Greek, and that therefore, Jesus isn’t really God. Those people don’t understand extremely basic Greek grammar, as explained in E. C. Colwell’s article on the use of the article (the word “the”) in New Testament Greek. Also, they struggle to know what to do with these Bible verses:
John 1:18 (NIV)
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.John 20:28 (NIV)
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”Romans 9:5 (NIV)
5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.Titus 2:13 (NIV)
13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,Hebrews 1:8 (NIV)
8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.2 Peter 1:1 (NIV)
1 To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.
Creator. Next up, we discover that the Word is the Creator. Through him all things were made. Without him nothing was made. If there was any ambiguity about the Word’s divinity in verse 1, this should clarify things. If everything was created through the Word, then the Word himself could not have been created. Otherwise, we’d have to say that everything was created through the Word except for the Word, who was created independently of the Word. But we don’t say that. We say that “everything” was created through him. That’s why we don’t say that the Word was “made” or “created”. He is the creator.
The Word is never mentioned in Genesis 1. However, we see very clearly that the Father creates through the Word when we notice that he made everything in Genesis 1:1 by speaking. He says, “Let there be light”, and then we have light. The Spirit also gets a mention in Genesis 1:2.
The One and Only Son. So far, I’ve been assuming that the Word is God’s Son, Jesus. Now it’s time to explain why. In John 1:14, we read:
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word took on human flesh. And he is identified as the “one and only Son” (from the Greek word μονογενής or monogenēs). In older translations, this word was translated as “only begotten Son”, but for various reasons (which I’m not entirely convinced by), newer translations go with “one and only”.
Anyway, who is this one-and-only/begotten Son?
Jesus Christ. It’s Jesus. John 1:17:
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The Word who is the Son came from the Father full of “grace and truth” (1:14). “Grace and truth” came through Jesus Christ (1:17).
So, in summary, putting together all of these threads, who is The Word?
Answer: The Word is God’s Eternal, Divine Son, Jesus, the Creator.
2. How Did He Come?
Here are a few things we learn about how God’s eternal, divine Son, Jesus, the Creator, came:
Shining. In 1:4-5, we see that he came shining:
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
As he came, he came shining life and light to all humankind. Darkness couldn’t hide it. He was unmissable. Why was he shining? More on that soon.
Flesh. Next up, he came in the flesh. John 1:14:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
As well as being 100% God, he became 100% human. Before coming to earth, the Word existed. For all eternity. But at the first Christmas (and in the 9 months leading up to it), he also took on human flesh. For more on how all of this works, check out this article.
Dwelling. Significantly, he came to dwell among us. Verse 14 uses the Greek word eskēnōsen (ἐσκήνωσεν) to talk about Jesus’ dwelling. It comes from the root skēnoō (σκηνόω), which means “to pitch a tent.” This noun version of this verb occurs 435 times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the LXX), two-thirds of which refer to the Tabernacle, the place where God dwells (see TDNT volume 7, page 369).
So, by using this particular word for “dwelling”, John hints that the Word came to dwell among us just like God dwelled among his people in the Old Testament. It’s a pretty big deal. Remember, in verse 1, the Word dwells “with God”. Now he dwells “among us”. In John 2:19–21, Jesus makes a similar point when he likens himself to the temple, which would later replace the Tabernacle.
Grace and truth. Finally, he came in grace and truth. Jesus came shining forth God’s grace or “undeserved favour” toward a world that rejected him. Similarly, he exudes God’s truthfulness. Truth refers to the faithfulness, reliability, and ultimate reality of God. Jesus not only speaks the truth but is the Truth (John 14:6). Therefore, he reveals God’s truth.
Just like with the dwelling/tabernacle thing, here we have Jesus exhibiting some God-like features as he comes. When the LORD climactically appears to Moses in Exodus 34:6, he says:
“The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”
Now, as Jesus arrives, he exhibits these same kinds of qualities.
So, joining the dots together, how did Jesus, the Word, come?
Answer: dwelling in human flesh, shining light, grace and truth.
3. Why Did He Come?
Finally, why did he come?
Answer: to reveal the Father and make us God’s children.
Let’s break this down.
Reveal the Father. The simple fact that he is called “the Word” hints that his job involves revealing something. The idea of being a “light” that shines also gives the same impression (1:4-5, 9-11). He “enlightens” us by revealing something to us. When we get to verse 18, it then becomes unavoidably clear:
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
In the Old Testament, we have examples of people “seeing” God in one way or another:
In Genesis 32:20, Jacob declares, “I saw God face to face“.
In Exodus 24:9-10, we read, “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel.”
In Exodus 33:11, we read, “the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.”
In Exodus 33:20, the LORD tells Moses, “You cannot see my face”.
However, he then tells Moses, “I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (33:23).
In the New Testament, we read of a time when Christians will see God. For example:
In Matthew 5:8, Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul says, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
But then we have a bunch of verses saying that nobody has seen God or that he’s invisible:
In John 1:18, we read that “no one has ever seen God”.
In John 6:46, we read, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God”.
In Colossians 1:15, we read that the “Son is the image of the invisible God”.
In 1 Timothy 6:16, God is described as the one who “is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.”
In John 4:12, we read that “no one has ever seen God”.
How do we make sense of this?
How can God be invisible on the one hand, telling Moses that he can’t be seen “face to face” while, on the other hand, speaking “face to face” with Moses and being seen by Jacob “face to face”, and one day being seen by the “pure in heart”?
Here are a few points that might help.
“God is Spirit” (John 4:24) and therefore doesn’t have a physical body and, thus, is physically invisible.
God can make himself temporarily visible when he wants to. This seems to be what happens with the “back” thing in Exodus and Daniel’s vision of the Ancient of Days, which has to be the Father, who gives the kingdom to the Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13-14.
Sight in the Bible often means more than physical sight. Sight can refer to a deep intimacy or knowledge of another. For example, when “the LORD would speak to Moses face to face,” he does so “as one speaks to a friend”. The text emphasises relational intimacy. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, seeing “face to face” is likened to “knowing fully”. Similarly, when Phillip asks Jesus to “show” him the Father in John 14:8, Jesus responds in 14:9, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” In this context, seeing means knowing.
Now, this has been a fun tangent. It was for me, anyway. And this all brings us back to the point of verse 18:
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
In other words, before Jesus came, nobody had ever “seen” God in the sense that Jesus would show us God. Nobody had ever had the kind of intimacy with God that Jesus can bring. The Son is in “closest relationship” with the Father. He is “the One who is at the Father’s side” (John 1:18 HCSB) or “the one who is at the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18 Marty Version). Jesus has the closest, most intimate, most know-y relationship with God that anyone could possibly have. And he has made God known to us so that we can have an intimate relationship with God, too. He has revealed God to us.
Whether or not we physically “see” God comes in distant second place in terms of awesomeness to the fact that we get to have this intimate relationship with God.
My hunch is that when we get to heaven/the new creation, we will “physically” see God through Jesus, who is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). But the intensity, beauty and grandeur of the intimacy we have in our relationship with God will eclipse whatever light particles head in the direction of our eyes.
So, why did the Word come?
Answer: To reveal the Father … and …
To make us God’s children. As well as “knowing” the Father, those who receive the Son also “have” a new Father. John 1:12-13:
12 To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
We are given the right to be called his children. That doesn’t mean we jump back into mum’s belly (as Nicodemus wonders in John 3:4). It’s not a “physical” rebirth, but a “metaphysical” or “spiritual” rebirth. We can now call God our Father. He becomes our adopted Father, and we are his adopted children.
J. I. Packer describes this reality as “the highest privilege that the gospel offers”. He goes on to explain:
Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love, and viewing God as father. In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship—he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the judge [that is, justification] is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.
J. I. Packer, Knowing God, 206–207.
Why did the Word come? To reveal God and make us his children.
Back to the Start
At the start, we wondered why God doesn’t have “a word” for us, like he did for Samuel or Belshazzar. People often wonder about this because they think that if they had a word from God, they would know that he exists.
God has given us something better. The Word not only proves that God exists, but he also takes care of our deeper needs: our needs for intimacy, family, and, more significantly, our need for grace, truth, and salvation.
“A word” from God may well prove that he exists. That certainly proved to be the case in 1 Samuel 3 and Daniel 5. But in both of those cases, the word was a word that brought judgment and death. The Word brings salvation and life.
Responding to the Word
How ought we to respond to the Word?
That’s where John the Baptist comes in:
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
John 1:6-7
And again:
John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ “
John 1:15
How does one respond to the Word? Like John, we testify concerning the light as we speak of him and humble ourselves before the one who surpasses us. And, like John the Baptist’s audience, we believe, placing our trust in the Word alone to save us.
Questions for Reflection
Why do people like the idea of “a word” from God? (e.g., a spoken word or a vision.)
Who is the Word? (see verses 1, 3, 4, 14, 17, 18)
How did the Word come? (see verses 4-5, 14)
Why did the Word come? (see verses 12-13, 18)
What makes the Word greater than a Word from God?
How does John the Baptist help us think through how we should respond to the Word? (see verses 1:6–7; 15)
