The Word in the Triune God

Let's look at John, chapter 1, for a moment:

"In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (v. 1)

Who or what is John speaking about by use of "the Word"?

"The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." (v. 2 - 3)

We have already seen in the "and God said" statements of Genesis chapter 1, that whatever God "said" was followed by "and it was so". In other words, the word that God spoke caused things to be created. He spoke the Word and something came into being. And the Word, John says, was WITH God and WAS God.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (v. 14)

When you put together chapter 1 of Genesis with chapter 1 of John, what we see is that the Word that God spoke (that was WITH God and WAS God) at some point, became flesh. And John, the disciple of Jesus Christ, tells us that another John, the Baptist, bore witness of the Word that became flesh (v. 15-17).

The name of the Word? JESUS

Simply, yet mysteriously, by some means that is way beyond our limited understanding, Jesus is the very word of God that was spoken (in the beginning) by which all things were created, and without whom nothing was created. The Word of God became flesh (through the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit of God). Put that together with the fact that it is by the word of God that we are saved, sanctified, and given life everlasting, and these passages are tremendously exciting for us! God is revealing to us that mystery that is G-D.

Let's recap a bit:

Truth #1: Everything that was created was created by the Word of God. [God Himself was not created, as He WAS IN the beginning…already there in other words];

Truth #2: Just as God was there already before creation, so was the Word of God there before creation;

Truth #3: John says "and the Word WAS God"; what WAS GOD still IS GOD, for GOD has no beginning and no end;

Truth #4: The same Word of God (by which everything was created) was made flesh, took on human flesh and human frailties, while at the same time retaining that which was GOD;

Truth #5: The Word is called by the name of Jesus.

Now that we have established the identity of The Word and that He is God, there is more to be added to our knowledge of who God is.

Back to the scene of creation: "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2b)

Do you see this? First we have the" Word" of God, now we have the "Spirit" of God. If the Word is one part of God, then the Spirit is another recognizable part of God.

Need more proof? Genesis 1: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…" (US and OUR?) And suddenly, you have God Who is THREE even while He is only ONE. There is God, there is the Word of God, and there is the Spirit of God. Yet the last two are part of the whole which is the first part. This is confirmed over and over again throughout the Bible. And what is also confirmed over and over again is that the Holy Spirit glorifies the Son (The Word) Who Himself glorifies the Father. Three parts of ONE GOD.

Have you seen those multi-level chess boards made out of plexiglass or glass so that you can see through all the levels from top to bottom? The mystery that is God is similar: there are levels that are difficult for our minds to wrap around, and yet God is good enough to allow us to "see" through the layers by revealing some of Himself to us through: THE WORD. Because that is what the Word was intended to do: bring glory to God. Does not the creation itself bring glory to God? It was the Word by which creation was created; that which we stand in awe of; and by which we KNOW that there IS God. What the Word did in the beginning, the Word still does today, and will continue to do….all because the Father wills it to be so. He has willed us, his creations, to KNOW HIM. He has not left us alone and clueless. He is revealing Himself to us through the Word. I know I am sounding redundant, but it is worth repeating. It is a wonderful, awesome gift that God has provided us, that gift which we neglect because we don't understand the power, and the mystery, and the inexpressible value of the Word of God.

Let's look at more of the tri-unity of God:

Isaiah 6:8: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (I and US in the same statement.)

Matthew 3:16-17: "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (At one time and place, evidence of God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: two parts confirming the other part which was the Word in the flesh.)

John 14:26: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my [Jesus} name [because Jesus asked in John 14:16 and God answered in Acts 2]…" (Again the three working in concerted effort together, as One, because they are One. The Word asks the Father, the Father sends the Spirit, the Spirit comforts man.)

Acts 5:3-4: "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost….thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." (Peter confirms that the Holy Ghost is God and that Ananias has lied not to man but to God by lying to the Holy Spirit.)

Ephesians 4:4-6: "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all…." (Paul confirms the unity of Holy Spirit, the Lord [Jesus Christ] and the One God and Father.)

Truth #6: God the Father, Jesus the Son (The Word), and the Holy Spirit are three entities in ONE GOD. Really we must say three PERSONS because all of them, including the Holy Spirit, are not referred to as IT but as HE. Therefore, the ONE TRUE GOD is made up of THREE PERSONS.

Question to those of you who doubt that God raised Jesus from the dead: Do you not now see WHY He WOULD?