The opening verse of John’s Gospel emphasizes three truths about Jesus Christ, whom it calls “the Word.” First, at any imaginable beginning, the Word already existed. The Word is the eternal one. Second, the Word always existed with God. Someone who is God is distinct from the Word, and the Word is another one. Third, the Word possessed all the qual...

The Word is the Eternal One. He existed before every possible beginning. He Himself had no beginning.

The Word is Another One. He existed with God. Someone was God who was not the Word. God and the Word were eternally in communion.

The Word is the Divine One. This is the clear statement of the last clause in John 1:1. The Word was God.

Those who deny the ...

The opening verses of John’s Gospel tell us much about the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. The opening clause posits that the Word was in the beginning—in any conceivable beginning. Before all beginnings, the Word already existed. He did not begin. He simply was, which is to say that the Word is eternal.

Before discussing the sec...

Who is Jesus Christ? What is His relationship to God the Father? People who claim to be Christian have tried to answer this question in various ways. Arians suggest that Christ was an exalted creature of the Father. Adoptionists argue that Christ was a righteous man whom God elevated to divine status. Tritheists claim that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three Go...