JESUS CHRIST: WORD OF GOD
by Mark Berrier

In my first article Word of God was identified as existing in five dimensions: (1) Jesus Christ, (2) preaching and teaching of the apostles and prophets, (3) Scripture, (4) in nature, and (5) in me. Forthcoming articles will deal with each these five individually.

1. Jesus is Word of God in Creation
 

Jesus Christ is Word of God in a unique sense. Technically, the best translation of John 1:1 is as follows: “At first was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was what God was.” The New English Bible concludes the verse with. “. . . what God was, the Word was.”, which captures the meaning of the phrase in the original. This improved translation is important because “The Word was God” implies equality between the Word and God, as though one could also say, “If the word was God, then God was the Word.” But this is not the intent of the author of John 1:1, anymore than “God is love” in 1 Jn. 4:8 means “Love is God.” John 1:1 is similar to John 14:9 and 28: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” and “the Father is greater than I am.” In other words, Jesus prayed to “Someone,” and he later sent “Someone” to the Church. He is God, but he is not all of God! He is, in his very essence what God is in his very essence, but he is Son, while there are also Father and Spirit, yet they are one.

This concept of oneness (yet separate personhood) is seen in other passages. Ps. 110:1 says: “The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Both the one speaking and the one spoken to are designated by the same English word, but note that the first “LORD” is capitalized throughout, while the other is “Lord.” This designates two different Hebrew words, the one being Yahweh (LORD) and the other Adonai (Lord). The first is God’s personal name, “The self-existing one,” and the other denotes “Messiah,” the human figure of God. (cf. Matt. 22:41-46). Isa. 63:7-19 designates God as Father or (LORD) (verse 16), as Holy Spirit of the LORD (verse 10 and 14) and as the Savior who is the “angel of his presence” (verse 8 and 9: literal translation is “the messenger of God’s face”). See also Isa. 6:1 and 3.

When we go from John 1 to Genesis 1, we still see the Word in the creative process:

1:1 — God created. …

1:1 — the Spirit was hovering. …

1:3 — And God said. …

In verse one is Elohim, a plural name for God the Creator; in verse two his Spirit is at work to bring order out of chaos; in verse three the Word is spoken. In fact, all God’s creative acts in Genesis 1 are prefaced by the phrase, “And God said.”

The following analogy may be of some help: It is I who speak. When I speak I must previously draw a breath. When I speak the breath is formed by the words of my mouth. In this process there are: I, my breath, my words, a “trinity.” I (like the Father) determine when I breathe (like the Spirit) and what my words are (like the Son). My words express, through my breath, what I actually am, but my word is not all of me, nor is my breath (Spirit) limited to my speaking. In the same way, there is the Father who speaks in the Son, who, in turn, pours out the Spirit.

The early fathers of the Church, when seeking to explain the relationship between God and the Word, frequently turned to the wisdom passage in Proverbs 8:22ff. There, Wisdom, which they equate with Christ, says, “The LORD possessed me, a beginning of his way, before his works from eternity” (v. 22). And Wisdom says (v. 30), “Then I was the craftsman at his side . . . rejoicing always in his presence. . . .” The word “craftsman” can also be translated, as it is in many of the ancient versions, “foster son” (!), even though the Hebrew word “wisdom” is a feminine word. Webster says that a foster son has a “. . . specified standing in a family, but not by birth.” This is a perfect description of Jesus. God’s Word (God’s Wisdom), God’s Son is special, but not only by his birth! He is special because of who he is, the one who upholds the universe by his spoken word, because it is he who put it all together (Heb. 1:2, 11:3).

2. Jesus is Word of God in Redemption
 

Now we move from the theological and universal to the practical and particular.

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.

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. (Jn. 1:14, 18)

This last phrase, “has made him known”, is essential in our understanding of God’s word in redemption. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.” The Christ’s mission was to show us God. In fact, “made him known” in John 1:18 is actually a translation of exegesato — “he exegeted him.” Literally, Jesus led God out where he can clearly be seen. He says, “These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me,” (John 14:24) and “Many great works I have shown you from the Father” (John 10:32). Thus, in God’s “enfleshment,” Jesus speaks his Father’s words and does his Father’s works. This was the Son’s purpose. Christ is, therefore, the embodiment of God’s message to the world.

The writer of Hebrews inserts a classic statement about the Word of God between a discussion of the “Sabbath Rest” and “Jesus the Great High Priest.”

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb. 4:11-13)

Here, this living, active, sharp word is seen as penetrating into men’s inner beings, sharper than the sacrificial dagger which split the animals in half, slicing through every layer of our lives. Though that word entered Israel’s hearts, they refused to obey and enter God’s rest (Heb. 4:2). Now this word still penetrates into our hearts, judging thoughts and attitudes. Only God’s living Word is capable of doing an accurate critique of the heart, as Jer. 11:20 and Ps. 139:23 indicate. Nothing can be hidden from his eyes; he splits us open and strips us naked, knowing all of us in every part. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me!” Why does he want to know us so intimately? What is the reason for such complete knowledge? So that, as our High Priest, he may forgive us of all we are and think and do. What a wonderful Word he is!

What we can see in Christ — his love and compassion toward people, his healing of the sick — this is God’s will for all. However, his will is also that “no one should perish” (2 Peter 3:9), but not all men will come to repentance. What we see in Christ should now be in us, since “in this world we are like him.” (1 John 4:17)

Redemption is the work of Christ, buying us back from the world and sin, transferring us from darkness into the Kingdom of Light. He spoke God’s words; he did God’s works; he redeemed us from our slavery. This is God’s word and God’s work: Jesus Christ came to save sinners!

3. Jesus Christ is Word of God in Judgement
 

At the end, at the last trumpet, Jesus Christ comes to judge as Word of God.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God. (Rev. 19:11-13)

The Word of God, the Rider on the horse, is Creator and Redeemer; it is therefore fitting that he should be judge. It is he who, by the very expression of God, created all reality. Then he came as God’s messenger to interpret all reality and to disclose what is real. Now he comes as Word of God to judge all the earth by the words he spoke. But we are not afraid, for “We Know that we have passed out of death and into life, because we love our brothers.” (1 John 3:14) Jesus, God’s living Word, has told us, “The one hearing my word and believing the One who sent me has eternal life and is not coming into judgement, but he has passed out of death and into life. (John 5:24) — Dallas Christian College, 2700 Christian Pkwy, Dallas, Tx 75234