The Prologue of the Gospel of John, Part 1

by Dr. Corinne Wong

The author of the Gospel of John gives us a preview of his Gospel in the first 18 verses of the book.

 The Gospel of John, in contrast with Matthew, Mark, and Luke, does not begin in human history, but in “the beginning,” before the world was created.  It begins with the same three words with which the book of Genesis begins.  In Genesis these three words introduce the account of creation, when God made the heavens, the earth, and all things that exist.  In John, these words introduce the account of the Logos, who was in the beginning with God and was God. In this and the next entry I’ll explore the theology of this prologue.

 Craig Keener note how “[t]he Prologue is especially theology, as expressed in the inclusio of 1.1, 18, by the dominance of Christological titles, especially the Logos, and finally by the climactic pronouncements of Christ's role in salvation history (esp. 1.14).” (338-339). 

 The inclusio brings together the statements “the Logos was God” in 1.1 and “the one and only Son ... is himself God” in 1.18.  The Christological titles that occur in the Prologue include “the light”, “the true light”, and “the one and only Son.”  The role of Christ in saving humankind is that those who receive him and believe that he came from the Father will be given the authority to be children of God (1.12).

 We learn in John's Prologue (1.1-18) that the Logos existed in “the beginning”, before God created the heavens (the skies) and the earth ( Genesis 1.1)..  What is the significance of the words “the beginning”?  In the Bible, God is known as the “Alpha and the Omega,” “the First and the Last,” “the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 1.8; 22.13).  He is the one “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1.4, 8).  These names tell us God existed before all things and is the Source and Maker of all things. Without him nothing came into being that exists (John 1.3), for he created the skies and the planet on which we live, including all flora and fauna.

 As “the Almighty” he possesses all power.  As “the Alpha and the Omega” he is the First and the Last, and no being existed before him, and there is no god besides him (Isaiah 44.6).  Revelation 2.8 declares that Jesus, too, is “the first and the last, who was dead and has come to life.”  In Isaiah 46.9-11, the Lord proclaims:  “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose ...I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”  In other words, he has all authority from the beginning.  His word is final and his will shall be accomplished.  Thus, he is known as “the Alpha and the Omega,” the First and the Last letters of the Greek alphabet, since he has authority and power over all things and over all historical time until the end, before the beginning of and after the end of this world, in the world to come.

In the prayer in John 17, when Jesus prayed following the Last Supper, he spoke of the glory that he had in the Father's presence “before the world existed (John 17.5, NRSV).  This is an echo of the statement in John 1.1-3, which declares that the Logos existed in the beginning and was “with God” and “was God.”  We learn from the Prologue and the prayer in John 17 that God the Father and the Logos, the Son of God, existed in the beginning and were not only together in an intimate relationship, but were ONE.  There is only One God, and he is eternal.  He is and always was and always shall be (Revelation 1.4-8).  Eternal life is given to those who acknowledge and know this one true God, the Father together with the Son whom he sent into the world to save sinners (17.3).

 Since we read in the Old Testament that the Lord created the heavens and the earth by his word, and the first chapter of Genesis makes clear that by only saying the word, God created everything, we know that God's word is supremely powerful, because God is omnipotent.  God is also omniscient.  He knows everything, not only what is currently true but all that has occurred in the past and all that will occur in the future.  God's wisdom and knowledge, God's purpose, God's plans, all that is in the mind of God is being fulfilled, has been fulfilled, and shall be fulfilled in the future.  Thus it is appropriate to say that the word of God, which includes the thoughts, plans, desires, and purposes of God, which may be summed up as his Word --- all of this is with God and is God, for the Word of God cannot be separated from God's being.  The Old Testament says everywhere that the Lord sent out his Word, and whatever the Lord willed was and shall be accomplished.  God sends his word out like the rain and the snow to water the earth, and it does not return to heaven unless and until it has accomplished God's will.

                For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
                and do not return there but water the earth,
            making it bring forth and sprout,
               giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
            so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
                it shall not return to me empty,
            but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
                and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.   (Isaiah 55.10-12)

 The creation account in Genesis makes it plain that God created the universe simply by speaking, and whatever he commanded was done through his Word.

            By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. 
(Psalm 33.6)

 In this verse from Psalm 33.6, one may see the activity of the three persons of the Trinity.  The word (the pre-incarnate Son), the LORD (the Father), and the breath of God (the Holy Spirit).

 In the Old Testament, the word of the Lord came to numerous patriarchs or prophets, e.g. to Abraham in a vision (Genesis 15.1, 4); Samuel (1 Samuel 15.10); Nathan (2 Samuel 7.4); Solomon (1 Kings 6.11); Elijah (1 Kings 18.1; 19.9; 21.17); Isaiah (Isaiah 38.4); Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1.4, 11); Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1..3; 3.16);  etc.  In the apocryphal and rabbinical literature, the Word of God was personified, as if it were a personal messenger whom God sent to communicate his will. Thus, when John gave Jesus the title of the Logos (Word), Jewish believers were not surprised by the idea of personifying a message from God and sending the message as a personal messenger.  They also thought of God's word as wisdom personified.  They may also have been familiar with the Greek idea of Logos as word, thought, principle, or speech.