John 1:1-5

(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(2) He was in the beginning with God.

John uses the Greek word (arche)—equivalent to the Hebrew word (reshiyth)—that we translate to “beginning”. In The Beginning is a phrase that means “when creation began” or “before creation”. The Greek word (en) translated to “was” indicates before creation or before creation began. John’s phrase “In the beginning was the Word” is a statement that the Word existed in eternity past, was not part of creation, and was therefore, never created. Verses one and two form a statement and a testimony communicating that Jesus and the Father are one and the same. John’s statement is a contradiction if viewed from the human perspective. A human being cannot be a particular person and be with that same person; I cannot be myself and be with myself at the same time. John, however, is not describing a human being; he is describing the infinite and triune God. From this perspective, God being Himself and being with Himself makes perfect and logical sense.

In the beginning God was alone, but He had (perfect) fellowship—with Himself. There was absolutely no lack in God before creation. He was perfectly content; He did not create man to fill a void within Himself or because He was lonely. He had a great purpose in creating man but it was not to make the imperfect perfect, for He was truly perfect and complete in the beginning.

(3) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This verse is a testimony of Jesus’ deity in that if Jesus is a created being, as many false religions claim, this is a circular argument; if He was made, how could all things that were made be made through Him (which came first, the chicken or the egg?). This is not a circular argument but a beautiful expression of the harmony, majesty, and perfection of the triune God. God is the only being in existence that was never created (i.e., has always existed). God is also the only creator in existence. If all things that exist were created by the Word, the Word must be God. The Word (Jesus) was with God before anything was created because He himself is God and created all things.

(4) In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
(5) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

All of creation was given life. All, outside of God, was dark, formless, and void before creation. In creation, life was given to everything that now exists. The sun, the moon, the sky, the stars, plants, animals, the oceans; all was dark, formless, and void prior to receiving life. Jesus never received life; in Him was life, meaning before life was given to anything created, Jesus contained life. That life—creative life—shone into the darkness as the light of man. Just as the sun shines into the darkness of night and makes it day, Jesus shone into the dark, formless, void and gave it life, which is His light.

Adam and Eve knew the light of Jesus and turned to the darkness of sin. Now, sin overshadows the world and affects everything in creation but can not overcome the light of Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus shinned His light into the dark, formless, void and gave life to all creation, He now shines His light into the darkness of sin and gives new life to those the Father has called.