John 1:1 says the Word was God. Does that mean that Jesus is God because he is the Word? 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. a) In the beginning was the Word, (en arch hn o logoV) b) and the Word was with God, (kai o logoV hn proV ton qeon) c) and the Word was God. (kai qeoV hn o logoV). John 1:1b says that the Word was with God and John 1:1c says that the Word was God, so how can the Word be God and be with God at the same time? Well part of the answer to discovering the meaning of this verse is found in 1 John 1:1-2 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life and the life was manifested, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made manifest to us”. First when we read 1John 1:2, it suggests to us that the God in John1:1b is the Father himself. Secondly, we see In John 1:1c, the last word God is missing the definite article, (THE). The definite article is before all other instances of the word ‘God’ and ‘Logos’ in John 1:1. (e.g., the Word, The God.), yet is absent in the last mention of God. Read on because this can be significant as you are about to find out. Greek sentence construction affirms that if a noun doesn’t have a preceding article, (THE) it can be read as an adjective (a predicate adjective); and if such a noun does have a preceding article it should be considered a noun (a predicate nominative). Understanding this is a game changer. Scholars see the benefit of the rule for affirming the deity of Christ in John 1:1, but haven’t made the difference clear regarding the difference between identity and nature or definite and qualitative. Don’t worry if this makes no sense to you. It will. Look at the difference between these two sentences. 1) You are an angel 2) You are THE angel. Notice how the first one is using the word angel in a qualitative way while the second is definite. Hence the term ‘definite article’. In John 1:1, all instances of the word ‘God” are preceded by the definite article ‘THE’, except the last one. So it literally says: John1:1 a) In the beginning was THE God. b) THE Word was with THE God c) And THE Word was god. Why is the last word not capitalised? Where Greek uses the definite article in English we capitalise the word. e.g., the god = God. So it is grammatically correct to read John 1:1c with a qualitative sense rather reading it as identifying the Word as God himself. It is not only grammatically correct … Continue reading John 1:1