Genesis
goes back to the beginning of things earthly; however, the beginning of
living creatures goes back further, before which God was alone. The
very beginning of God's living creation was the Logos --"the Beginning of
the creation of God" -- "the First-born of every creature." --
Revelation 3:14; Colossians 1:15.
The Logos of God, as a name given to the person spoken of in Revelation 19:13, signifies mouthpiece, or special messenger. Before coming to the earth,
Jesus was indeed this Logos, who was with the only true God. (John
1:1,2; 17:3,5) "The Word", as applied to Jesus, is a titular "name", as
can be seen from Revelation 19:13. Being the firstborn living creature,
God, through him, created all living creatures. (Colossians 1:16; with
the evident exclusion of God and Jesus - 1 Corinthians 15:27) John
1:1-14, however, is not speaking of all creation in the universe, nor
even of all living creatures. Like Genesis 1, the creation being spoken
of in John 1:1-14 is limited to the world of mankind. (John 1:10) The
first and only, uniquely, begotten Son of Jehovah was given an exclusive
place, so that "all these were made through Him, and without Him was
not any made that was made." (John 1:3) Thus highly did the Father honor
Him as His Agent in all the creative work, both as respects angels,
cherubim and men.
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See our study on "In The Beginning".
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See our study on "In The Beginning".
See our study on The Logos was Theos:
While many point to John 1:14 as proof of he "incarnation" dogma, there
is actually nothing in that verse that says anything about what is
taught. Many have cited John 1:14 with the statement that John said that
God "took on" flesh; however, that is not what is stated. The Greek
word transliterated egeneto does not express any thought that the Logos
"took on" flesh, but rather that he was made or became flesh. Thus, if
the thought that the only true God is being spoken of, then to read it
with that thought in mind would mean that God Himself became flesh, or
was made flesh, which would have meant that the very flesh of Jesus was
the Most High Jehovah Himself. Of course, the statement itself is simple
and easy to comprehend, if one does not ascribe the meaning of the only
true God to the Logos, but rather that John used the Greek word
transliterated as THEOS in a Hebraic sense to describe that the Logos
"was" mighty before he became flesh. Whatever is meant by THEOS in John
1:1, it is a condition that "was" [in the past] before he became flesh --
it does not extend over into the days in which Jesus had become flesh.
Hebrews 6:7 expresses that, at the time of its being written, Jesus was
no longer in the days of flesh, and this would have to be true, since
Jesus sacrificed his flesh for our sins. -- Luke 22:19; John 6:51; 1
Corinthians 11:24; Hebrews 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18.
Realizing
that the word "god" in ancient Hebrew signifies mighty one, we can further realize that
there is but only one who is the Almighty, who is "might" innate, the
only one source of all might, power, in the universe. Paul affirms this
great truth, saying, "To us there is one God, the Father, of whom are
all things; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by
Him." (1 Corinthians 8:6.) Again, the apostle writes, "The head of
every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the Head
of Christ is God." (1 Corinthians 11:3.) This is the claim that Jesus
made for Himself -- not that He was the Most High, Jehovah, but that He
was the Son of God, who came to do the will of His Father in Heaven.
The
so-called doctrine of the Trinity, the extra-Biblical language of which
was put into the Nicene Creed in A.D. 325, has been the cause of much
of our confusion when studying the Bible, which contains neither the
word trinity nor any suggestion of it. The one passage that gives any
color to this doctrine is the wording found in many translations of 1
John 5:7, which is is acknowledged by most scholars to be spurious. This
passage is not found in any of the old Greek manuscripts.
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See the study: 1 John 5:7 - Three That Bear Record
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See the study: 1 John 5:7 - Three That Bear Record
The
Redeemer was not deceitful when he prayed to the Father with strong
cryings and tears, "My God! My God!" Neither was he deceitful when he
declared to Mary after his resurrection, "I have not yet ascended to my
Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God." He declared His
oneness with the Father, and desired that a similar oneness should
prevail amongst his followers -- oneness of spirit, of purpose.
Therefore he prayed for his church, "That they all may be one, even as
I, Father, and You, are one." -- John 17:21-23.
"THE LOGOS BECAME FLESH"
Paul
tells us of how he who was rich on the spirit plane for our sakes
became poor, leaving the heavenly glory and comforts for the scenes of
this world, darkened by sin and death. (2 Corinthians 8:9) In 1
Corinthians 15:40, Paul speaks of the two basic kinds of glories, the
heavenly and the earthly. Paul also speaks of spiritual bodies and
physical bodies; he does not confound the two. Thus, by comparing
spiritual revealing with spiritual revealing, we can ascertain, that
Jesus had the glory of a heavenly body before he became flesh, but that
he gave of that glory to take on the glory of the earthly when he
descended from heaven. This is what John also spoke of in John 1:14:
"The Logos became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
The glory that Jesus' disciples beheld was his human, sinless, glory,
since he never fell short of the crown of glory, the glory of God, as
did Adam. The glory mentioned in John 1:14 is not the glory of a
heavenly body, for as we can see from John 17:5, Jesus did not have that
heavenly glory while he was flesh. Paul further corroborates this,
declaring that our Lord stooped from His high position, took the
bondman's form [outward appearance], in likeness of sinful flesh in
bondage to corruption, and was found in fashion as a man, of the seed of
Abraham. (Romans 8:3,21,22; Philippians 2:7,8; Hebrews 2:16) But lest
we should get the wrong thought, that He had become a sinful man, we are
guarded by the assurance that he was "holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners." (Hebrews 7:26.) We are also assured that His
body was especially prepared, separate and different from others of our
race, all of whom were of Adamic stock and all tainted with sin and the
seeds of death. -- Hebrews 10:5-9.
But,
on the other hand, we are to guard ourselves against the thought that
the Logos remained a spirit being and merely materialized, or appeared
in human flesh while still remaining a glorious spirit being. This
unscriptural thought is the one held by many, and styled "incarnation".
The word "incarnation", in itself, simply means "in the flesh." Of
course, the Logos was indeed in the flesh, when he became flesh. But the
word "incarnation" has become almost synonymous with the doctrine
of incarnation, that the mighty spirit being, which is claimed to be
the only true God himself, who simply added to his spirit "nature" the
human "nature", that having two "natures" at once. The angels
incarnated, or got into flesh, when they materialized from time to time,
as described in the Hebrew Scriptures. Angels incarnated, or appeared
in the flesh, to Abraham in company with others; and they talked with
Abraham, who did not at first know that he was entertaining heavenly
beings, mistaking them for human travelers. But the idea that Jesus was
an incarnation, as that word is usually used, is not in the scriptures.
Nevertheless,
Jesus after his resurrection in the spirit, as a spiritual being,
before his ascension into heaven to present his body to God for our
sins, could evidently have access to his former body of flesh in order
make appearances in that body. In some instances, he evidently appeared
in various forms of flesh. That is to say, he materialized, or
incarnated, for the purpose of teaching certain lessons to his
disciples, because after his resurrection he was a spirit being, with a
heavenly, spiritual body, as he was before he was made flesh. And yet on
at least two occasions, he evidently 'raised up" the body in which he
died, and appeared, or manifested himself with that body. As a spirit
being, he appeared and disappeared, the doors being shut. And lastly, he
appeared to Saul without a body of flesh at all. (Mark 16:9-20; Matthew
28:8-20; Luke 24:23-49; John 20:11-31; Acts 1:1-11; 1 Corinthians
15:3-9) Thus he taught his disciples a triple lesson:
1. That He was no longer dead, but risen;
2. That he was not a spirit of the kind that the disciples thought him to be, a demon spirit appearing as a phantom;
3. That He was no longer a human, but a spirit being -- "put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." -- 1 Peter 3:18, Emphatic Diaglott
A RANSOM, OR CORRESPONDING-PRICE
As
Bible students we should strive earnestly to keep close to the Word of
God. We should learn "not to think beyond the things which are written."
(1 Corinthians 4:6, World English Bible) It was the incorrupt man Adam
who sinned, became corrupted, and was sentenced to death, and under the
divine law he could be redeemed only by the sacrifice of a sinless,
incorrupt man. The Law declares, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a
tooth, and a man's life for a man's life." (Exodus 21:24) Hence the
blood of bulls and goats could never make atonement for Adam's sin; for
they did not correspond. (Hebrews 10:4) It was not a bullock nor a goat
that had sinned and was to be redeemed, but a sinless man.
Because
all of the human family were children of Adam and sharers in his death
sentence, therefore, "no man could give to God a ransom for his brother"
(Psalm 49:7), nor could any human descended from Adam make straight
that which God made crooked. (Ecclesiastes 1:15; 7:13) God so shut up
the matter that Adam and his race could not have been redeemed except by
the finding of a man unblemished -- fully incorrupt -- with sin who
would be willing voluntarily to die on their behalf. It was because
there was no such man that God arranged with the Logos, His only
begotten, that he should become a man by means of special intervention
of God's spirit, having a body specially prepared so as not to be
contaminated by the sin of Adam and its condemnation, and thus be the
redeemer of the race -- Adam and all who are dying in Adam. -- Romans
5:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:21,22.
But
even this might not be demanded of the Logos. The Heavenly Father,
therefore, as the apostle Paul points out, set before his Son, the
Logos, a great proposition; namely, that if he would demonstrate his
faith and loyalty to the extent of becoming man's redeemer, the Father
would still more highly exalt him far above angels and every name that
is named, with bodily might to match the authority given to him.
(Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9,10; Ephesians 1:20-23;
4:15,16) The Logos, full of faith and obedience, heartily entered into
the proposition, was made, or became, flesh, consecrated his life, kept
nothing back, finished the work at Calvary, and was raised from the dead
by the Father to the heavenly glory and honor, with a heavenly,
spiritual body, as the life-giving spirit. -- 1 Corinthians 15:40,44-48;
1 Peter 3:18.
"THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD"
The
Logos, upon coming into the world, became "Jesus". The work of Jesus in
the flesh, however, was not the completion of the Divine Plan, but
merely the beginning of it. His death constitutes the basis of all
future blessings to the church and to the world. According to the
Father's Plan, an elect class of believers was to be gathered out of
Israel and out of every nation to be the church of Christ; these
believers were to be associates with him as the seed of Abraham that is
to bless all the heathen. -- Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Galatians
3:16,29.
When
mankind has fully learned the lessons of his subjection to futility and
vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2,12-15; Romans 8:20), the Kingdom for which we
pray, "Your Kingdom come," is to be fully established. (Matthew 6:10)
Satan is to be bound and abyssed (Revelation 20:1-3); the "bondage of
corruption" and vanity under the present symbolic sun which produces the
symbolic striving after the wind is to be brought to an end
(Ecclesiastes 1:4; 2:11,17; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:9; Romans 8:19-22); every
good influence and enlightenment is to be shed; and he who died for the
world is thus to become the Light of the world in a much grander way
than while he was yet in the world. While in the world, Jesus said, he
was the light of the world. (John 9:5) Yet the world did not appreciate
that light, so that only a few followed Jesus, so that they did not walk
in darkness. (John 8:12) The light of his life as a human has not yet
reached the world in general. Similarly the light of truth upheld by his
consecrated followers is not yet appreciated, so strong are the powers
of the darkness (Colossians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 4:4) influencing the
minds of the world, which, as yet, lies in the wicked one. -- 1 John
5:19, Diaglott.
But
the Prince of Life (Acts 3:15) and his Kingdom will cause the light of
the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah to fill the whole earth, as the
waters cover the great deep (Habakkuk 2:14), so that none shall need to
say to his brother, "Know Jehovah", for all shall know Him, from the
least to the greatest. (Jeremiah 31:34) Thus according to his promise
Jesus eventually will be "the true Light, which enlightens every man
that comes into the world." (John 1:9) The great mass of humanity who
have lived and died never had seen nor even heard of this true Light.
The
resurrection of the just will be necessary to bring the church to glory
with her Lord. But the resurrection of the unjustified, which includes
practically all humanity, will be for the very purpose of permitting
them to see the true light, which God has provided in his Son and which
will be shed abroad during his millennial kingdom. Only those who refuse
the light, preferring the darkness, will die the Second Death.
"POWER TO BECOME SONS"
John
the Baptist was a messenger sent to call attention to the light, but he
was not the light. The world did not recognize the great one who was in
it, the Logos, by whom it was made. (John 1:10) Even his own nation did
not recognize him, but had him crucified. Yet some then and some since
have received him, and to such he has given the power, the right, the
liberty, the privilege, to become children of God. Those made alive
before Christ came could only be reckoned as made alive anticipatorily,
waiting for activation as such recognition only after Jesus completed
his sacrifice. Therefore, although they were counted as immature
children, still in bondage to the elements of the world, they were
treated as "servants" and "young children", not "sons". -- Galatians
4:1-7.
Those
who would like to have a share as the seed of Abraham in this world
still have the opportunity to consecrate, to give their life to Jehovah by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, and become a son of God, an heir of
God, and possibly, even a joint-heir with Christ. (Romans 8:17) If you
wish to become a child of God, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that
your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come times of refreshing
from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19) "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." -- Acts 2:38.
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