"In The Beginning was THE WORD..."

[Sherha]

"Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; so that the man of God may be perfect, fully furnished unto every good work." 2 Tim 3:16. (literal Greek)

Our Creator spoke the worlds into existence: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Heb 11:3

"Who (Jesus) being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding ALL THINGS by the Word of His power..."Heb 1:3.

The first challenge to the Word of God was in the garden of Eden, when Satan queried, "Hath God said...?" Gen 3:1.

The Word = the law: In Psalm 119, the word, "Word," is used, interchangeably, with "law," "judgments," "statutes," "commandments," "precepts,""testimonies."

We are born again by His Word: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." 1 Pet 1:23; Ja 1:18; John 15:3; Eph 5:25,26.

Obeying His Word keeps us from sin: "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." Ps 119:11.

"But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers, only, deceiving your own selves." Ja 1:22.

His Word guides us: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Ps 119:105, 67, 103.

His Word is bread to our spirit: Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread, alone, but, by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Mt 4:4.

"...I have esteemed the Words of his mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12.

"Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart..."Jer 15:16.

Faith comes by the Word: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Rom 10:17.

The Roman Centurion...said...but, speak the Word, only, and my servant shall be healed." Mt 8:8
Jesus responded, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Mt 8:10.

Healing and deliverance come by His Word: "He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions." Ps 107:20.

Tradition renders the Word of God, useless: Mt 7:9-13.

Those who obey God's Word are more blessed than Mary: "...a certain woman...saitd unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked." But, he (Jesus) said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it." Lu 11:27,28.

We are to tremble at His Word: "...but to this man will I look, even to him that is of a poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word." Isa 66:2.

Jesus quoted the Word in spiritual warfare with Satan: "It is written..." Mt 4:4,7,10.

"And take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God." Eph 6:17.

"For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb 4:12.

We are to search the Scriptures to verify what is taught: "The Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, searching the Scriptures, daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11.

The disciples spoke the Word of God: "...ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God..."1 Thess 2:13.

Men are martyred for the Word of God: "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God..." Rev 6:9.

And, most significant of all - Jesus is the Word of God: "That which is from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life..." 1 John 1:1.

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." 1 John 5:7.

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." John 1.

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD." Rev 19:13.

All praise to the expired Word of the living God!

 

[SaintPhotios]

This entire post seems to confuse "Word of God" with Scripture. "Word" simply refers to the eternal Son of God. Throughout history, Church Fathers have referred to Christ simply as the Word. They aren't talking about Scriptures or any sort of written "words" at all..... that just means the second Person of the Trinity.

 

[Catherineanne]

In the beginning was the WORD ....

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD." Rev 19:13.

I think we need the full quotation from the start of the Gospel of John, which of course mirrors the start of the book of Genesis.

"In the beginning ws the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

If this reference is taken to mean Scripture, then it means that Scripture was in existence with God before the beginning of the world, and called the world into being. This is nonsense.

It is Christ who is with God from the beginning, and as SaintPhotios has said, it is Christ who is the Word of God, as is also stated in the quotation from Revelation above.

 

[Sherha]

So, you are referring to Scripture as nonsense?

"Every Scripture is God-breathed..." The Lord expired the Word of God. That is what 2 Tim 3:16 declares. His Word is Scripture.

Jesus and the disciples, often referred to O.T. Scripture, which, is the Word of God. Here are a few: Mk 12:10;15:28;Lu 4:21;John 2:22;7:38,42;10:35;13:18;17:12;19:24,28,36,37;20:9;Ac 1:16;8:32,35;Ro 4:3;9:17;10:11;11:2;Ga 3:8,22;4:30;1 Ti 5:18;2 Ti 3:16; Ja 2:8,23;4:5;1 Pe 2:6; 2 Pe 1:20...

Perhaps, you should visit a Concordance.

 

[NorrinRadd]

This entire post seems to confuse "Word of God" with Scripture. "Word" simply refers to the eternal Son of God. Throughout history, Church Fathers have referred to Christ simply as the Word. They aren't talking about Scriptures or any sort of written "words" at all..... that just means the second Person of the Trinity.

The notion that "Word of God" *always* refers to Christ and *never* refers to Scripture is at least as misguided as the idea that "Word of God" always refers to Scripture.

 

[Touma]

In Isaiah it says something about "My word goes out from me, and will not come back void" I was thinking about how Christ is the living Word, and he didn't go back void.

 

[Steve Petersen]

Within Judaism is the concept of the Memra (Aramaic). Scriptures often portray God in anthropomorfic terms. Recognizing that God is not really like a man, the Sages of Israel developed the idea of the 'memra' of God. An aspect/agent of God. Memra is somewhat akin to the Greek idea of Logos used in John 1.

 

[Sherha]

The "God breathed Scripture refers to Jesus as, "The Word of God."

Not my Words, but His. Jesus is God's message to man - the Alpha and Omega.

 

[Idea]

The word, truth, intelligence...
an entity that existed alongside God that is eternal...

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

everything else was "formed"... life was breathed in - not formed, but breathed in...

I believe there are some things that God did not create - all things that are made are made by Him - however, some things are not made, God is not made - the word was not made, life was not made - these are self-existent. God did not make evil - for example. evil - this word, or entity, or intelligence... not made by God... For me, it is the only thing that allows God to be loving, kind, merciful, just... He did not create evil. I think "the word" encompasses a lot more than some might think.

For another view on what "intelligence" is,
go to lds.org, search "King Follett sermon"

Also, read: >origins theolofy
Did God create everything?"
http://foru.ms/t6134985
self-existence and the nature of God
http://foru.ms/t6142391
just some other ideas on what "word" and "breathed" refer to.

 

[Ormly]

--- God did not create evil. Evil is a relationship with our unsubmitted nature. God did create man to possess freewill. Evil is the result of our unwillingness/refusal to enter into the WAY of the Cross, purposed by God before anything was created by Him..

 

[Steve Petersen]

--- God did not create evil. Evil is a relationship with our unsubmitted nature. God did create man to possess freewill. Evil is the result of our unwillingness/refusal to enter into the WAY of the Cross, purposed by God before anything was created by Him..

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.


The word 'create' in this passage is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1. It is the Hebrew word 'bara' and it means 'to create, to bring forth.' That word is used in the Jewish blessing for bread and wine; 'who brings forth' the fruit of the vine, or 'who brings forth' bread from the earth.

 

[Ormly]

Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

The word 'create' in this passage is the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:1. It is the Hebrew word 'bara' and it means 'to create, to bring forth.' That word is used in the Jewish blessing for bread and wine; 'who brings forth' the fruit of the vine, or earth.

I certainly can't dispute that however to receive it as given in the selected text, is to, I believe, miss the implication of how God means it to be understood.

Given your examples that bring clarity, can we not correctly say this: 'who brings forth' evil rom those who are evil?

 

[Tawhano]

All praise to the expired Word of the living God!

Oh no! When did that happen? :o

From what I have seen on this particular section of the forums I would guess a lot of people not only believe it is expired but it never got written down from the start.

 

[Sherha]

"Expired" means, "to breathe out..."

In a sense, the Lord created evil. He created the possibility for the angels and man to choose Him - we failed, as He knew, that, we would.

So, He clothed Himself in flesh and came to be our sacrifice for sin - "The Lamb slain from before the foundation of the earth."

The greatest expression of love for us all.

 

[Tawhano]

"Expired" means, "to breathe out..."

You are correct. I only just now noticed I used the wrong smiley. I was just making light of the connotations of the other definition of expired in relation to the criticism of the bible in this thread.

In a sense, the Lord created evil. He created the possibility for the angels and man to choose Him - we failed, as He knew, that, we would.

So, He clothed Himself in flesh and came to be our sacrifice for sin - "The Lamb slain from before the foundation of the earth."

The greatest expression of love for us all.

I agree. We only know this to be true because it was first recorded and then collected in the bible. If the bible is not to be trusted because it is full of errors then we can’t possible believe what it says about Jesus being the Word of God or anything else it says.

 

[rockytrails]

thank you for the scriptures verses which are Gods word
and Jesus that same word that become flesh for us.
no we also can not understand Gods Triune nature any more than
Gods word becoming flesh

here above are just "two " of the mystery's of the true God that is so much bigger than our minds .

but at least we can understand this .

as one WELS seminary professor once said

a god that fits into our human minds
would have to be smaller than our minds
and there for not god at all.

www.learnaboutjesus.com
www.whataboutjesus.com

 

[scriptures]

I like the way WTS translated this verse....


(John 1:1)
In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.. . .

 

[Sherha]

That translation is incorrect...In the Greek it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word..."

 

[scriptures]

I think it's correct because it made a distinction between "The God" and "The Word" notice it here in Gk.

(Joh 1:1 GNT) ᾿Εν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.

 

[Sherha]

You are mistaken.

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Ex 3:14.."

When Jesus said, "I AM the Bread of life...The way, the truth and the life...the Door...The Jews knew, that, He was declaring Himself to be eternal God.

In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called, "The Mighty God," "The Everlasting Father."

He called the temple His house .Mt 21:13. He forgave sin. Mk 2:5.

"In the beginning was THE WORD and THE WORD was with God and THE WORD WAS GOD...and THE WORD became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1

If you do not believe Jesus to be God in the flesh, then, you are, still, in your sin.