Zachary Gillock ACS- Section 1 MSC #113 Analysis of John 1: A Proof Text for the Christs Deity?

The Gospel of John begins with the statement: In the beginning was The Word (Logos), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God1. He (Logos) was with God in the beginning2. Now, most Trinitarian Christians believe that the Word (Logos) is Jesus. Logos is an allusion, a symbol for Jesus Christ. However, the question arises, where does this idea come from? Those who oppose the doctrine of the Trinity would say that people just assume Logos is symbol for Jesus because in verse 14 the Logos becomes Jesus. Their point is that Logos doesnt become Jesus until then; before that the word Logos can mean a variety of things. However, I will attempt prove the contrary and show why the Logos in the first two verses is in fact Jesus Christ; and thus, accordingly prove that Jesus pre-existed with God (in some way) as well as is God. In order to do this, I will be viewing scholarly research (from both sides of the argument) that focus primarily on John 1 and the doctrine of the Trinity or the Deity of Christ. In addition, I will be approaching John as literature; I will treat it like literature should be treated. Much of the techniques I will use or mention I have learned from the book Read Your Bible for a Change by Ray Lubeck and from the Bible Study Methods and Advanced Bible Study Methods classes. Im going to begin with John 1:14 and rebut a common point made by Biblical Unitarians and

then begin at the end of Johns prologue (1:1-18) and work backward through the passage proving the focus in fact Jesus Christ. Thirteen verses after Logos is initially used, the word Logos reappears. The Logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us.14 It is clear that (within that verse) Logos is referring to Jesus. Yet, a Biblical Unitarian would say that the key word in that verse is became. They would say that Logos didnt become Jesus until 1:14; therefore, Jesus must not have existed before he became flesh. However, that does not disprove the pre-existence of Jesus; it just disproves a fleshly, physical Jesus who pre-existed and lived among mankind. Logos became FLESH- it is describing the physical characteristics of Logos. The Word did not just enter into the reality of humanity as it was originally intended by God but into the full seriousness of the corruption of the human image (Barth, 89). Jesus was not eternally in the flesh, but only from the time of His incarnation (Zodhiates, 113). This verse is saying that before this time, the Logos did not exist in a fleshly physical form. Therefore, with that said, one cannot argue that the verse proves Jesus did not pre-exist. However, it should not be said that that verse proves that Jesus pre-existed. Rather, John 1:14 leaves the doors open for Jesus to pre-exist in a nonphysical, non-fleshly form who was not living among men. Now that it is established that it is possible for Jesus to have pre-existed, it opens the door to the possible interpretation of Jesus being the Logos from 1:1. Here is the general breakdown of this passage and how it will be approached. John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18 Logos the Light John the Baptist: Witness to the Light the Light Logos John the Baptists Witness

In order to understand the Logos being referred to in verses 1-3, this paper will begin at the end of the prologue, dealing with John 1:15-18. First of all, it begins by saying that John the Baptist testified concerning him.15 Who is this him? Take a look at the verse before and notice that it is talking about the Logos in flesh. Therefore, the logical argument is that John the Baptist is testifying about the incarnate Logos Jesus Christ. John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18 Logos the Light John the Baptist: Witness to the Light the Light Logos John the Baptist: Witness to the Logos

Now, to expand upon this idea, the next question is, who or what is this Logos being mentioned? The Logos became flesh and made his dwelling among us.14 Biblical Unitarians would emphasize that within the context of this passage, the Greek word Logos was to be understood as ultimate purpose, logic, wisdom, or plan. Yet, in light of the phrase became flesh and made his dwelling among us, it becomes quite clear that Logos is referring to Jesus in that verse. Now the purpose of this point is not to prove that the Logos used in John 1:1 (and referred to in John 1:2-3) are Jesus but to prove that Logos in verse 14 is Jesus. Even according to according to Appendix A from One God & One Lord (a book in support of the Unitarian view), Jesus became the Word in flesh. Therefore, it can be safe to conclude that the Logos (in vs. 14) refers to Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos the Light John the Baptist: Witness to the Light the Light Logos = Jesus John the Baptist: Witness to the Logos

Having established that Logos is a reference to Jesus (vs. 14) and that in the following verse (vs. 15) John is testifying about Logos, it would seem like one could come to a justifiable conclusion that John is testifying about Jesus. However, to further prove this point, one should notice the parallelism within these verses. Logos is described as being the one who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (vs. 14). Similarly, it says that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (vs. 17). Here, a connection can be made between the Logos (vs. 14) and Jesus Christ (vs. 17). In addition, Logos is referred to as the Only Begotten (vs. 14). Later on, it says how the Only Begotten [referring to Jesus]18 has made the Father known. Now, there is debate whether the original Greek manuscripts contained the phrase the Only Begotten God or the Only Begotten Son (Appendix A). However, it doesnt matter for the sake of this argument. If it said the Only Begotten God, then it just makes the case that Jesus is God that much clearer. However, if the texts read the Only Begotten Son, my point is still made the Only Begotten is in fact referring to Jesus. It actually further establishes a link between the Logos that became flesh- the Only Begotten (vs. 14)- and Jesus Christ- the Only Begotten- of whom John the Baptist was a witness to (vs. 15-18). It is safe to conclude that John the Baptist was in fact a witness to the Logos- the Only Begotten- Jesus Christ. Yet, taking a look further on in chapter 1, one can see even more clearly that John the Baptist was a witness to Jesus Christ.

John testifies concerning him saying This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me. 1:15 Now, it has already been established that these verses (15-18) are referring back to the Logos (vs. 14). It has also been proven that John the Baptist is a witness to the Logos- to Jesus Christ. However, it would be beneficial to look further ahead to use more scripture to support this theory. As John the Baptist was baptizing people, Jesus came to be baptized. John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look this is the one I meant when I said, A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me 1:29-30 These verses seem to help conclude that when John [testified] concerning him, the him being referred to is Jesus Christ AND the Logos. However, while discussing John the Baptists role and how he viewed himself, it seems logical to discuss 1:19-28, where John makes a declaration of his mission. John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, I am the voice of one calling in the desert, Make straight the way for the Lord. (vs. 23) John the Baptist quotes Isaiah, equating himself as the voice of one calling in the desert (Isaiah 40:3). This voice was supposed to prepare the way for the LORD, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God (Is. 40:3). As previously established, John is clearly preparing the people for Jesus Christ. What is interesting is that in this verse, it says he is preparing the way for the LORD (YHWH) our God (Is. 40:3). Now, this would make a pretty strong case that Jesus is the LORD (YHWH)," that he is our [Israels] God. People can argue that God was a title given to YHWH as well as men;

however, the fact is that within the passage of Isaiah, our God was referring back to the LORD (YHWH). Isaiah used parallelism to equate the lines In the desert prepare the way for LORD with make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Desert and wilderness are synonymous. The phrases prepare the way and make straight a highway are synonymous. Therefore, the LORD and our God is synonymous as well. So, if John the Baptist is synonymous equivalent to the voice AND if the voice is preparing the way for the LORD (YHWH) [Israels] God AND if John is preparing the way for Jesus Christ Then, it seems like the logical conclusion would seem to be that Jesus is synonymous equivalent to the LORD (YHWH) making a very strong case for the Trinitarian side. However, this last point is more of a supplementary tangent, relevant to the Trinitarian debate, but not entirely relevant to the purpose of this analysis of the first chapter of John besides expanding on the already established point that John was a witness to the LOGOS- Jesus Christ- the only Begotten. So, what we have so far is

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos the Light John: Witness to the Light the Light Logos = Jesus (the Only Begotten) John: Witness to the Logos = Jesus Christ (the only Begotten)

Now, the next thing to be established is that the light in John 1:4-13 is also Jesus Christ. The passage clarifies that John the Baptist was not the light himself, but rather he was called a witness to the light1:8. I know and understand that a Biblical Unitarian would suggest that the light being referred to in these passages is actually

God the Father. They can see that there is something special and significant about the light, especially in relation to the creation and sustaining of creation (Appendix A). Now, it has just been established that John the Baptist a witness to the Logos- to Jesus Christ- the Only Begotten (John 1:14-18). Therefore, that is the first argument as to why the light1:8 is Jesus Christ. It would seem like a fair and justifiable argument to say that since John was a witness testifying about the Logos Jesus Christ the Only Begotten in verses 14ff that when it says that John the Baptist came as a witness to testify concerning the light1:7 it would be safe to say that the light is yet another metaphor/ symbol for Jesus Christ. However, from a Unitarian point of view, that is an insufficient argument. Take a look at John 1:10ff. The Unitarian suggestion that the light refers simply to God does not do this passage justice. It can be said that it is a symbol/ metaphor for God, but only if one is operating under the assumption that Jesus is God. The passage goes to on to say that the world did not recognize him [the Light] His own did not receive him. 1:10-11 If one takes a good enough look into the life of Jesus, they would see that he was a reject. The stories after John 4 (apart from John 20:1-18) have all been overlaid with the theme of rejection (Painter, 213). People did not recognize Him for who He was the one true promised Messiah. Some of his disciples deserted HimJohn 6. His own family rejected HimJohn 7. Religious leaders reject Him and denied his MessiahshipJohn 8 (Painter, 318). Now, one may argue that God was rejected by Israel. However, to make this clearer, one must take a look at this passage through the book of John as a whole. The plot of this book is dominated by Jesus; Jesus is the central figure in this book and a central figure in the picture of salvation as a whole. Now, it makes sense that in

Johns introduction he mentions Jesus rejection it is a way to foreshadow the rest of the book. In fact, if you are to look at chapters 2-12 (the majority of his ministry), it is impossible not to notice the constant struggles Jesus encountered through out this period. Furthermore, as if to form a conclusion to this portion of Jesus life and ministry, John closes with two passages that truly help bring this into clearer focus. First of all, as he closes this section, he begins by saying: Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him (John 12:37). This comment is directed towards Jesus earthly ministry, fitting right into 1:10-11, where it says, the world did not recognize him [the light]. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. The second passage deals more directly with the light concept. Jesus calls himself the light. When talking about why he must die, and eventually leave his disciples, Jesus says You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before the darkness overtakes you Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.12:35-36 In 12:46, Jesus also says I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. And, this is only a re-iteration of Jesus claim from back in John 8:12 (also 9:5) where Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Jesus brings the focus onto himself as the personal embodiment of light to a dark world (Gruenler, 68). He is the legitimate object of belief, the source of divine generosity to those who walk in darkness (Gruenler, 85). Simply stating that the light is a reference to God is not a sufficient argument to prove that Jesus is not the light being alluded to here, especially in light of the fact that a Trinitarian could still agree with that statement. The passage says the world did not

recognize him1:10 or receive him1:11, the him being the Lightnot some reflection of the light or the ambassador or emissary for the light, but the light itself (Appendix A). Because John saw it necessary to point out how Jesus claimed to be the light (on multiple occasions) and because John 1 is an introduction and a prologue to the rest of the book, it seems fitting to conclude that the light being referred to in John 1:10-13 is in fact Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos the Light John: Witness to the Light the Light = Jesus Christ Logos = Jesus (the Only Begotten) John: Witness to the Logos = Jesus Christ (the only Begotten)

The next passage to deal with is John 1:6-8: John the Baptist is the Witness to the Light. Now, it has just been established that the light in 1:9-13 is actually Jesus Christ; so it seems that it is safe to assume that the Light John the Baptist is a witness to is Jesus. However, to further the connection between the Light and Jesus, and to prove that Jesus is the Light that John the Baptist is a witness to, it will help by looking at the greater context of John, chapter 1. In final two stories of the prologue, it becomes rather clear that John is pointing to Christ. Jesus comes to be baptized and John directs the crowds attention towards Jesus. The following occasion John even directs some of his disciples towards Christ. In John 3:22ff, John the Baptist points people to Christ. It becomes rather evident that the Light John the Baptist was a witness to is Jesus.

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos the Light John.: Witness to the Light = Jesus Christ the Light = Jesus Christ Logos = Jesus (the Only Begotten) John: Witness to the Logos = Jesus Christ (the only Begotten)

The next section of this passage to be addressed is 1:4-5 the other Light passage. Now, having worked through the two previous sections and concluding that the Light referenced was an allusion to Christ, it would seem as though the logical conclusion is that the Light in 1:4-5 is also an allusion for Christ. The Unitarian sources referenced in this paper have not refuted a Christological understanding of the Light in 1:4-5. This is probably due to the fact that on three occasions (John 8 and John 122xs) Jesus specifically discusses the light and darkness motifs, referring to himself as the light.

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos the Light = Jesus Christ John.: Witness to the Light = Jesus Christ the Light = Jesus Christ Logos = Jesus (the Only Begotten) John: Witness to the Logos = Jesus Christ (the only Begotten)

Now, having worked backwards through Johns prologue, John 1:1-3 will be the final section addressed. Up until this point, the only major dispute the Unitarian side would have with the conclusions reached is with the section dealing with John 1:9-13 and the Light; however, in this section lies the heart of the debate. Can John 1:1-3 be used as a proof text for the Deity of Christ? The first question to deal with is whether or not this section is dealing with Christ. A biblical Unitarian would whole-heartedly argue that John 1:1-3 is in no way referring

to Jesus Christ (Appendix A). However, as one can notice from the passage breakdown from above, there is a pattern here. From 1:4 through 1:18, the passage seems to be dealing with Jesus Christ, even though his name is not mentioned until 1:17. Jesus is alluded to with a couple of metaphors: Jesus is the Light and Jesus is the Word. In the whole development of 1:1-18, the author obviously has Jesus Christ in view. The He is referring to Him [Jesus Christ]. For him Jesus is the Logos. Jesus is the life, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. All expositors agree on this. Zahn and Schlatter and also Eduard Thurneysen have all emphasized this very strongly in their interpretations (Barth, 24). Furthermore, looking at the passage from a literary standpoint, a Unitarian argument holds no grounds. To say simply that the Logos could not have been Jesus in 1:1-2 because it didnt become Jesus until 1:14 is not treating the text fairly from a literary standpoint. One thing most literature classes (and Bible Study methods classes) teach is to look for motifs and symbols in writings. Symbols and motifs are key parts of the writers story; the writer does not always reveal what certain things are immediately after introducing them. Often, they actually build on to this symbol through out the story, revealing a little more as they go. It serves as a literary device to that helps the reader become more involved with the story. Therefore, with this in mind, there is no reason why John cant be doing the same. John introduces a theme/symbol in the beginning of his prologue, building onto it through out, and then begins to allude to who the Logos is symbolic of, and by the end of it it is clear that Jesus is the Logos. Therefore, since the rest of the prologue seems to be Christ-centered, and there appears to be no clear transition of subjects, the logical conclusion is that the Logos from 1:1 is in fact the same Logos from 1:14. The Logos of 1:1 is Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-3 John 1:4-5 John 1:6-8 John 1:9-13 John 1:14 John 1:15-18

Logos = Jesus Christ the Light = Jesus Christ John: Witness to the Light = Jesus Christ the Light = Jesus Christ Logos = Jesus (the Only Begotten) John: Witness to the Logos = Jesus Christ (the only Begotten)

Even though Unitarians dont think the passage is about Jesus, they still have objections with the Trinitarian interpretations of the passage. One of their major arguments deals with the significant use of the phrase ho logos, meaning the Word. The question is this: Is John borrowing this concept from some common, popular philosophy? If so where from (Barth, 23)? The fact is the Greek word Logos is used in a variety of ways. The word Logos is used over 300 times in the New Testament. Logos can be used as a statement, a revelation, something said, a question, a teaching, a reason, and the list goes on (Appendix A). The point is that Logos has numerous uses other than just being translated as The Word. A Biblical Unitarian would suggests that in those first few verses, Logos is the plan, purpose, and wisdom of God, dismissing Jesus as the possible proper interpretation of that symbolic word (Appendix A). However, the Logos concept can be found in a variety of cultures and philosophies. It is found in ancient Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian thought (Kenney, 11). Now, it is tempting to discuss in depth the Greek and Hebrew concepts, especially because those would have been the predominant ones; however, the fact is, it would be a pointless discussion! There is such a variety of options to choose from; it would require an incredible amount of research that would lead to no

conclusion. It would be nearly impossible to figure out which one (if any) John was borrowing from. Rather, Barth suggests sticking strictly to the text of John, allowing John to use the Logos in which ever way he likes (Barth, 24). If John did borrow the concept from another philosophy, he used it with such freedom that the origin is virtually unidentifiable (Barth, 24). John chose this term because his readers were familiar with it, but he invested it with his own meaning, which becomes evident in this prologue (Walvoord, 271). Therefore, rather than ruling that the Logos could be Jesus and just assuming that it must be some other principle or concept borrowed from some other pagan philosophy, allow John decide how he uses the metaphoric/ symbolic phrase: the Logos. The second major objection a Unitarian would have is with John 1:1c. In most modern Bibles, the verse is translated and the Word was God. A Unitarian would claim that the word translated as God can just as correctly be translated divine (Appendix A). However, the Greek words for God and divine are different but similar. Theos is the Greek noun most commonly translated as God; then there is Theios, which is an adjective and Greek for divine (Zodhiates, 107). It would be totally wrong to translate John 1:1 as and the Word was divine (Zodhiates, 107). Therefore, God is a just and probably the most accurate understanding of the Greek word theos. Hence, the answer to whether or not John 1:1-3 can be proof text for the deity of Christ is: Yes! John obviously has Jesus Christ in view. The He is referring to Him [Jesus Christ]. For him Jesus is the Logos. Jesus is the life, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. All expositors agree on this. Zahn and Schlatter and also Eduard Thurneysen have all emphasized this very strongly in their interpretations (Barth, 24).

The passage begins with an affirmation of Jesus pre-existenceIn the beginning was the Word1:1a (Kenney, 22). Then follows a statement of relationship in the realm of preexistence and the Word was with God1:1b (Kenney, 23). The last is a statement regarding the intrinsic identity of the Word and the Word was God1:1c (Kenney, 23). John 1:2 seems to sum up the first two statements, saying that He [the Logos] was with God in the beginning. It is in John 1:1 that many confidently conclude that the eternity of the Word is affirmed (e.g., Barth Boismard Robertson Brown Bultmann Lindars and Schnackenburg,). The logic of their position is as follows: if only God is eternal, and the Word is eternal, then clearly, the Word is God (Kenney, 16). Clement understood the Logos of vs. 14 to refer not only to the logos incarnate, but also to the logos as a creator and prophetic revealer, and even to the pre-existent logos, who stood at the very pinnacle of the divine hierarchy. John 1:1 and 1:14, Clement claims, actually refer to the identical being (Pagel, 39-40). Thus, this passage affirms that Jesus Christ is in fact God (in some mysterious way). Now, the reason I chose this topic was because of an encounter I had with a man who called himself a Biblical Unitarian (he emphasized Biblical because he did not want to be confused with a Unitarian Universalist). I met him at the two-week long training for my summer mission trip. Over the course of those two weeks I was able to have numerous conversations with him discussing the topic of Jesus Deity. Now, this man had done seven years at Abilene Christian University, so he was a smart guy that also knew his Greek. By the end of the first week I was feeling very overwhelmed and uninformed on the subject. I realized that I had been spoon-fed a lot of knowledge but didnt really understand it. He challenged some of the very basic assumptions I had on this subject,

forcing me to figure out why I operated under certain assumptions. Many of the questions were debating what the Bible said but how I interpreted it and where those interpretations came from. It was hard because for many of those I couldnt give an answer why. Not that knowing why or how is always an important or critical thing, but it does have its place. It is a good thing for Christians to think through some of their basic assumptions and try to figure out how those came about. Therefore, I chose this topic and this passage because I wanted to challenge myself to better understand why this passage supported Jesus deity. However, as I began to research, I was having trouble find what I really needed. Most evangelical scholarship talking about John 1 just assumes that it is about Jesus. It doesnt help when evangelicals just say that the passage is about Jesus without any proof and then the Unitarian side gives proof after proof logically explaining why it actually isnt Jesus. Nor does it help when an evangelical just attacks the Unitarian, claiming that they have bad hermeneutics or exegesis without explaining why which is pretty much what I saw in a scholarly debate (The Trinity: Truth or Tragedy). I am not trying to go in depth on the biblical themes in John 1. I am not trying to make a theology about God or Jesus for that matter. I was firstly trying to prove that this passage is in fact about Jesus, so that I could eventually come to some theological conclusions about the character of Christ. With that said, after enough searching I was able to find some useful sources. This paper has helped me to come to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is God, the creator and sustainer of all life. Now, the challenge for me is to now transfer this basic intellectual understanding from my head to the heart.