Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20130421.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life
Part I: Believing On Christ As The Son Of God With Full Deity
(John 1:1-3)
  1. Introduction
    1. John's Gospel was written that its readers might "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name," John 20:31 KJV.
    2. However, many groups deny some or all aspects of His being fully God, so, for our insight, we need to study John 1:1-3 that gives precise, comprehensive theological assertions about Jesus' deity (as follows):
  2. Believing On Christ As The Son Of God With Full Deity, John 1:1-3.
    1. Christ is an Eternal Being, John 1:1a, H. A. Ironside, Addresses on the Gospel of John, 1959, p. 13:
      1. Though the Jehovah's Witnesses claim Jesus is a created being and the Mormons hold He was the offspring of Adam and Mary (Gary L. Wall, "A catalogue of cults: Where they stand on the deity of Christ," Moody Monthly, July-August 1979, reprint, p. 1-8), John 1:1a KJV claims, "In the beginning was the Word," a reference to Jesus Christ according to John 1:14, 17 in the wider context.
      2. The Greek text has no article with the word "beginning" (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 320), but Greek "nouns may be definite . . . whether or not the Greek definite article is present (Bruce M. Metzger, "The Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus Christ," p. 74-75, reprint from the April, 1953, Theology Today).
      3. Also, since this "beginning" precedes the John 1:3 creation of the universe, it must be the beginning of eternity past and not some indefinite "beginning" in time ["a beginning"] like the Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation treats it in allowing room for Christ to come into being after eternity past, Ibid.
      4. Rather, John in this John 1:1a context meant that Christ has existed forever, from eternity past.
    2. Christ is Distinct in Personality From God the Father, John 1:1b; Ibid., Ironside:
      1. Though Unitarians believe in one God, not the Trinity, and Victor Paul Wierwille, founder of The Way denies Jesus is God and thus he denies the Trinity (Ibid., Wall), John 1:1b KJV states: " . . . and the Word was with God," the term "with" translating the preposition pros, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.
      2. In this context, pros means "in company with someone," Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 716-718, so, Jesus as the Word (John 1:14) was not only eternal, but was eternally in the company of God the Father as a Personality Who was and is distinct from God the Father!
    3. Christ is Fully God along with God the Father, John 1:1c; Ibid., Ironside:
      1. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that since John 1:1c in the Greek text omits the definite article before theos, "God" in the phrase "and the Word was God" (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T. ), that it should read, "and the Word was a god," much like Mormons say Jesus is one of many gods, Ibid. Wall; Ibid., Metzger, p. 75.
      2. However, this claim overlooks the Colwell rule in Greek grammar that if a definite predicate nominative precedes the verb as here (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.), it has no article, Ibid., Metzger.
      3. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim errs theologically: John, an Orthodox Jew who believed in One God as a monotheist (John 10:30), would never like a polytheist promote Jesus as one of many gods! (Ibid.)
      4. Rather, John meant, "and the Word was [the] God," asserting full deity for Jesus Christ!
    4. Christ is the Unchangingly Eternal God, John 1:2; Ibid., Ironside:
      1. The Sanatana Dharma Foundation and others hold Jesus was a mere man who attained a higher level of consciousness or of deity (Ibid., Wall), but John 1:2 claims "The same was in the beginning with God."
      2. Since John 1:1 already establishes that Christ was the Eternal God, John 1:2 claims He has eternally remained the same, that He has neither been detracted from nor added to in regards to His initial deity.
    5. Christ is the Creator God of All Creation, John 1:3; Ibid., Ironside:
      1. Though Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons claim Jesus is a created being (II, A above), John 1:3 KJV reveals that all things were created by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
      2. Since no being creates himself, Jesus, as the Creator God of all that was ever created, was not created!
Lesson: John 1:1-3 with 14 and 17 teaches that Jesus Christ is the unchangingly eternal, fully Creator God distinct in person from God the Father, thus to be believed and worshiped as fully God.

Application: May we trust in Jesus as the Son of God, that is, as fully God, for eternal life, John 20:31.