Jesus Christ as the Logos in John 1:1: The Eternal Word of God Revealed!

Introduction

The prologue of the Gospel of John opens with one of the most theologically profound statements in Scripture:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, KJV)

These words stand as both a declaration and a revelation—introducing Jesus Christ not first as the man of Nazareth, but as the eternal Logos, the divine Word through whom all things were made and by whom God revealed Himself. Understanding the Logos is essential to understanding Christ Himself.

This essay will explore the meaning of Jesus as the Logos through historico-grammatical hermeneutics, Greek exegesis, and biblical theology, drawing insights from major evangelical scholars such as D.A. Carson, Douglas Moo, and Leon Morris.

The Greek word λόγος (logos) carries a wide range of meanings—word, reason, discourse, or expression. To the Greek mind, especially in Stoic and Platonic philosophy, logos represented the rational principle that structured the universe. Heraclitus saw it as the cosmic order sustaining all reality. Yet for Greeks, the logos was impersonal—an abstract rational force, not a divine Person.¹

To the Hebrew mind, however, the Word (dabar) was never impersonal. It was the active, powerful expression of God’s will. God’s Word creates (Gen. 1:3), reveals (Jer. 1:4), and saves (Ps. 107:20). As Leon Morris notes, “To the Jew, God’s Word was not a mere sound; it was His active agent accomplishing His purpose.”²

When John declared, “In the beginning was the Logos,” he united these streams. He baptized the Greek concept in Hebrew revelation and proclaimed that the Logos is not an impersonal force, but a divine Person—the eternal Son of God Himself. John took what the world saw as abstract and declared, “The Logos is God—and He became flesh.”

The phrase “In the beginning” (Ἐν ἀρχῇ, en archē) echoes Genesis 1:1 deliberately. Yet while Genesis begins with creation, John begins with the Creator.

The verb ἦν (ēn, “was”) in John 1:1 is in the imperfect tense, denoting continuous existence in the past. John does not say, “In the beginning the Word came into being,” but “In the beginning the Word already was.”³

This subtle grammatical distinction is decisive. It affirms the eternal pre-existence of the Logos. Before time, before creation, before the first moment of “Let there be,” the Word already was.

As D.A. Carson comments:

“The Word did not have a beginning like the universe; rather, when the universe began, the Word already was.”⁴

Thus, Jesus as the Logos is not a created being but the eternal, self-existent One who shares in the divine life of the Father.

The second clause, “and the Word was with God” (καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν), emphasizes relationship and distinction. The preposition πρὸς (pros) literally means “toward”—implying movement or communion face-to-face.

This reveals a deep interpersonal relationship within the Godhead: the Word existed in eternal fellowship with the Father. He was pros ton theon—“in the presence of” or “in close communion with” God.

As F.F. Bruce explains:

“The preposition pros implies not just proximity, but personal relationship. The Word stood in eternal communion with God.”⁵

Here we see the seeds of Trinitarian theology: the Logos is distinct from the Father (theon), yet intimately one with Him in essence and purpose.

The climactic statement, “and the Word was God” (θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος), confirms the divine identity of the Logos.

Grammatically, the predicate θεὸς (God) precedes the verb and lacks the definite article. Jehovah’s Witnesses argue this should read, “the Word was a god.” However, as Greek grammarians and theologians agree, the absence of the article here emphasizes quality—not indefiniteness.⁶

Thus, the phrase means, “The Word possessed the very nature of God.” John is asserting deity by essence, not the identity of a person.

Douglas Moo summarizes:

“John carefully avoids both modalism and polytheism. The Word is distinct from God (the Father) and yet shares the divine nature.”⁷

Hence, the eternal Word was with God (distinction) and was God (divine equality).

John’s choice of “Word” (logos) is not random. In Scripture, God’s Word is His means of self-revelation and His instrument of creation.

Psalm 33:6 says, “By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made.”

And Hebrews 1:1–2 declares, “In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.”

Jesus, then, is not merely the speaker of God’s Word; He is God’s Word—His self-expression in human form. As Carson notes, “Jesus is the Word because in Him, and through Him, God speaks definitively.”⁸

Think of the analogy: just as words express the invisible thoughts of the mind, so Christ reveals the invisible God. John 1:18 echoes this:

“No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”

Christ is, therefore, the exegesis of God—the visible interpretation of the invisible.

John 1:14 brings the prologue to its climax:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

The verb ἐγένετο (egeneto, “became”) marks the transition from pre-existence to incarnation. The Word did not cease to be divine but added human nature to Himself.

The eternal Logos entered space and time, taking on human form to redeem fallen humanity.

As Athanasius wrote, “He became what we are that He might make us what He is.”

The incarnation is not divine subtraction—it is divine addition. The Creator became creature without ceasing to be Creator.

Paul affirms this mystery in Philippians 2:6–7:

“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.”

Thus, the Logos did not change His divine nature; He changed His mode of existence. He who “was with God” and “was God” now “dwelt among us” (eskēnōsen, literally, “tabernacled”). The glory that once filled the tabernacle now shone in the person of Christ (cf. Ex. 40:34; John 1:14b).

• If Jesus were not the eternal Logos, could He forgive sins (Mark 2:5–7)?
• If He were merely a created being, how could He say, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58)?
• If He were not divine, why did Thomas fall before Him and cry, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), without correction?

If the Logos were only a “plan” or “thought” in God’s mind, then who was crucified for our sins? Who rose for our justification?

No—Christ was not a mere idea made flesh; He was the eternal Word, God Himself, entering human history. Only God can reveal God. Only God can redeem man.

As the Nicene Creed confesses:

“God from God, Light from Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made.”

John 1:3 declares, “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

The preposition δι’ αὐτοῦ (dia autou, “through Him”) emphasizes the Logos as the instrumental cause of creation. The Father willed, the Word spoke, and the Spirit empowered.

Paul echoes this in Colossians 1:16–17:

“For by Him all things were created… and in Him all things hold together.”

The Logos is not only the Creator but also the sustainer and redeemer of creation. Through the Word, God spoke the universe into being; through the same Word made flesh, He speaks salvation into human hearts.

As John later writes, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

The doctrine of the Logos shows that Jesus Christ is the center of divine revelation and the mediator of redemption.

Everything God has ever revealed—through creation, the Law, the prophets, or Scripture—finds its fulfillment in Christ.

• He is the Word that created the world.

• He is the Word that reveals the Father.

• He is the Word that redeems sinners.

• And He is the Word that will judge the nations (Rev. 19:13).

The Word is both Alpha and Omega—the first and final speech of God to mankind. As Hebrews 1:1–2 affirms, “God has spoken in these last days by His Son.”

To confess that Jesus is the Logos is not merely to accept a doctrine—it is to encounter a Person.

When we read Scripture, we do not merely read words about Christ; we hear the living Word Himself.

When we pray, we do not speak to silence; we commune with the same divine Person who “was in the beginning with God.”

Karl Barth rightly said, “The Word became flesh—and then theologians made it word again.”

But to live as a disciple is to listen to the voice of the living Logos, to let His words dwell richly in our hearts, and to proclaim the same Word that gives life to the world.

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Conclusion

John’s opening words shatter every attempt to reduce Jesus Christ to a mere man, prophet, or idea. The Logos is eternal, personal, and divine. He was with God and was God. He became flesh to dwell among us, revealing the glory of the invisible God.

He is not the echo of God’s voice—He is God’s voice.

He is not the messenger—He is the Message.

He does not speak the Word—He is the Word.

Thus, to know Christ is to know God;

to hear Christ is to hear God;

to believe in Christ is to believe in the God who has spoken once and for all in His eternal Logos.

As Revelation 19:13 declares:

“His name is called the Word of God.”

The Word has spoken—once for all, finally, and forever.

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Selected References

1. Heraclitus, Fragments, in Early Greek Philosophy, trans. Jonathan Barnes (Penguin, 2001).

2. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Eerdmans, 1995), 66.

3. A.T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Broadman, 1934), 284.

4. D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Eerdmans, 1991), 116.

5. F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition, and Notes (Eerdmans, 1983), 30.

6. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Zondervan, 1996), 269–270.

7. Douglas J. Moo, Biblical Theology of the New Testament (Zondervan, 2018), 122.

8. D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 118.

9. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 54.

10. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics I/1 (T&T Clark, 1936), 123.

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