The Word Before Time
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Before creation had a first moment, before light separated from darkness, John tells us that the Word already was. This opening line of his Gospel doesn't ease us into the story gently—it drops us into eternity itself, inviting us to consider a truth too vast for tidy explanation. There was no "before" the Word; the Word simply is, existing in relationship and unity with God.
Notice the careful movement of the sentence: the Word was with God, distinct enough to be "with" another, yet also was God, united in essence. John isn't offering a philosophical puzzle to solve but an invitation to wonder. Long before anything was spoken into existence, this Word already held full divine identity and intimate divine relationship.
For those walking through ordinary days, this verse offers a quiet anchor. Whatever else changes—circumstances, seasons, our own understanding—the Word who was in the beginning does not change. Our lives are built on something older than the universe itself, something with us before we ever came to be.
This single verse sets the tone for everything John will unfold about who Jesus is and what it means to live in his light. If you want to sit longer with these opening words and see how they connect to the rest of the Gospel, True Christian Ministry's "The Gospel of John - Part 16" walks through this verse-by-verse study in more depth, part of their ongoing series on living in the light as followers of Christ.
Read the source: True Christian Ministry →