Something Is Going to Happen
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (NIV)
In the beginning was the Word. You’ve heard those words before. Where have we heard them? In Genesis. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
John is building a bridge to introduce Christ, and the very first thing he says is, “Here’s how you interpret who Jesus is: In the beginning.” John unapologetically introduces Jesus as being the God of Genesis, and it’s this parallelism that sets the stage for John’s announcement. It’s as if John is saying, “Since you know God’s eternal presence, God’s reason, and God’s planning existed before anything was created, I want to tell you that Jesus is God revealing God’s self in a way to make God’s reasoning rational to you as a human.”
Jesus is God. And in the confusing season when John was ministering, when it was considered forbidden to even mention the name of God because God’s name was holy, they would often refer to the actions of God by saying “the word of God,” which refers to an action rather than an idea or a person. God’s actions are His words and God’s words are His actions. That’s why it is believed that the Bible, the Word of God, is sharper than a two-edged sword—because it is action. It cuts between bone and marrow. Here’s what it means: when you engage the Word of God, something is going to happen.
When you believe in God as revealed in Jesus, you are sending a message to all who encounter you. That message is bold and clear. The active presence of God in your life is the explanation for why you walk the way you do. It explains why you cannot give up. It explains why you’re not married to a negative view of life. It explains why you believe that things work out for good. It explains why you know justice will roll down like a river and righteousness like a mighty stream—why love is preferable and that it covers a multitude of sins.
To say you follow Jesus and believe in Jesus is to boldly confess that you have surrendered to God’s actions as revealed in Jesus Christ.
