John 1:1-51

The Book of John is one of four books that sets forth the four-fold earthly-life and death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. John emphasizes the Lord Jesus Christ being God's son, and that he is the fulfillment of the word that God spoke regarding the Christ, which was first recorded in Genesis 3:15.

John wrote this book after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and after the out-pouring of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost (refer to Acts 2). He wrote it by revelation – he received the information of what to write via his holy spirit-life (not from his intellectual memory).

Before we continue with our study, I want to note here that many verbs in the Book of John are in the “imperfect” tense which can be translated with the words "used-to" and the verb. The imperfect tense is frequently used by John to historically describe past events relating what happened, and therefore when this occurs I translate these verbs using the simple past tense in most places for ease of reading. 

John opens this account by summarizing what God did to/for mankind:

John 1:1-5:

^1:1In (the) beginning was the word, and the word was towards God, and the word was God - ^.2this (word) was in (the) beginning towards God;

^.3all-things came-to-pass by means of it, and without it not one-thing came-to-pass which came-to-pass²;

^.4in it was life, and the life was the light of the men, ^.5and the light shines-light in the darkness - and the darkness did not take-hold-of it.

Initially there was the spoken account of God's inner thoughts during a past time, historically. It was not at the beginning of the world - but the focus in this phrase is that at the outset, commencement, source, origin, start there was continuing to exist the word of/from God.

In the beginning was God's spoken-account containing individual words constituting what He spoke to/for mankind...

• and the word was continuing
  • towards God (with a purposed reference to God, the direction of it was coming to pass, approaching God for the purpose of His intention being fulfilled),
• and the word was God (it was continuing to be God to/for mankind - there was no distinction or difference in purpose, direction, or intention between God Himself and the word that He spoke) -
  • this word was in the beginning towards God (emphatically restating this truth);
• all-things came-to-pass by means of it (everything that God initiated to/for mankind became a reality, all things came into being, they happened through His word, they occurred by way of God speaking them into existence),
  • and without it not one-thing came-to-pass (apart from the word that God spoke nothing became a reality, not one thing happened, none of these things would have occurred)
    • which came-to-pass and continue to be (specifically referring to all of the things which were included in the content of the word that God spoke regarding the Christ, which became a reality and continue to be, which happened or occurred exactly as God said and they continue to exist today);
• in it was life (within the cause and sphere of action of the word that God spoke there was continuing to be God's life - the word that God spoke was, consisted of, issued, emanated His life, it enabled people to receive God’s life),
  • and the life was the light of the men (God's life was continuing to be the absolute light for all mankind, human-beings),
  • and the light shines-light in the darkness (the verb in this phrase is in the present tense - the absolute light is bringing or causing light to shine so as to be evident, clearly seen, showing a complete contrast to where there is the lack or absence of the light; the darkness associated with mankind began as recorded in Genesis chapter 3 - but God's light continues shining light even to the present time) -
    • and the darkness did not take-hold-of it (in the active sense the darkness did not receive it in a downward motion, seizing or overtaking the light suddenly which was presented to it by God - the darkness did not stop God's Word from coming to pass regarding the Christ).

Chronological times relative to mankind began when God put His gracious plan of redemption in motion. That was the day when God first spoke the promise of the coming savior, the Christ (refer to Genesis 3:15), and then God expelled mankind from Paradise that same day (refer to Genesis 3:22-24).

[Reference: Genesis chapter 3; Isaiah 55:11; Hebrews 4:12; I John 1:1 and 5. Also refer to the article Adam and Eve. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

A printed paperback book of the complete study of John may be purchased at:

Amazon.com

or

True Bible Study - John

Gospel of John Chapter 1, verses 1-5 (the word)
(asf - 5 mb)

John Chapter 2