In the Beginning Was The Word: A Defense for The Deity of Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14)

Introduction

Every generation of believers must return to the great prologue of John’s Gospel, for in these verses lie the bedrock truths of Christianity. John begins where human history cannot reach, in eternity past, before creation and time. He takes us beyond the manger in Bethlehem and into the eternal fellowship of the Godhead. He identifies the one who walked the dusty roads of Galilee as none other than the eternal Word, God Himself in flesh. The verses under consideration, John 1:1 and John 1:14, serve as a twofold declaration. The first establishes the preexistent deity of the Word, while the second affirms His incarnation and manifestation in human history. Together they form an unbreakable defense of the deity of Jesus Christ.

In an age when the uniqueness of Christ is often denied and His deity undermined, these verses stand as a fortress for the faith. They answer the skeptic, refute heresy, and comfort the believer. For if Christ is not God, He cannot save. If Christ is not God, His death is no more than that of a martyr. But if Christ is God, then His death is of infinite worth and His resurrection the very foundation of eternal hope. The church has long proclaimed this truth, not as a matter of human tradition but as a matter of divine revelation. The task before us is to examine the depth of these verses and to see how they defend the eternal deity of the Son of God.

The Eternality of the Word

John begins with majestic simplicity: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). These words are not accidental, nor are they a mere literary flourish. By echoing the opening line of Genesis 1:1, John deliberately directs our minds back to the creation account, yet his concern is not primarily with creation itself, but with the one who existed before creation. The phrase “in the beginning” does not mark the origin of the Word, but the commencement of time and matter. When the beginning began, the Word already was. The verb “was” in the Greek is in the imperfect tense, indicating continual, ongoing existence. It does not suggest that the Word came into being at that point, but that He already existed, without origin or starting point.

This is of immense theological importance. If the Word already was when all else began, then He is eternal. He does not belong to the created order but stands apart from it as its cause. He is not measured by time, for time itself was His creation. He does not participate in the limitations of beginnings or endings, for He is the Alpha and the Omega. The eternity of the Word means that He is self-existent, uncaused, and independent. He is not contingent upon anything outside Himself, but all else is contingent upon Him.

The apostle Paul later affirms this truth when he writes, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Before there was matter, before there was space, before there was time, Christ is. This statement is not only chronological but ontological. It speaks not only of sequence but of supremacy. To say He is before all things is to confess that He is above all things, sustaining and upholding all creation. The Hebrew writer adds to this testimony by declaring that the Son is “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Thus, the Word is no creature, no angel, no subordinate deity, but the eternal one who existed before time began and who sustains it even now.

This truth has been confessed by faithful Christians throughout history. The Nicene fathers spoke of the Son as “begotten, not made,” although "only one of His kind" is more appropriate and accurate, eternally existing with the Father, and the church of Christ continues to affirm that the Son shares the very nature of God from all eternity. To reduce Christ to a created being, however exalted, is to strip Him of His saving power. A created being cannot redeem mankind, for redemption requires infinite worth and unblemished holiness. Angels, for all their might, could never bear the sins of the world. A man, however virtuous, could not satisfy divine justice. Only the eternal Son, existing before all things and sharing the very essence of God, could bear the infinite weight of sin and reconcile man to God.

To deny the eternality of the Word is therefore to deny the very Gospel itself. If Christ is not eternal, His cross is emptied of its saving power. If He is not eternal, His promises carry no authority beyond this world. If He is not eternal, His resurrection is nothing more than an inspiring tale. But because He is eternal, His death possesses infinite merit, His promises are sure, and His resurrection guarantees the believer’s eternal life.

For the believer, this truth provides assurance. The one who saves us is not a temporary figure who appeared for a moment in history, but the eternal God who stands outside of time and yet entered into it for our sake. The eternal Christ is unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He cannot fail, He cannot be overthrown, He cannot be diminished. When we place our trust in Him, we are not resting on shifting sand but on the eternal rock.

Thus, the eternality of the Word is the first pillar of His deity. It assures us that Jesus Christ is more than a prophet, more than a teacher, more than an example. He is the eternal Son of God, without beginning and without end. He is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. To Him belongs eternal glory and dominion, and in Him alone can sinners find eternal redemption.

The Personality of the Word

John continues his majestic prologue with the phrase, “and the Word was with God” (John 1:1). These words introduce us to one of the most profound truths in all of Scripture: the Word is both distinct from the Father and yet inseparably united with Him. The wording carefully balances distinction and unity. It guards us from collapsing the Word into the Father, which would destroy personal relationship, and it guards us from separating Him from the Father, which would fracture the divine essence.

The key is in the little preposition “with.” In the Greek, it is a term that conveys the sense of being in active relationship, literally “toward” or “face to face with.” It speaks of communion, fellowship, and intimacy. The Word is not merely in the vicinity of God, as though alongside Him, but in personal fellowship with Him. The imagery is relational, not spatial. The Word has eternally existed in a relationship of love and communion with the Father.

This truth is foundational for our understanding of the Godhead. The Bible is clear: “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). There is one God, not many. Yet, within this unity of essence, Scripture consistently reveals personal distinctions. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is God. They are not three gods but one God in three persons. John’s statement here is one of the clearest windows into this mystery. The Word is God, and yet He is with God. He is distinct from the Father, yet shares the same divine essence.

This is not a truth invented by theologians centuries later, but one rooted in divine revelation from the very beginning. Even in Genesis, the seeds of this truth are present. God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Isaiah records the words of the Lord, “And now the Lord Yahweh has sent Me, and His Spirit” (Isaiah 48:16). These glimpses find their fullness in the New Testament, where the Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed in their distinct persons yet united in one essence.

It is vital to see that this fellowship between the Father and the Word is eternal. John does not say that the Word came to be with God at some point in time, but that He always was with God. There was never a moment when the Word was not in communion with the Father. This guards us against any thought that the Son was created and then later entered into relationship with the Father. His communion with the Father is as eternal as His own existence. To suggest otherwise is to undermine both His deity and the very nature of God Himself.

Furthermore, John’s wording makes it clear that the Word is not an impersonal attribute of God, nor a mere force, nor a principle emanating from Him. He is a person, capable of relationship, capable of love, capable of fellowship. The Word is not simply divine wisdom, or divine speech, or divine reason, though those ideas are bound up with Him. He is the living person who is eternally face to face with God.

This explains why John can later write, “the only one of His kind [instead of only begotten--MINE] God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). The Son is uniquely in the bosom of the Father, which is an image of the most intimate love and closeness. The bosom is the place of deep affection and personal relationship. From eternity, the Word has dwelt in the Father’s love, and from that eternal intimacy, He reveals the Father perfectly.

The personality of the Word also safeguards the reality of salvation. If the Son were not a person distinct from the Father, then He could not serve as the mediator between God and man. Mediation requires distinction. It is because the Word is with God that He can reveal God. It is because the Word is with God that He can intercede for us before God. If He were merely an impersonal force, He could not sympathize with our weaknesses, nor could He advocate for us as our High Priest.

For the believer, this truth is rich with comfort. The one who saves us is not a distant abstraction but a person who has eternally known and shared the love of the Father. When we come to Christ, we are brought into that eternal fellowship. Jesus prayed, “that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us” (John 17:21). Salvation is not merely escape from wrath, though it certainly is that, but it is also entrance into the eternal communion of love between the Father and the Son.

Thus, in these few words—“the Word was with God”—John lays the foundation for the doctrine of the Godhead, the reality of personal fellowship within the divine nature, and the relational aspect of salvation. The Word is not the Father, yet He is eternally face to face with Him, distinct in person yet equal in essence. He is the one who brings us into fellowship with God because He Himself has eternally dwelt in that fellowship.

The Deity of the Word

The climactic statement of John 1:1 follows with unmistakable force: “and the Word was God.” Nothing could be clearer. This declaration leaves no room for ambiguity or compromise. The Word shares the very essence of deity. He is not “a god,” as some false translations and sects have suggested, but He is fully and truly God. The construction in the original Greek emphasizes that the Word possesses all that makes God who He is. The absence of the definite article before “God” in the phrase is not a weakening of His deity, as some have wrongly argued, but a grammatical necessity to distinguish between the Word and the Father while affirming that the Word partakes of the very same nature. John is not saying that the Word is identical in person to the Father, but that He is identical in essence.

This verse stands as the heart of John’s defense for the deity of Jesus Christ. The Word is eternal, the Word is distinct, and the Word is fully God. He does not merely resemble God, nor is He a manifestation of God, nor is He a lesser divine being who participates in deity in a limited sense. He is God in the absolute and fullest sense of the term. He is everything that God is. He possesses the same attributes, the same glory, the same power, and the same authority.

Throughout history, this single statement has been the dividing line between orthodoxy and heresy. Every false teaching concerning Christ stumbles at these words. In the fourth century, Arianism taught that the Son was the first created being, exalted above all others but not eternal or fully divine. The Council of Nicaea rightly condemned this teaching, affirming that the Son is of the same substance with the Father, eternally God. In modern times, cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses echo Arian error by translating this verse as “the Word was a god,” suggesting that Christ is a secondary, lesser deity. Liberal theology, on the other hand, strips away all claims to deity, reducing Christ to a moral reformer, a religious genius, or a powerful example of selflessness. Yet all of these views collapse under the inspired clarity of John’s words. The Word was God.

To the faithful church, this truth is non-negotiable. It is the cornerstone upon which the Gospel rests. If Jesus is not fully God, then the entire framework of Christianity crumbles. If He is not God, His atonement is robbed of power. A finite being, no matter how righteous, could never bear the infinite wrath of God against sin. The punishment of sin requires an infinite payment, and only one who is infinite could provide it. Only God Himself could satisfy the demands of His own justice while extending mercy to sinners.

If Jesus is not God, then His revelation is incomplete. Only God can perfectly reveal God. As John himself later records, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). A mere creature could never make such a claim without blasphemy. Only the eternal Word, who shares the very essence of God, could declare with truth, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).

If Jesus is not God, then His worship is idolatry. Yet the Scriptures consistently present Him as the rightful object of worship. The disciples worshiped Him after He calmed the storm, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:33). Thomas confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Angels refuse worship (Revelation 22:9), but Jesus accepts it, for He is truly God. The book of Revelation shows every creature in heaven and on earth bowing before the Lamb and giving Him the same worship as the Father (Revelation 5:12–14). To worship Christ is not blasphemy, but the truest form of devotion, for He is God.

For the believer, this truth is of deepest comfort and assurance. When we confess Jesus as Lord, we are not placing our hope in a fallible man or an exalted angel. We are trusting in the eternal God who took on flesh for our salvation. Our Redeemer is omnipotent, omniscient, and immutable. His promises cannot fail, His power cannot be defeated, and His love cannot be diminished. Because He is God, His cross has infinite worth, His resurrection eternal power, and His intercession unceasing efficacy.

The deity of the Word is not an abstract theological point for scholars to debate. It is the beating heart of Christian faith. To deny it is to strip the Gospel of its meaning. To affirm it is to embrace the only hope of salvation. The church of Christ must therefore cling to this truth with unwavering conviction: the Word was God. This is the Christ we confess, the Christ we preach, and the Christ we worship. He is God, eternally existing, never created, the one who entered history for our redemption. To confess Jesus as Lord is to confess Him as God.

The Word as Creator

John does not leave the matter of Christ’s deity in abstraction. He grounds it in the very act of creation itself. After declaring that “the Word was God,” he continues in verse 3, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” This statement places Christ at the very center of the creation account. He is not only eternal and divine, but He is the agent through whom all that exists came into being.

This declaration reaches back once more to Genesis. The repeated refrain of that chapter is, “And God said.” By the divine Word, creation sprang forth. Light shone, waters parted, dry land appeared, stars were hung in space, and life began. What Genesis describes as God’s word of command, John now identifies as the eternal Word Himself, the Son of God. Creation did not simply happen by chance, nor did it emerge from impersonal forces. It was brought into being through the personal agency of the Word.

The language John uses is absolute. “All things came into being through Him.” Nothing is excluded. Whether matter or energy, time or space, the visible or invisible, all things exist by His creative power. And lest anyone imagine an exception, John adds, “and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” This double affirmation silences every attempt to reduce Christ to the level of a creature. If He brought all things into being, He Himself cannot be numbered among those things. He is the uncreated Creator, standing outside of and above the created order.

The apostle Paul confirms this truth with equal clarity: “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). The scope is comprehensive. Whether material or immaterial, physical or spiritual, earthly or heavenly, all things owe their existence to Him. Not only were they created through Him, but they were created for Him. He is both the agent and the goal of creation. Everything exists for His glory, His purpose, and His will.

The writer of Hebrews likewise affirms this reality when he declares that God “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world” (Hebrews 1:2). The Son is not only the one through whom the world was made but also the one who inherits it. The Creator is also the heir, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

The implications of this truth are profound and far-reaching. First, it underscores once again the deity of Christ. Only God can create out of nothing. Only God can call into existence that which does not exist. If Christ is the Creator, then He is God. The carpenter of Nazareth is the Creator of galaxies. The one who was laid in a manger is the one who laid the foundations of the earth. The one who hung upon a cross is the one who hung the stars in the heavens.

Second, this truth magnifies the wonder of the incarnation. The Creator entered His own creation. The one who spoke the universe into existence condescended to walk among His creatures. He who fashioned the human body by His power took upon Himself that very body. He who gives breath to all became one who breathed, who hungered, who thirsted, who grew weary. The humility of the incarnation shines brightest when seen against the backdrop of His creative majesty.

Third, it assures the believer of His saving power. Our Redeemer is not merely a sympathetic figure who understands our plight. He is the omnipotent Creator who sustains all things by the word of His power. The one who upholds galaxies can certainly uphold the souls of His people. The one who fashioned the human heart can certainly renew it. The one who called light out of darkness can certainly call us out of the darkness of sin into the marvelous light of salvation. This is why the Hebrew writer assures us that “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:25). His creative power guarantees His redemptive power.

Finally, this truth demands our worship. If Christ is the Creator, then He is worthy of the same glory as the Father and the Spirit. The psalmist cries, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). If creation declares the glory of God, then it declares the glory of Christ. To look upon the vastness of the heavens, the beauty of the earth, the intricacies of life, is to see the handiwork of the Word. Worship of the Creator is worship of the Son.

Therefore, when John declares that all things came into being through Him, he is not merely adding a theological detail. He is lifting our eyes to the majesty of Christ. The eternal Word is the Creator of all. The one who was born in Bethlehem is the one through whom Bethlehem itself was made. The one who died outside Jerusalem is the one who brought Jerusalem into existence. For the believer, this is the bedrock of faith. Our Savior is not only compassionate but omnipotent. He is able to save to the uttermost because He is the Creator of all.

The Incarnation of the Word

Having established the eternal deity of the Word in John 1:1, the apostle now turns in verse 14 to the unfathomable wonder of the incarnation: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” This is one of the most staggering and profound statements in all of Scripture. It takes the reader from the heights of eternity past, where the Word was with God and was God, and brings us into the realm of time, where that same eternal Word entered human history. The infinite became finite. The Creator stepped into creation. The eternal God clothed Himself in frail humanity. No truth more clearly reveals the humility of Christ and the astonishing depth of God’s redeeming love.

The wording is deliberate and emphatic. John does not say that the Word appeared as flesh or seemed to be flesh. He uses the strongest possible expression: the Word became flesh. The eternal Son did not merely put on humanity like a garment that could later be removed. He did not project an illusion of humanity, as some ancient heresies suggested. He became what we are. This is real incarnation, true enfleshment. The eternal God took upon Himself a true human nature, body and soul. He entered fully into the human condition, yet without sin.

It is equally important to note what John does not say. He does not say that the Word ceased to be God. The incarnation is not subtraction but addition. The verb “became” indicates that the divine Word added to Himself a new mode of existence. He remained what He always was, truly God, while taking to Himself what He had never been before, truly man. The divine nature was not diminished, diluted, or altered. The human nature was not absorbed or deified. In Christ, deity and humanity are united in one person, without confusion and without division. He is the God-man, two complete natures in one indivisible person.

This truth guards us from error on both sides. On one hand, we must not so emphasize His humanity that we forget His deity. Jesus is not merely a great moral teacher, nor a prophet of unusual power, nor a martyr for a noble cause. He is God in flesh. On the other hand, we must not so emphasize His deity that we diminish His humanity. Jesus did not walk through life untouched by real human experiences. He grew tired, He hungered, He thirsted, He felt sorrow, He wept, He rejoiced, He prayed. He was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). His humanity was genuine and complete. He did not merely look human, He was human.

The incarnation is therefore at the very heart of the Gospel. Salvation depends upon it. Only as man could He die in our place. A divine spirit without flesh could not be nailed to a cross, could not shed blood, could not truly die. Yet only as God could His death possess infinite value. The sins of humanity require a sacrifice of infinite worth, a payment that no created being could offer. The eternal Son, by taking humanity upon Himself, became the perfect mediator. As Paul writes, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5–6).

The incarnation also reveals the humility of Christ. Paul describes it in Philippians 2:6–7: “who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.” The eternal Son did not surrender His deity, but He laid aside the glory of His heavenly position to enter into the lowliness of human existence. He who was worshiped by angels became despised and rejected by men. He who sat upon a throne of glory was laid in a manger. He who was clothed in light unapproachable was wrapped in swaddling cloths.

For the believer, the incarnation provides both assurance and comfort. It assures us that God has truly come near. He is not a distant deity removed from our struggles, but One who has entered into them. He is Immanuel, God with us. He understands our weakness, our pain, our grief, not from a distance, but from experience. Because He became flesh, He can sympathize with us in our trials and intercede for us with compassion.

It also assures us that redemption is accomplished. The incarnation was not an experiment or a gesture. It was God’s eternal plan to save sinners. The Son became man in order to die as man, and by His death to reconcile man to God. His incarnation is inseparably tied to His crucifixion and resurrection. The manger leads to the cross, and the cross leads to the empty tomb.

The mystery of the incarnation will never be exhausted by human minds. It is the wonder of wonders, the miracle of miracles. Yet though we cannot fully comprehend it, we can and must fully confess it. The eternal Word became flesh. To deny this truth is to deny the Gospel itself. To confess it is to confess the very heart of Christianity. The incarnation is therefore not an optional doctrine, not a theological curiosity, but the essential cornerstone of our faith.

The Tabernacling of the Word

John adds in verse 14, “and dwelt among us.” The word translated “dwelt” is striking. It literally means “tabernacled” or “pitched His tent.” John deliberately chooses a term that recalls the Old Testament imagery of the tabernacle, where God’s glory resided among His people in the wilderness. By using this word, John draws a direct line from the temporary dwelling of God’s presence in Israel’s midst to the permanent dwelling of God in the person of Christ. Just as the tabernacle was the visible sign of God’s presence with His people, so now Christ is the true and ultimate tabernacle. As Paul later declares, “in Him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

This imagery is overflowing with meaning. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was central to Israel’s life. It was the place where sacrifices were offered, where the priest ministered, and where the glory of the Lord appeared. God instructed Moses to build it according to the pattern shown on the mountain so that He might dwell in the midst of His people (Exodus 25:8–9). When it was completed, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and His presence guided Israel by cloud and by fire (Exodus 40:34–38). The tabernacle was the assurance that God was truly with His people, but His presence was veiled, and access to Him was restricted. Only the high priest, once a year, could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only with blood.

When John says that the Word “tabernacled among us,” he proclaims that all of this has now reached its fulfillment in Christ. He is the reality to which the tabernacle pointed. He is the true meeting place between God and man. In Him, the glory of God is not hidden behind curtains or veils but revealed in human flesh. In Him, God’s presence is not confined to a building but made manifest in a person. In Him, access to God is no longer restricted to priests and sacrifices, but open to all who obey. The Word who is God Himself has come to dwell with His people, not in a tent made with hands, but in the flesh and blood of His incarnate body.

This truth magnifies the significance of Christ’s work. Through Him, we have access to God, not through the blood of bulls and goats, which could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4), but through the once-for-all sacrifice of His own body. He is both the tabernacle where God dwells and the Lamb who is slain. He is both the priest who ministers and the sacrifice who atones. In Him, every shadow of the old covenant finds its fulfillment. The tabernacle was temporary, but Christ is eternal. The tabernacle was limited, but Christ is universal. The tabernacle was a type, but Christ is the reality.

For the believer, this truth brings immeasurable comfort. God has not left us to grope in the darkness, wondering where He might be found. He has pitched His tent among us. He has drawn near in the person of His Son. He has entered into our world, walked our roads, borne our sorrows, and lived among us. He is Immanuel, God with us. We need not journey to a sacred mountain or temple to find Him. In Christ, God has come down to dwell with man.

This also points forward to the ultimate hope of redemption. Just as the tabernacle pointed to Christ’s first coming, so Christ’s tabernacling among us points to the final day when God will dwell with His people forever. John, the same apostle who wrote these words, later records in Revelation 21:3, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” The tabernacle in the wilderness anticipated Christ’s coming, and Christ’s incarnation anticipates the eternal dwelling of God with His redeemed.

Therefore, when John declares that the Word “dwelt among us,” he unveils the climax of God’s redemptive plan. The God who once dwelt in a tent among Israel now dwells in human flesh among His people, and through Christ, we are brought into the very presence of God. No longer separated by veils, no longer barred by sin, no longer dependent on shadows and types, we come boldly to the throne of grace because the eternal Word has tabernacled among us.

The Glory of the Word

John continues his inspired testimony with these words: “and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only one of His kind from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Having declared that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, John now affirms that this enfleshed Word did not conceal His divine majesty entirely, but revealed His glory in a way that was visible, knowable, and undeniable. The incarnation did not strip the Word of His glory but manifested it in a new and profound way.

The glory that John and the apostles beheld was not merely the brilliance of radiant light, though divine majesty did shine forth visibly on certain occasions. The Mount of Transfiguration stands as the clearest example, when Christ’s face shone like the sun and His garments became white as light (Matthew 17:2). Peter, who was present, later testified that “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Yet the glory of which John speaks was more than that single dazzling event. It was the steady, moral, spiritual glory of His person revealed daily through His words, His works, His compassion, His wisdom, and His holiness.

Every miracle performed by Christ revealed His glory. When He turned water into wine at Cana, John recorded, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). Every word He spoke carried the weight of divine authority, as the crowds marveled, saying, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks” (John 7:46). Every act of mercy displayed the heart of God in tangible form, whether healing the sick, cleansing lepers, feeding the hungry, or raising the dead. His glory was seen not only in displays of power, but in the humility of His service, in His patience with sinners, in His tears at the tomb of Lazarus, in His submission to the Father’s will, and supremely in His death upon the cross. For even there, when the world thought His glory extinguished, He declared, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23).

This glory was unique, the glory of the “only one of His kind from the Father.” Believers are called children of God by adoption, but Christ is the eternal Son by nature. He alone shares the essence of deity with the Father. He is in the bosom of the Father, enjoying eternal intimacy, and therefore reveals the Father perfectly (John 1:18). His glory is the glory of the unique only one-of-His-kind Son, incomparable and unmatched.

In this glory, John says, He is “full of grace and truth.” These two words are profoundly significant. They recall the covenant language of the Old Testament, where God revealed Himself to Moses as “abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). In Christ, that revelation finds its fullest expression. Grace speaks of His saving kindness toward sinners, His willingness to stoop to the undeserving and offer them life. Truth speaks of His absolute faithfulness, reliability, and trustworthiness. In Him, grace and truth are not in tension but in perfect harmony. He is gracious without ever compromising truth, and truthful without ever withholding grace.

The grace of Christ was seen in His mercy to those cast aside by society: tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and outcasts. He welcomed the weary and heavy-laden, offering rest for their souls. He extended forgiveness to sinners and hope to the hopeless. Yet His grace was never indulgence. He never excused sin or minimized God’s standards. His grace was always grounded in truth, calling sinners to repentance, warning of judgment, and affirming the unchanging Word of God.

The truth of Christ was equally radiant. He spoke with divine authority, declaring Himself to be “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). His every word was reliable, His every promise secure. He exposed hypocrisy with fearless honesty, yet offered truth as the pathway to freedom: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).

For John and the other apostles, beholding His glory was not merely witnessing extraordinary events, but living day by day in the presence of the God-man. They saw His glory in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, in His tenderness with children, in His patience with doubting disciples, in His unwavering obedience to the Father, and in His resolute journey to the cross. When they looked at Jesus, they saw the Father, for He is “the exact representation of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3).

For believers today, this glory remains the heart of our faith. Though we have not seen Him with physical eyes, we behold His glory through the testimony of Scripture, through the indwelling Spirit who bears witness to Him, and through the transformation He works in our lives. Paul writes, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). To behold His glory is not only to recognize His majesty but to be changed by it.

Thus, John’s testimony in John 1:14 brings us full circle. The eternal Word became flesh, tabernacled among us, and revealed His glory, the glory of the only one-of-His-kind Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. This is the glory that draws sinners to repentance, the glory that sustains believers in hope. To behold His glory is the privilege of the redeemed and the destiny of the saints.

Implications for Faith and Salvation

The defense of Christ’s deity is not a matter of academic speculation or philosophical curiosity. It is the very foundation of salvation and the essence of the Christian faith. Everything rises or falls on this truth. If Christ is God, then His sacrifice is sufficient to atone for every sin. If Christ is God, then His words are true, final, and authoritative. If Christ is God, then His promises are certain, His kingdom unshakable, and His return inevitable. But if Christ is not God, then His death was powerless, His words unreliable, and His promises empty. Thus, the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), is the cornerstone of the Gospel itself.

Because Jesus is God in the flesh, His sacrifice on the cross carries infinite value. A mere man, however virtuous, could not pay the penalty for the sins of humanity. An angel, however exalted, could not satisfy divine justice. Only one who is eternal, holy, and infinite could offer a sacrifice sufficient for the sins of the world. Peter writes, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19). The blood of Christ has redeeming power precisely because it is the blood of the eternal Son of God who became flesh.

This truth also guarantees the reliability of His word. If Christ is God, then His teaching is not one opinion among many. It is the very Word of God, final and binding. When He said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35), He declared the permanence of His authority. To accept His deity is to accept His authority in every matter of doctrine, worship, morality, and life. To deny His authority is to deny God Himself, for the Father and the Son are one (John 10:30).

Furthermore, the deity of Christ secures the certainty of His promises. If He is God, then His assurance of forgiveness is trustworthy. His promise of eternal life is sure. His declaration, “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3), is not a wishful hope but a divine certainty. Believers can rest confidently in Him, knowing that the eternal Son who created the universe and conquered the grave is faithful to keep His word.

This truth also demands our worship. To honor the Son is to honor the Father (John 5:23). To deny the Son is to deny the Father. Worship offered to Christ is worship rightly given, for He is God. The early church understood this clearly, which is why they sang hymns to Christ as Lord (Colossians 3:16), prayed in His name (John 14:13–14), and confessed Him as the object of saving faith (Romans 10:9–10). To worship Christ is not idolatry but the essence of true devotion, for in Him dwells the fullness of deity bodily (Colossians 2:9).

At the same time, His deity demands our obedience. If Christ is God, then He is not merely Savior but Lord. His commands are not optional suggestions, but divine imperatives. He declared after His resurrection, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). To confess Him as Lord is to submit every aspect of life to His will—our thoughts, our actions, our desires, our relationships, and our worship. Following Christ is not an act of personal preference but of eternal necessity.

The deity of Christ also directly shapes the plan of salvation. Because He is God, His death has saving power; because He is God, His words reveal the conditions of salvation. The inspired Scriptures teach that salvation is not based on human merit but upon God’s grace revealed in Christ, yet this grace must be received through obedient faith. The New Testament outlines this plan clearly.

One must begin by hearing the word of Christ, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Upon hearing, one must believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, for “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Faith then compels one to repent, turning from sin in obedience to the command of God, for “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent” (Acts 17:30). Genuine faith and repentance lead to a confession of Christ before men, as the Ethiopian eunuch declared, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (Acts 8:37). That confession is then followed by baptism into Christ for the forgiveness of sins, as Peter commanded on Pentecost: “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). In baptism, one is buried with Christ and raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3–4).

This plan is not man-made but God-ordained, grounded in the deity of Christ and the authority of His word. Because Jesus is God, His death is effective, His commands are binding, and His promises are sure. To reject His deity is to reject His plan of salvation. To confess His deity is to submit in obedience to the Gospel He revealed. Only then does one receive the blessings of forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life.

For the believer, this truth brings joy, assurance, and purpose. The eternal Word became flesh to save us, and through obedience to His Gospel, we are united with Him. His deity guarantees our salvation, sustains our faith, demands our worship, and commands our obedience. To confess Jesus as Lord is to confess Him as God, to enter into His salvation, and to live in the hope of eternal glory with Him.

Conclusion

The words of John 1:1 and John 1:14 form an unassailable defense of the deity of Jesus Christ. He is eternal, distinct, yet fully God. He is Creator of all, the one who became flesh, tabernacled among us, and revealed the glory of the Father full of grace and truth. To deny His deity is to deny Christianity itself. To confess His deity is to confess the heart of the Gospel.

The church must continue to proclaim this truth with clarity and conviction. In a world of doubt, heresy, and skepticism, we declare with John that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” This is not speculation but revelation. This is not myth but truth. This is the foundation upon which the faith of the saints rests, and the hope by which we are saved.

Appendix to the article on "only begotten":

I would like to share brother Roy Lanier Sr's thoughts on "monogeneis" from his book, The Timeless Trinity:

"Unfortunately, those who choose to deny the eternal son-ship of Jesus believe that the Logos could not claim the title Son of God until he was born of Mary. Yet, the Bible never teaches such. The King James Version uses the term only begotten (John 3:16, 18) in a way that is not as accurate as other translations. The term (monogenei) is translated in the RSV as "Only Son", in the ESV as "his only son," and in the NIV as "one and only Son" (1 John 4:9). The KJV leaves the impression that the birth of Mary was the time when Jesus became the Son of God.

"There is no doubt regarding the meaning of the Greek word used here (monogenes); it means "only" and not "only begotten." The meaning "only begotten," which appears in the Vulgate, has influenced KJV and many other early translations (Newman and Nida, p. 24)"

John's use of the term monogenei in every context (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9) describes a nature higher than any event occurring in time. It is an attempt to describe something eternal. It is accommodative language since there is no human vocabulary that can encompass deity. (For a more complete study of this term, see Roy Lanier Jr. pp. 141-145.)

One should not confuse this idea of Jesus as the Son of God in eternity with the ideas of an eternal generation, eternally begotten, or an eternal procession (these are all oxymoron expressions!). Such ideas cropped up early in the writings of Origen (c. 185-254), those of Augustine (c. 354-430), and the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. Arian doctrine later championed this premise (1590-1600 A.D.), and even modern Jehovah's Witnesses, along with Mormons, teach the false idea that the Father preceded and generated the Son. These claims are for a beginning of the Logos, or Second Person of the Trinity, sometime prior to the creation of the world. Such ideas as "firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:15), "only begotten Son" (John 3:16, 18 KJV) are misapplied, leaving the idea that the Son of God was begotten, came into existence, in eternity past. Nothing could be a worse denial of the Deity of Jesus. If He were generated, he is not eternal. If he is not eternal, he is not God. Begotten and eternal are contradictory" (Lanier Sr., pp. 485-486).

I also will include an excerpt from brother Hugo McCord's appendix in his Everlasting Gospel translation:

"It would have been inaccurate for the Holy Spirit to speak of Jesus as a monogennetos, an "only begotten", for he was not the only begotten of God (1 John 5:1; 2 Cor. 6:18) nor was he the only child of Mary (Mark 6:3). Actually, to call the Logos ("the Word", who "was God", Jn 1:1) a begotten being is to deny his eternity (Micah 5:2), and is to make him a creature (as some have done: the Arians, the Unitarians, the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.), whereas he is the creator (Jn 1:3; Co. 1:16). This is true because no begotten being can be as old as his father" (McCord, p. 700).

The most likely accurate rendering of monogeneis to this writer would have better to have been rendered as "only one of His kind". This seems the most clear and most accurate to the original meaning that the writer intended. With all this said, do NOT throw away versions that use "only begotten". It would be foolish to dismiss them and also to divide and split over translations. We should all strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace as well as accuracy when it comes to Christ's deity. So don't shake and worry too when someone reads "only begotten" in a scripture reading or a lesson. Just understand what the original meant and love that we can know for sure that Christ is God in the flesh who exists from all eternity!

References used or consulted:

• Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation: early defense of the eternal Son taking on flesh

• B. B. Warfield, The Person and Work of Christ: theological analysis of Christ’s eternality, deity, and incarnation

• Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the Gospel According to John

• Hugo McCord, The Everlasting Gospel

• Roy H. Lanier Sr., The Timeless Trinity For The Ceaseless Centuries

*written with assistance (not by) of ChatGPT as far as wording and structure