A Short Study on John 1:1
By Thomas Golda
"In the beginning was
THE WORD, and THE WORD was WITH GOD, and THE WORD WAS GOD.... And
THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, and DWELT AMONG US,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,) full
of grace and truth.... For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came
by JESUS CHRIST." John 1:1,14,17
John 1:1, and the phrase "WITH God and WAS God," alone defeats
many cults and false Christian groups that deny the Trinity or deny that Jesus
is God. John 1:1 says "God was with God." The Word was God,
the Word was made flesh....Jesus Christ is identified as the Word made flesh.
Notice, John 1:1 does NOT say "In the beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God and the Word was the Son of God." Even
though that statement is true too, it goes a step beyond that to state that the
Word was GOD. So the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, is GOD.
That is why John 1:3 and John 1:10 credit Christ as the Creator. Since
only "God" is the Creator.
In John 1:1, All Greek copies have John 1:1, as THEOS....both the Byzantine manuscripts and even the corrupt Alexandrian manuscripts. THEOS in John 1:1 HAS the definite article in referring to the Father (WITH GOD) and WITHOUT the definite article in referring to Christ (WAS God) The lack of the definite article in referring to Christ is to further defeat modalism or oneness, and establishes "2 DIFFERENT PERSONS" in the same verse. Proving that GOD is not just the Father, but also the SON. And defeating the false doctrine of "oneness" where they falsely state the Father and Son are the same person. THEOS without the article (WAS GOD, in referring to Christ) is also THEOS WITHOUT the article in John 1:6, John 1:12, John 1:18, and these are references TO THE FATHER. Proving that THEOS without the article refers to GOD as it does in John 1:1 in referring to Christ. And also proving that false translations of "a god" or "divine" is false. Jesus is the GREAT THEOS....THE GREAT GOD. Ignatius in the first century, Irenaeus in the second century, and Tertullian in the late second and third century, all quoted John 1:1, and all translated it "The Word was God."