Subject: is jesus god |
Bible Note: The third phrase of John 1:1 reads in the English translation, "and the Word was God." The subject of all three phrases of the verse is "the Word" or Logos. Although the word order in the last phrase in the Greek is, "God was the Word," the little word "the" tells the translator that the subject of the phrase is "Word," not "God." It is a rule of Greek grammar. Also, the last phrase by referring to the Logos as "God" is not telling us WHO the Word is, but WHAT the Word is. The Word is not "the Father" but is just as much "GOD" as the Father. The second phrase of the verse, "and the Word was with God" shows the distinction between "the Word" and the Father (or "God"), the key word being "with." One is WITH the Other. That shows a distinction, a separateness of the two personages. If they were the same person and interchangeable, the last phrase would have "the" before both, and would read, "the God was the Word," which would be equal to "the Word was the God." But the omission of the word "the" before the last "God" in the verse, shows the word "God" is used in a descriptive way, describing WHAT the Word is, not WHO. He is DEITY. HE is GOD. Another verse, Col. 2:9, says, "In Christ dwells all the fulness of the DEITY in a body." The word in the KJV is "Godhead" and is theotetos, a grammatical form of theotes, which Thayer defines as "deity, i.e., the state of being God." So in Christ all that is GOD lives in a body. Theotetos means not just divine quality but deity---divine essence, substance, and nature. To illustrate, the qualities of the SUN include hot and bright. But the essence, substance, and nature of the SUN is hydrogen, nitrogen, or whatever the sun's actual substance or makeup is. In Christ lives not only qualities like loving, merciful, just, forgiving, etc., but the essence, substance, and nature of GOD, namely DEITY. Phil |