Exposition of John, Chapter 1 · Verse 1 – Verse 3
Verſe 1. IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the firſt part of the Chapter John aſſerteth the divinity of chriſt, v. 1, 2. and confirmeth his aſſertion, and proveth his ſubſiſtence, and manifeſtation of himſelf to the world before his incarnation, v. 3, 4, 5. Then, to make way for the doctrine of his manifeſtation in the fleſh, he begins with the ſending of John the Baptiſt, his forerunner, v. 6.7. By occaſion of whom he deſcribeth yet more of Chriſt, his excellency and dignity in his manifeſtations, and offices, to v. 14. And in the laſt place, he deſcribeth his incarnation, and proveth that he became God and man in one perſon. ver. 14.
In this verſe the Godhead of Chriſt is aſſerted, and confirmed from his eternity, from his coexiſtence and ſociety with the Father, and by expre…s aſſertion declaring him to be true God, one in eſſence with the Father, and the holy Ghoſt, Doctr. 1. Chriſt is called the Word both here, and ver. 14. and 1 John 1.1. and 5.7. Rev. 19.13. and elſewhere; not only becauſe he is the chief ſubject of the written Word or Scripture; being the promiſe made and often repeated in the Old Teſtament, He in whom all the promiſes are Yea and Amen, the ſubſtance and truth of all the Law-types and ſhadowes, the end of the Law, and kernel of the Goſpel. But further, becauſe as a word is a mean of revealing a mans mind to others; ſo Chriſt hath revealed the Father in his own perſon, being the brightnſſe of his glory and the expreſſe image of his perſon, Heb. 1.3. ſo that God is to be taken up, and is ſavingly known onelyonly as he hath revealed himſelf in Chriſt; And in his office, as he is the wiſdome of the Father, Prov. 8.12, 22, 23. and knoweth all the Fathers ſecrets, ſo he is the Word of the Father, as declaring him, his minde, and will to the Church in all ages, Matth. 11.27. John 1 18. 2. As Chriſt in his perſon, natures and offices, is the great Theame of the Goſpel, and ought to be the matter of our ſtudie; ſo particularly it is needful that beleevers do know, and take him up as God; Not onelyonly that they may avoid errours concerning his perſon, but, That they may ſee how little need he had of the ſon of men, whom yet he came to ſeek and ſave for their own good, not to receive from them, but to give unto them; That their faith may be led through the vaile of his fleſh, to this rock of his God head, where it will get ſure ſooting in his eſſence and attributes, againſt all aſſaults; That the ignominy of his Croſſe may not obſcure his glory, but they may have high and honourable thoughts of their humbled Lord in his loweſt eſtate; That they may ſee the infinite worth that is in his ſufferings, to ſatisfie juſtice, and to expiate ſin, conſidering the dignity of his perſon; And, That this may teach them rightly to receive his doctrine, and not to be aſhamed of his truth, and the profeſſion of his Name, or to ſuffer for him, who is ſo excellent a Lord: for theſe (among other) reaſons, doth John begin this Goſpel, with ſo ſublime a deſcription of the Godhead of Chriſt. 3 The Godhead of Chriſt doth appear in his being eternal; and that he had his proper, and perfect ſubſiſtence; not onelyonly before his incarnation, but before the firſt point of time, wherein God began to create all things; for, In the beginning was the Word: He doth not ſay as Moſes, Gen. 1.1. (whom he imitates in this beginning of his Goſpel) In the beginning God created the Word; but, in the beginning, when all things created got a begining, the Word was, and did actually ſubſiſt. He thus deſcribeth his eternity, that he was in the begining, becauſe there is nothing before the firſt period of times beginning, but eternity; and becauſe our ſhallow conceptions can follow eternity no farther, but onelyonly over the border of time. 4. Chriſt as God, is a perſon diſtinct from the Father, yet undivided and unſeparable from the Father in his eſſence, with whom he eternally coexiſts; and this is another evidence of his Godhead; for the Word was with God; where the word in the Original rendered God, with the Article, is taken perſonally, for the Father (as is alſo cleared. 1 John. 1.2.) ſignifying that he is one perſon, and the Father another with whom he was; As alſo that, notwithſtanding the diſtinction of the Perſons, yet he is inſeparably with the Father, in the ſame eſſence and nature, being in (as well as with) the Father, and the Father in him John 14.10, 11. and eternally with him; ſo that the Father is never without him, John 17 5. 5. However men may take liberty to carp at theſe proofs of Chriſts Godhead, alleadging from his incarnation, that he was but man, or that there being but one God, the ſimplicity of the Divine eſſence cannot admit of plurality of perſons, or that Chriſt in the exerciſe of the Mediatory office declareth that his Father is greater then he; or whatſoever elſe unſtable and deluded men may pretend; Yet the Holy Ghoſt puts the Godhead of Chriſt, his equality, and unity in eſſence with the Father out of all controverſie, & would have it out of doubt in the hearts of believers, and all their reaſonings in this ſupernatural myſtery ſubjected to the revealed Word, which ſaith, and the Word was God: Where the Greek word ſignifying God, without the Article, is taken eſſentially, for the Divine nature, ſignifying, that as the Son is a diſtinct perſon from the Father, ſo he is one God with him, in the ſame indiviſible nature and eſſence, communicate unto him from the Father, and with him to the holy Spirit; ſo that their name, nature, properties, glorie, and working are one.
Ver. 2. The ſame was in the beginning with God.
John doth here repeat and conjoyne the two firſt aſſertions concerning the eternity and coexiſtence of the Son with the Father; which is no idle repetition, but teacheth, 1. How little able we are to comprehend this great myſtery, which we can but take in by little and little, and muſt put that together, as children do letters, ſyllables, and words, till we attaine a more full underſtanding thereof, for our comfort and ſalvation; Therefore doth John repeat and conjoyne theſe two parts of the deſcription. 2. The knowledge of Chriſt as God, is a truth to be much and often inculcate upon believers, and which they ought to ſtudy again and again, and dwell upon, as having more in it then will be ſeene at firſt view; and when they have found moſt in it, yet there is infinitely more to be found in that inexhauſtible fountain; for, ſo much alſo doth this repetition teach. 3. It is but a robbing of Chriſt of his glory, to attribute unto him the name of God under any notion, or acknowledge any glory to belong unto him; unleſſe his ſubſiſtence from all eternity, and his eternal Godhead, one in eſſence, with, and a diſtinct perſon from the Father, be acknowledged; for John repeats and conjoynes his eternity with the other, The ſame was in the beginning with God, to ſhew that this aſſertion of his eternity is to be joyned with all the reſt; and that from all eternity he was God with the Father, one in eſſence, and a diſtinct perſon. 4. Chriſt who is God over all, bleſſed for ever, Amen, was in himſelf perfectly bleſſed, and infinitely happy and glorious from all eternity with his Father, before the world was made; Which he needed not to make, but onelyonly it pleaſed him ſo to do, that he might let his glory ſhine therein, and communicate of his fulneſſe thereunto; and eſpecially to the children of men; for, ſo much alſo doth this aſſertion, that he was in the beginning with God, before he made all things, ver. 3. import, as is alſo expounded, Prov. 8. from v. 22. to 32. 5. The eternity of the Son of God is a ſubject worthy of ſerious meditation to believers; that ſo they may read all that tender-heartedneſs, theſe bowels of compaſſion, that mercifulneſſe and ſympathy which is in him, to be not a mans onelyonly, and in our kinſman; but in him who is alſo the eternal God, whoſe thoughts and purpoſes are eternal and immutable like himſelf; ſo much alſo may this repeated aſſertion teach us, The ſame was in the beginning, by repeating whereof he puts us in minde to ſtudy it often, that we may reap more and more of the comforts thereof. 6. The Sons coexiſtence with the Father, is alſo a matter ſeriouſly to be conſidered by beleevers, wherein they may ſee the deep wiſdome and rich love of God, who hath found a way of reconciliation of loſt man, by the ſame in nature and eſſence who is the party offended; and that the unity of the Divine eſſence, and the diſtinction of perſons ſhould contribute to make the redemption and reconciliation of loſt man effectual by him; Wherein alſo believers, who have fled to Chriſt for refuge, may not onelyonly finde him to be true God, able to ſupply all wants, and to ſave to the uttermoſt; but may alſo finde the Father in the Mediatour, as being one in eſſence with him, 2 Cor. 5.19. and ſo, what he willeth, the Father alſo willeth; This alſo the repetition of his being with God may teach us, and that we ſhould ſtudy it, till we draw theſe or the like encouragements from it. ver 3.
Ver. 3. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John having aſſerted the Godhead of Chriſt, as coeternal & coeſſential with the Father, he proceeds to prove the ſame yet farther by effects of his Divine attributes manifeſted in time, wherby he proves his ſubſiſtence before his incarnation, from ſeveral ſteps of his manifeſtation of himſelf to the world from the beginning thereof. The firſt ſtep of this manifeſtation, and proof of his Godhead, was in the creation of all things at the beginning, which is ſo univerſally aſcribed unto Chriſt, as nothing created is excepted, from being his handy-work. Doctrine 1. The world and all things therein are not eternal, but had a beginning, and were made by God, for this truth which is undeniable to right reaſon, is here made clear by revelation, all things were made. 2. Creation is an act of Divine power; and it is a proof of Chriſts Godhead, that he is the Creator of all things viſible and inviſible, and that all the creatures owe their very being to Chriſt the Son of God; for, All things were made by him, Col. 1.16. Heb. 1.2. They were made by him, as working from the Father, the Father creating by him, the order of working following the order of ſubſiſtence of the Divine perſons. 3. Chriſt is clearly excluded from being of the number of creatures, in that he is not an inſtrument, but a co-worker with the Father and Spirit in the work of creation, and that not of ſome creatures onelyonly, but of all things that have a being by creation; So much doth Johns amplification inculcate, and without him was nothing made that was made: Where without him as a Creator doth not ſeclude the reſt of the perſons, who are with him, in their order of operation, in that work, but clearly ſecludeth him from being a creature, or any thing that was made. 4. It is uſeful and profitable for believers to read the Godhead of Chriſt as ſhining in the creation of all things, by his omnipotent power; Wherein they may read a ground of intereſt to go to him as his own creatures, when other relations are obſcured, as Pſal. 119 73. They may ſee omnipotent power, able to produce what they need, of very nothing, Rom. 4.17. and able to make a new work of creation in their regeneration, 2 Cor. 4.6. Epheſ. 2.10. And, They may ſee all creatures at his command who made them, and that they who are his ſervants, and under his protection, need not fear any creatures, Iſa. 51.12, 13. for theſe, among other cauſes, doth John point forth the Divinity of Chriſt, as ſhining in this glaſſe and mirrour, all things were made by him, &c.