Bible Questions and Answers

How is Jesus "the Word made flesh"?Was he alive in another form before his birth on earth?

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2  He was in the beginning with God. 3  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

The ‘word’ in context is not another name for Jesus Christ. The ‘word’ in the beginning was the word spoken by God. In the Creation account ‘Then God said’ occurs 8 times:

• Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
• Genesis 1:6 Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
• Genesis 1:9 Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place… and it was so.
• Genesis 1:11  Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
• Genesis 1:14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night…
• Genesis 1:20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens."
• Genesis 1:24 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind… and it was so.
• Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image…"   

In Psalm 33 we read:

Psalms 33:6  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. 

From this we can reasonably conclude that the word was the spoken word of God and that it ‘was God’ in that it emanated from his lips.

The capitalisation and personal pronoun are unjustified.

Tyndale’s translation is correct:

John 1:1,2 In the beginnynge was the worde and the worde was with God: and the worde was God.2 The same was in the beginnynge with God.3 All thinges were made by it and with out it was made nothinge that was made.

Jesus Christ was the word of God made flesh in that he was promised from the beginning and his birth was the fulfilment of prophecy - Isaiah 53 for example.

John 1:14  And the Word became 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.

Jesus pre-existed only in the plan and purpose of God as a direct result of God’s foreknowledge.

• Acts 15:18  "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
• 1 Peter 1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Further Jesus had to be a physical descendant of both Abraham and David, being conceived in the womb of Mary by the Spirit or power of God and thus having God as his Father.

Genesis 22:18  "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

1 Chronicles 17:11-14  "And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12  "He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13  "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. 14  "And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever."’"

May I suggest that you read: Jesus – God the Son or Son of God? (please click on the title)

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn