“IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.” John 1:1 Amplified Bible
The first
time I read this, I was stunned. Does this really mean the Word is Christ?
I found
this decent explanation in Wikipedia:
In Christology, the concept that the Christ is the Logos
(Greek: Λόγος for "word", "discourse" or
"reason") has been important in establishing the doctrine of the
divinity of Jesus Christ and his position as God the Son in the Trinity as set
forth in the Chalcedonian Creed.
The concept derives from the opening of the Gospel of John,
which is often simply translated into English as: "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the
translations, "Word" is used for Logos (λόγος), but in theological
discourse, this is often left untranslated.
I was on a
quest for freedom. I owned nearly every Bible study written on freedom in
Christ. However, I was too weak to absorb most of what was taught. Thankfully, I
have owned an Amplified Bible for 25 years. There is somewhat of a commentary
built into the text of the Amplified. Each day I could sit down with my Bible, and
I was convinced that Christ would lead me to freedom.
This is one
of my favorite scripture verses on freedom in Christ, “So Jesus said to those
Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My
teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And
you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 Amplified Bible
At this
point in my journey, I put aside all my books and I began to adopt more study
Bibles and commentaries. While I am not a Charismatic, Jack Hayford was one of
the first teachers that I was exposed to, mostly through Stormie Omartian
(author of the series of Power of Praying
books). He was her first pastor and was a great influence on her life and
ministry.
I found
this commentary on John 8:32 in the Spirit
Filled Life Student Bible:
When people discover the truth in Jesus Christ, they are
always set free emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. While religion
may confuse and oppress, God’s truth always produces freedom, wholeness, and
positive growth.
The difference between authentic biblical Christianity (and
a living relationship with Jesus Christ) and cults is that real Christianity
creates free people. Sin, or a violation of God’s Word, enslaves people; but
truth sets them free.
It goes on
to say:
The word know (Greek: ginosko) means ‘to perceive’, to
understand’, ‘to realize’, that knowing biblical truth is different from just
intellectual or mystical knowledge. It is a knowing in the heart that transforms
the human personality and causes a change in a person’s behavior. This is
because people can only know truth by practicing it.
In the same
article from Wikipedia as above, the following idea came from an article in
Christianity today:
Theologian, N.T. Wright, characterizes ‘Word’ (logos) as
being incomprehensible in human language. He claims that through belief the
Logos will transform people with its judgment and mercy.
And this my
friends is precisely how it is done.
Selah.
