The
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:2-4
John 1 [1.] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came as a witness, that he might testify about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but was sent that he might testify about the light. The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
John 1 [10.] He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him. He cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me, for he was before me.’” From his fullness we all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
Meaning:
John opens his Gospel with a statement about the Word who “was with God” and “was God” (John 1:1). These verses repeat that the Word was with God from the beginning, name him as the one through whom everything was made, and present him as the source of life and light for humanity. Only later does John say plainly who this Word is: “The Word became flesh, and lived among us” (John 1:14).
- “The same was in the beginning with God”
This sentence repeats John 1:1 for emphasis. The Word did not come into being at some point in time; he already existed “in the beginning”, the same words that open the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). John deliberately echoes Genesis. The one at the centre of this new account was present before creation itself.
“With God” also speaks of close fellowship with the Father. Jesus would later pray, “Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5).
- “All things were made through him”
Everything that exists was made through him. The Old Testament spoke of God creating by his word: “By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6). John now reveals that this creative Word is a person.
The apostle Paul says the same: “For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible” (Colossians 1:16). And he writes that there is “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him” (1 Corinthians 8:6).
- “Without him was not anything made that has been made”
John states the same truth negatively, so that nothing is left out. This rules out any idea that the Word was himself a created being. If nothing that has been made came into being without him, then he stands on the Creator's side of the line between Creator and creation.
- “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”
Life is one of John's great themes. The Word does not merely possess life; life is “in him” as its source. Jesus later said, “For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26). He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
This life is “the light of men”. In Genesis the first word God spoke over the dark world brought light, and in John the life of the Word brings light to human beings. This light is the knowledge of God and the hope it brings. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The next verse adds that this light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).
The Significance of John 1:2-4
- Knowing who Jesus is
These verses ask us to see Jesus as more than a good teacher or prophet. He is the one through whom the universe was made. When he later calms a storm or raises the dead, the Creator is at work within his own creation. Trusting him means trusting the one who holds all things.
- A good creation
Because everything was made through the Word, the created world has value. Christians are called to care for what God has made and to enjoy it with thanksgiving. Paul told the people of Athens that God “gives to all life and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24).
- Life and light for everyone
Every person owes their existence to the Word, and every person needs the light he gives. The life that is in him is not only physical existence but a relationship with God that begins now and continues forever. John wrote his Gospel “that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
Cross-References:
Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John's opening deliberately echoes the first words of Scripture.
Psalm 33:6: “By Yahweh’s word, the heavens were made;” Creation by God's word, now revealed as a person.
Colossians 1:16: “For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth,” Paul's parallel teaching about Christ as Creator.
John 8:12: “I am the light of the world.” Jesus claims to be the light John describes.
Conclusion: John 1:2-4 tells us that the Word was with God from the beginning, that everything without exception was made through him, and that he is the source of life and the light of humanity. These truths prepare us to meet Jesus as the Creator who entered his own world. Those who come to him receive life and walk in his light.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible