Logos (Part 2)

John 1: 14 (from The New Testament translated by Richmond Lattimore)
And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of a single son from his father, full of grace and truth.

John 1: 14 (from Tyndale’s New Testament – a modern- spelling edition)
And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw the glory of it, as the glory of the only begotten son of the father, which word was full of grace and verity.

When one understands the use of logos as discussed in “part 1” of this article, the meaning of verse 14 is clear. Furthermore, it is consistent with the tenets of Jewish monotheism, the gospel focus of God’s sending of His son, the Biblical reality of God’s foreknowledge, and John’s own divinely inspired statements (in his letters) emphasizing the importance of confessing that Jesus the Christ has “come in the flesh” (completely as a human being.)

Primarily, the logos is God’s mind filled with infinitely wise plans. His highly focused purpose, which He “had in mind” since the beginning, was realized by the making and sending of this human being who is the “only begotten” from the Father. Many passages consistently attest to Jesus’ beginning of life at the time of God’s creative act in Mary.

Galatians 4: 4 (KJV)
But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

Luke 1: 35 (NASB)
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

The last part of Luke 1: 35 is translated literally, “…the Holy One Who is being generated shall be called the Son of God.” (fromThe Concordant Literal New Testament)

Since Jesus was generated by God’s creative act in Mary, since he was uniquely “begotten” when God decided to send him, he came completely as a human being.

I John 5: 6- 8 (NASB)

This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

Jesus’ humanity is carefully documented, even in the elements of water and blood involved in human birth, in a letter that stresses that denial of Jesus’ complete humanity is from a spirit of antichrist.

Where was Jesus before his being generated in Mary? Biblically, he was the central focus of God’s intents and purposes since the original creation. He existed in God’s foreknowledge. Of course one’s existence cannot be “foreknown” if such a person never had a real, literal beginning in time. All real humans have a beginning in time; so did Jesus.

I Peter 1: 19, 20 (NASB)
… but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.

To be continued…

Leave a Reply