John 1:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

NIV: Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

NASB: All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.

CSB: All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

NLT: God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

KJV: All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

NKJV: All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

The role of God as Creator is established in verse 3. The universe is not the product of mindless matter, but an intelligent Creator. In John 1:1 and John 1:2, Jesus is said to be identical to God. Here, Scripture makes the interesting point that nothing created was created apart from Jesus. This is important for several reasons. First, it proves that Jesus is not an angel, a man, or some other formed being. Secondly, it implies a difference between things which begin to exist, and the One who always existed. In other words, there is one thing that did not "begin to exist," which did not "come into being." This one—and only—thing is God. The fancier term for this idea is the "Cosmological Argument," or the argument from a "first cause." This is an important purpose of the first 18 verses of John: countering all other concepts of what God is, or is not.

John 1:1–18 is a poetic introduction of Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to using the Greek word Logos, meaning “The Word.” This passage clearly describes Jesus as identical to God, and co-creator with God. These verses summarize Jesus’ ministry and mission on Earth. The passage also explains how John the Baptist (a different John from the author of this gospel) was sent ahead of Christ to prepare for His arrival.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as “the Word,” from the Greek Logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as identical to God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names for Christ in this chapter, including “The Son of God,” “The Word,” and “The King of Israel.”

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God, and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including “The Word,” “The Son of God,” and “The King of Israel.” This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.

Accessed 5/9/2024 3:26:05 AM