Page 11 - BV18

Colossians 1:15-20 11

And the Word was with God.

If John was really trying to say that Yeshua is God, he would simply have written; “in the
beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was with God, and Jesus was God.” I do not think that he would
have written it in a kind of code that would not be understood until the 3rd century by Greek philos-
ophers. When John says that the word was with YEHOVAH, he simply means that the “word”
(message, plan) was present in His mind. It was with Him, just like a person’s thoughts are with
them until they speak. The New American Bible defines “word” as:

“Was thought to be a reality lodging within the person, and that it goes out from that per-
son when spoken or written and then lodges within the person to whom it is directed.”

This idea is confirmed by Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 4: 14: “How long must your pernicious thoughts lodge within you”.

Now let’s look at 1 John 1:1-2 to shed some light on this verse. John refers to the Word as
the “Word of Life.”

“Concerning the Word of life – and the life was manifested; and we have seen, and bear
witness, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested
to us.

Notice that in the verse above it is the eternal life that was with the Father. In John 1:1 it is
the Word that was with YEHOVAH. This is why John calls it the Word of Life in 1 John 1:1. Word
of Life is another way of saying “The message that brings us eternal life.”

This is the message that they heard, this is the message that was with YEHOVAH from the
beginning. YEHOVAH’s Word of Life (His plan for our salvation) was known to YEHOVAH from
long ago. It was with Him from the beginning.

Acts 4:28 — “To do what your hand and your will had long ago planned to take place.”

Acts 20:27 — “For I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”

And the word was God.

The word is YEHOVAH’s expressed will that He uses to communicate with us.
YEHOVAH’s will is YEHOVAH. What John is saying is that YEHOVAH’s word expresses
YEHOVAH’s mind.

Word = YEHOVAH’s Will = YEHOVAH’s mind = YEHOVAH.

The Trinitarian (Catholic) New American Bible states the following on this verse:

The Berean Voice November-December 2002