In The Beginning Was The Word
This statement made by John as his opening remark in his gospel encompasses more than most of us will see at first glance. As we continue on through this first chapter we see that the Word referred to is actually Jesus Christ. (Verse 14a, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.") While, as Christians, we are very familiar with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, and His ministry as counselor we can find, by closer examination, the intention of God that we should always require and seek counsel from the written Word and the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 4:4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Eph. 6:17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Going back to the beginning we see that man did not leave the hand of God at his creation knowing all he needed to know, or with all the resources he would ever need. In the garden we see God counseling Adam and Eve even before the fall. Before they had ever sinned we see God's Word instructing them how to use the plants in the garden. (Gen. 1:29) And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. We see God's word instructing them concerning their purpose in life and the authority given them by His Word. (Gen. 1:28.) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. This, of course, flies in the face of the popular teaching of our time that man is an autonomous being. This teaching, all that man needs is found within himself, constitutes outright rebellion against his creator, but this is the substance of the self help that one gets from psychiatry and psychology. We are being fed a steady diet of self improvement methods that tell us that we can do anything we set our minds to and without God's help. However, God's authoritative proclamation says that we were created to be forever dependent upon Him and that from the outset we were in need of His Word. God spoke the universe into existance. He had the first Word, and, certainly, He will have the last. "In the beginning was the Word."