Bishop's Epistle: “By His Eternal Word” (Commentary On The Apostolic Creed)

“By His eternal Word”

Here, line four of the Creed reflects the proposition of Holy Scripture: God created all things in the universe, both visible and invisible (Col 1:16) by His Word. The Gospel of John reads: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (The Grk actually reads: “God was the Word.” “theos En ho logos.”) . The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him (Him: the Gk is “autos” translated “it” in all English translations before the KJV.); and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3). According to this text the Word was in the beginning: therefore, eternal.

Also, according to this text, the Word was “with God:” Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. (Greek: πρὸς τὸν θεόν, transliterates as: pros ton theon); that is, “with God.” Those not knowledgable of Greek idioms would see pros ton theon (with God) as meaning “face to face” with God (which meaning the Greek preposition “pros” does have), however, that would be a mistake. Here, “pros ton theon” should be understood as “pertaining to God.” A companion text is found in 1 John 1:2, (καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἐφανερώθη, καὶ ἑωράκαμεν καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἀπαγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον ἥτις ἦν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ ἐφανερώθη ἡμῖν. Here eternal life is said to πρὸς τὸν πατέρα); the clause: πρὸς τὸν πατέρα transliterates to pros ton patera, “with the Father;” it is understood, however, that “with the Father” means “pertains to the Father.” Eternal life “pertains to the Father.” No one understands eternal life to be a separate person that is “face to face” with the Father. So, then the Word of God pertains to God just as does eternal life. Moreover, according to our text the Word “was God.” Just as eternal life is an intrinsic part of God’s identity, so, too, is His Word.

The present English reading of John 1:1 (“and the Word was with (pros) God”) as we have seen, is used by John, again, in 1 John 1:2, where he states that Eternal Life was with (pros) the Father. No one understands “pros ton patri” to mean that Eternal Life was another person alongside, or face to face, with the Father. So, then, it is doctrinally dishonest to insist that in John 1:1 the same writer meant to say that the Logos was along side of, or face to face with, God; by his words of “pros ton theon.”

It is a challenge to interpret Scripture without bringing any bias to the table: a challenge that most men, no matter how well intentioned, cannot overcome. The inconsistency of Trinitarianism is demonstrated when 1 John 1:2 is juxtaposed with John 1:1. It was Shakespeare who said, “O Consistency, thou art a virtue.” Another maxim that is true is, “Inconsistency is the pitfall of all false doctrine.”

Hello friends, my name is Jerry Hayes, I am a full time biblical researcher. I rely on freewill love offerings (from those of you who benefit from my work) and book sales for my support. Would you please consider leaving a small donation at the link provided here? Thank you for your support.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4EXSWA2A47ARC

Let us now move to a tool for showing the eternality of the “Word” of God. A syllogism is a proven method of establishing truth. A syllogism is formed when a major premise and a minor premise together produce an unavoidable conclusion. So, then, in order to establish the “Word” of God as being eternal, the following syllogism will be most helpful:

Major premise: The Word is God, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Minor premise: God is Eternal, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: ... .” (Deut 33:27)

Conclusion: The Word is Eternal.

The Word of God has always existed; and, like eternal life (1 John 1:2), pertains to Yahweh’s very essence and is, therefore, inseparable from His identity. Thus, the Word is said to be God. It should be pointed out that the capitalization of the word “Word” is the work of Pluralists translators, and does, in fact, lead the causal reader to suppose that a person is being referenced. Koinē Greek (Koine from κοινός/κοινή "common", also known as Alexandrian dialect, common Attic or Hellenistic Greek) It developed through the spread of Greek following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, and served as the common lingua franca of much of the Mediterranean region and the Middle East during the following centuries. Koine Greek displayed a wide spectrum of different styles, ranging from more conservative literary forms to the spoken vernaculars of the time. ) did not use capitalization. However, since it does appear in our Bibles capitalized, we give it here in that fashion.

John 1:3 tells us that all things were made by “it.” The KJV employs the pronoun “him;” however, the Greek pronoun is “autos” (Strong’s #G846.): πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ὃ γέγονεν. “Autos” (the lexical form) is the singular third person pronoun that translates either: “him,” “her,” or “it.” Here, “autos” is better translated as “it.” English translations of this passage, pre-dating the King James Version, did in fact render autos as “it.” (William Tyndale: 1526; Matthew’s Bible by John Rogers: 1537; The Great Bible by Miles Coverdale: 1539; The Geneva Bible:1560; The Bishop’s Bible: 1568. It is said that the KJV is seventy-five percent Tyndale. However, when translating Jn 1:1-3 the KJV translators followed the Vulgate instead of Tyndale and the earlier English translators. All, English translations since have followed the KJV.)

Moreover, in v4 the “Life” and the “Light,” which are attributed to Yahweh’s essence, are, also, better referenced with the pronoun “it.” Rendering “autos” with the masculine pronoun “him” (in John 1:3) tends to lead the reader to think in terms of a second god alongside God the Father. Such an understanding does violence to the Shema (Deut 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (NKJV)), and the monotheism of Holy Scripture.

Truly, the writer of Hebrews tells us that “… the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb 11:3). Moreover, it is seen in Genesis chapter one, that Yahweh created by His spoken word. One can never ignore the repeated announcement: “And God said….” (Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 20, 24, 26.)

Another View

Having stated the facts concerning the Greek autos, it is further acknowledged that personifications of the Word of God are common enough in Holy Scripture. In fact, Moses informs the readers of Genesis, “And they (Adam and Eve) heard the voice of the LORD (Yahweh) God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Gen 3:8)). With this in mind, the masculine pronoun, in reference to God’s Word, would not be considered out of place if understood as a personification. (Wisdom is personified: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, .... She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her" (Prov 3:13-15)."Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars" (Prov 9:1). Riches are personified: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matt 6:24). Sin is personified: "...Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34). "Sin hath reigned unto death" (Rom 5:21). "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Rom 6:16). Death is personified: "Behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death" (Rev. 6:8). The Spirit is personified: "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself..." (John 16:13). The nation of Israel is personified: "Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: ..." (Jer 31:4). The Believers in Christ are personified: "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). "...the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7)).

Excerpted from the author's book entitled "Godhead Theology." Published by Seven Millennium Publications. Order your personal copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Godhead-Theology-Modalism-Original-Orthodoxy/dp/1516983521/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=Godhead+theology%2C+Hayes&qid=1554054212&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmrnull

Thank You For Your Support

By Purchasing Our Books For Your Library

Be sure to listen and subscribe to the Bishop's Podcast: Apostolic Bishop, at:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-apostolicbishops-podcast/id1472262392?fbclid=IwAR2FlRYnNsw5Vu_Bz4PjyEdiAxFMawhtD2BFr_S7WysrpFcYjuQYSHGAlZ

If the Bishop's ministry has been a blessing to you, please make a donation at the link provided here. In this way you will help this ministry to continue its work. Thank you. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=4EXSWA2A47ARC

Apostolically Speaking

☩☩ Jerry L Hayes

(Mar David Ignatius)

Read other essays from the Bishop on the subject of the Godhead:

"The Dual Nature Of Jesus Of Nazareth"

https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-dual-nature-of-jesus-of-nazareth.html

"The Worlds, Made By The Son"

https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-worlds-made-by-son.html

"Hebrews 13:8 vs 1 Corinthians 15:28"

https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2012/12/hebrews-138-vs-1-corinthians-1528.html

"Glory With The Father"

https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2012/12/glory-with-father.html