By Sophia Sinclair, CCCNZ Communications Manager
'I te timatanga te Kupu...' — Hoani 1:1
'Sa i le amataga le Upu...' — Ioane 1:1
'In the beginning was the Word...' — John 1:1I vividly remember a time when I heard John chapter 1 read aloud with dramatic clarity. The boldness of the Apostle John’s claims about Jesus seemed to jump off the page and straight into my heart.
Immediately, we hear a connection with the very first words of the Bible, ‘In the beginning...’ and then John introduces us to ‘the Word’.
The first hearers of this gospel account would have been struck by this name: ‘the Word’. It's a term that draws together concepts of ‘speech’, ‘word’ and ‘thought’ and the philosophical concept of ‘divine reason’ or ‘mind of God’.
As the rest of the prologue unfolds, it is clear that John intends to show us that the Word is Jesus. And that Jesus is God.
Why communication?
As a Christian communications professional I’m sometimes asked, "Why bother?" Why would we spend time thinking through how and why we present Christian ideas or thoughts?
Because God communicates.
The span of Scripture shows us God communicating who he is: he speaks audibly, he communicates through the prophets, his creation declares his glory, and “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2).
In these first verses of John’s gospel we hear that all creation came about by and through Jesus, the source of life.
Just a few verses later we are struck by the incredible truth that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
God isn’t distant or disinterested—he comes near to us to communicate who he is. He gave his very life to free us from sin and darkness. To bring us into his family. Amazingly, God tasks us to join him in communicating who he is to the world around us.
It’s a message worth sharing. Romans 10 exclaims, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” The author is right; it is good news. And it's a privilege to join God in communicating it.
