in the beginning.
The phrase "in the beginning" echoes the opening of Genesis 1:1, drawing a parallel between the creation account and the role of the Word in creation. It signifies the timeless nature of the Word, existing before time and creation. This connection underscores the Word's active participation in creation, as seen in John 1:3, where all things were made through Him. The use of "beginning" also points to the foundational role of the Word in the divine plan, highlighting the continuity of God's purpose from creation to redemption. This phrase sets the stage for understanding the Word's authority and sovereignty over all creation, as further elaborated in Colossians 1:16-17.

John immediately resumes the thought of verse 1, pointing to the same Person he has called “the Word.”

• John identifies the Word with Jesus in John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

• Jesus is no mere principle; He is the living Son who speaks, acts, and reveals the Father (Hebrews 1:2-3).

• Other writers echo this personal identity: Colossians 1:15-17 calls Him “the image of the invisible God,” and 1 John 1:2 celebrates “the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.”

Taken literally, the verse starts by reminding us that a real, distinct Person is under discussion—Jesus Christ, fully divine and yet personable, knowable, and central to God’s plan.

The phrase stresses fellowship rather than distance.

• “With” implies face-to-face closeness (see Proverbs 8:30, a poetic preview of Wisdom at God’s side).

• Jesus prays, “glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed” (John 17:5), confirming a shared glory that predates creation.

• Philippians 2:6 says He “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,” reinforcing both distinction and equality.

• John 17:24 adds love to the picture: “You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

So, the verse teaches a relationship of eternal intimacy: Son with Father, equal yet distinct, enjoying mutual glory and affection. Scripture invites us to embrace both truths simultaneously.

John lifts our eyes to the very first moment of time—and beyond.

• Genesis 1:1 starts the Bible the same way: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John’s wording deliberately ties Jesus to that opening sentence.

• Colossians 1:17 declares, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together,” underscoring pre-existence and sustaining power.

• Micah 5:2 prophesies a Ruler “whose origins are from of old, from the days of eternity,” showing that Messiah’s timeline stretches into eternity past.

• Revelation 22:13 records Jesus saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” placing Him at both ends of history.

John therefore insists that when time itself began, Jesus already was. He did not come into being; He simply was there, eternal and uncreated, participating in all that the Father was about to do.

John 1:2, though brief, boldly proclaims that Jesus Christ is a real Person (“He”), eternally sharing loving fellowship with the Father (“was with God”), and existing before creation itself (“in the beginning”). Accepting the verse at face value affirms Christ’s deity, His distinct personhood within the Godhead, and His timeless, uncreated nature—truths echoed and reinforced throughout the rest of Scripture.

The same, that is, the Word who was God, existed before any act of creation, and in that existence was a person distinct from God. Yet it is more than a re-statement. We have arrived at the thought that the Word was one in nature with God. From this higher point of view, the steps below us are more clearly seen. The Word was God; the eternal pre-existence and personality are included in the thought.

(1) declared that the Logos preceded the origination of all things, was the eternal ground of the world; the second

(2) asserted his unique personality, so that he stands over against the eternal God, in mutual communion with the Absolute and Eternal One; the third clause

(3) maintains further that the Logos was not a second God, nor merely Divine (Θεῖος) or God-like, nor is he described as proceeding out of or from God (ἐκ Θεοῦ or ἀπὸ Θεοῦ), nor is he to be called ὁ Θεός, "the God absolute," as opposed to all his manifestations; but the Logos is said to be Θεός, i.e. "God" - God in his nature and being. This second verse reasserts the eternal relation of such a personality "with God," and prepares the way for the statements of the following verses. The unity of the Logos and Theos might easily be supposed to reduce the distinction between them to subjective relations. The second verse emphasizes the objective validity of the relation.

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