The Word of God

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1. This is the first crystal in the Gospel of John. The Word of God here in John 1:1 refers to Christ, the only begotten Son of God (v. 18) as the definition, explanation, and expression of God:
1. The great "I Am," self-existing and ever-existing—Exo. 3:14-15; John 8:24, 28, 58.
2. Eternal, without beginning or ending—Heb. 7:3.
2. John 1 is the introduction to the whole Gospel of John, and the main stress of this introduction is that Christ is the Word of God—the definition, explanation, and expression of the mysterious and invisible God. It refers to Christ in the five greatest events in the history of the universe:
1. In the creation of all things in the beginning of time (John 1:3).
2. In the incarnation of the invisible God to be a visible man (John 1:14), partaking of man's flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14), for the redemption of the lost universe to bring in the New Testament age.
3. In becoming the Lamb to take away the sin of the world (mankind) judicially for the New Testament (John 1:29, 36).
4. In becoming the Spirit for the transformation of God's redeemed people into stones (John 1:32-42) for the building of God's house (Bethel—v. 51) organically for the New Testament.
5. In being the heavenly ladder to bring heaven to earth and join earth to heaven at Bethel, the house of God, from His coming back to eternity (John 1:51; Gen. 28:11-22).
6. In all these five universal, historical events, Christ, the Word of God (as: 1. the Creator in creation; 2. the man in incarnation; 3. the Lamb in redemption; 4. the Spirit in transformation; 5. the ladder in joining earth to heaven), defines, explains, and expresses the invisible God:
1. In His creation "the heavens are telling of the glory of God; and the firmament [expanse] is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard" (Psa. 19:1-3), and the invisible things of God, "both His eternal power and divine characteristics, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world" (Rom. 1:20). What is referred to in Acts 14:15-17 and 17:24-29 serves the same purpose of revealing Christ's creation.
2. In His incarnation He unveils that the Creator has become one of His creatures (Col. 1:15), bringing God into man, mingling divinity with humanity as one, and in His human living He expresses God in the divine attributes through His human virtues.
3. In His becoming the Lamb for the redemption of the lost world, Christ speaks to us how God accomplished His redemption judicially through His death as the procedure according to His righteousness.
4. In His becoming the Spirit for life-giving and transforming (1 Cor. 15:45), Christ speaks to us further how God carries out His economy organically by His divine life for His divine purpose according to His heart's desire.
5. Christ, in His being the heavenly ladder at Bethel, also speaks to us how God desires to have a house on the earth constituted with His redeemed and transformed elect, that He may bring heaven to earth and join earth to heaven, to make the two as one for eternity.

P.S. In addition to all the above items, John, in his last writing, Revelation, tells us that even in the warfare for the kingdom of God, Christ is the Word of God speaking for God's purpose (Rev. 19:13).