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John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Episode 33, And the Word Was God
We have established that John could not have meant “the Word was a god” in John 1:1. There is no definite article “the” with the word God (theos) in John’s wording, but “a” god is not a possibility given John’s theology. But in Greek usage the absence of the article “the” could still mean the word God is to be taken definitely, “the God” or could signify a qualitative sense, “divine.” Is the predicate nominative, “theos (God),” definite (even though there is no definite article there) or qualitative (purposely left without the definite article to emphasize a qualitative meaning)? What is the case or defense for either of these meanings?
The Case for “the Word was God”
It is equally possible that John intended us to see theos as definite even without the definite article. There are plenty of examples of this in the New Testament, as well:
- John 1:41, εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον χριστός (“We have found the Messiah, which being translated is [the] Christ”) – If there is equivalence between the Hebrew and the Greek, τὸν Μεσσίαν, the Messiah, must translate as ὁ χριστός, the Christ.
- John 18:13a, ἦν γὰρ πενθερὸς τοῦ Καϊάφα (“for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas”) – Unless Caiaphas had more than one wife, and therefore more than one father-in-law, definite is the only possibility.
- John 18:13b, ὃς ἦν ἀρχιερεὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐκείνου (“he was the high priest that year”) – Unless there was more than one high priest, definite is the only possibility.
But as has been remarked earlier, making theos definite in meaning here might lead readers to think that the Word and the Father (God) were one and the same person. There are, however, several factors that militate against this:
- John has made it clear in the second part of his statement about the Word (“and the Word was with God”) that the Word and God are separate persons.
- John shows us the apostle Thomas’ response to the risen Lord Jesus in John 20:28, where Thomas says, “My Lord and my God.” The definite article is on the word theos, “God.” John is endorsing “the God” as a legitimate title for Jesus without, apparently, concern for confusion about Jesus being a separate person from the Father.
- The Old Testament gives precedent for two Yahwehs without concern that they would be confused as one person. This suggests that “the God” is not always intended as a specific identification of the Father, just as Yahweh is not always intended as a personal name for one person. Recall Genesis 19:24, “Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of heaven.”
The translation of this sense would be the traditional translation of John 1:1c, “and the Word was God.” By not using a definite article on “God” we achieve almost the same meaning as the qualitative interpretation. Jesus is God, fully divine, absolute deity, but not the same person as the Father.
Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot accept either the qualitative or the definite meaning for kai theos ēn ho logos. Each one contradicts their view of Jesus as being the highest created being in the universe. It might seem sad that so many false teachers have arisen to challenge the church and her adherence to Jesus Christ, but in fact, it is these false teachers and their false doctrines that have served to strengthen the church in two ways. Our interaction with the false teaching has honed our understanding of the truth and how to defend it. And the abandonment of some to follow false teachings has revealed who are and who are not true believers. What the devil meant for evil, God has used for good.
We will never be free of false teachers. People who desire control and acclaim will always need to have something unique about them to draw people to them. A distorted perspective on the Scriptures is a convenient avenue for gathering followers. Like Russell and Rutherford and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, you can play on people’s ignorance of Scripture by slipping in your own clever interpretations. So believers…know the Scriptures!
About the Author Randall Johnson
A full-time pastor since 1979, Randall originally graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM) in 1979 and from Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin) in 1998. He is married with four grown children and a pile of epic grandchildren.
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