"The Word was God" by Charles Welch, reprinted from The Berean Expositor

We propose giving a few words of explanation upon the first verses of the
Gospel of John, because upon several occasions, and in different places,
friends have asked our opinion about a very subtle interpretation which is
being promulgated by a certain section of Christendom, and which leads the
reader to think that the inspired original tells us that the Word was a God!
We do not desire to leave the simple exposition of the Scriptures for
declamatory utterances; we would rather allow the truth to come with its own
convincing force, but we cannot refrain from remarking that practically every
heresy that has arisen in the history of the church may be found ultimately,
if not immediately, to be an attack upon the inspiration of the Scriptures, or
the person and work of Christ.

The Edition of the N.T. which contains this evil has both the Greek text and
the translation side by side, and we have found it to be our repeated
experience, that when pressed upon the point, those who use this edition, and
so solemnly and impressively refer to the Greek, confess that they do not
understand it, but have swallowed the interpretation of the passage as being
truth, and with all the brazenness of ignorance brandish the magic reference
to the "inspired original" to degrade Him Who is the glory of that blessed
book. We will, however, take a leaf out of their book -- so far as method is
concerned -- by setting the Greek original and a literal translation side by
side.  For the benefit of those who are not conversant with the Greek, we will
transliterate the words into English characters, using e for Eta and o for
Omega, and (i) for Iota subscript.

1. En arche(i)  en ho               1. In the beginning was the
   logos kai ho logos en               Word and the Word was
   pros ton Theon                      with the God
   kai Theos en ho logos.              and God was the Word.

2. Houtos en en arche(i)            2. The same was in the beginning
   pros ton Theon.                     with the God.

3. Panta di'autou                   3. All things through Him
   egeneto, kai choris autou           became, and without Him
   egeneto oude en,                    became not one thing,
   ho gegonen.                         which has become.

The argument brought forward in the interpretation under consideration rests
largely upon the use and omission of the Greek article. The Greek article
corresponds with our English "the," and in its varied cases to "of the," "to
the," &c.  The reader will easily find the article in the first line, as the
literal rendering follows the order of the words, ho logos is "the Word."
When, however, a noun is in the accusative or objective case, the article is
declined in sympathy with the noun, and so ho logos would become ton logon.
Now as the word Theos (God) is a similar word to logos, the last two words in
the third line ton Theon, are simply ho Theos in the accusative case.  We
mention this not to try to teach Greek, but to prevent misunderstanding on the
part of those who may, Berean-like, search out these things, but who may not
be possessed of the necessary knowledge to commence their studies.  The reader
will see that, whilst we have the article before the word "God " in the third
line, it is omitted in the fourth line.  It does not read kai ho Theos, but
kai Theos; not "and the God," but "and God." Thus we may read the sentence:D

The Word was God, or, God was the Word.

The use of the article, however, determines the true subject of the sentence,
hence we see that in lines 1 and 4 ho logos D  "the Word " D is the subject.
Now, seeing that we know which is the subject of the sentence, we need not be
so careful to place it at the beginning; therefore we find that emphasis is
laid upon the subject, "the Word," by the figure of speech called Hyperbaton.
This figure is aptly named, because the word means "a stepping over," and by
placing a word out of position renders it more conspicuous.  Hence in reading
the passage we must emphasize like this D "In the beginning was THE WORD, and
God THE WORD was."  No amount of explanation which we may give can have any
weight unless it can be seen to be in harmony with the Scriptures of truth,
and so we will take the reader to other passages, rather than give cut and
dried grammatical rules.

If any of our readers are confronted with one of these exponents of the "Greek
original" whose interpretation we are considering, they might ask for an
evidence of consistency by reading the translation given of another verse in
the selfsame chapter, viz., verse 14. If kai Theos en ho logos means "and the
Word was A God," why should not kai ho logos sarx egeneto be translated, "and
the Word became A flesh"?  Such a translation is manifestly absurd, yet it is
based upon precisely the same argument, the absence of the article before the
word flesh.  We might multiply instances. Does ho Theos agape estin mean "The
God is A love?"

A moment's reflection will enable any reader to see the truth of the
grammatical rule, that the article is employed to demonstrate, whilst its
omission describes.  "The God" points out the subject of the sentence, "is
love" describes His essence.  So "the Word became flesh" describes the sphere
into which the Word came, namely flesh.  So in John i. 1, "the Word"
(demonstrative) was, so far as His essence is concerned, "God " (descriptive).
Thus we read the two passages together:D

The Word WAS GOD. The Word BECAME FLESH.

In each case the absence of the article describes, whilst the change in the
verb tells that in the first instance the condition was one of essential
character, "was" (verb "to be"); the other, that which He assumed when the
fulness of time came, "He became." Before we deal more fully with these two
verbs, there is one more verse in the first chapter that claims our attention.
"No one hath seen God at any time" (verse 18).  Here again the word Theos is
without the article, and if treated as in the first verse would be rendered,
"No one hath seen A God at any time!"  God in His essence no one hath seen,
yet such passages as Gen. xxxii. 24D32; Josh. v. I3D15; Ezek. i. 26D28, &c.,
are inspired truth.  If the first verse had read, "the Word was the God," we
should have to exclude both the Father and the Spirit from the Godhead, for
the words being thus placed in apposition would have become exclusive.

We have already mentioned the importance of noting the distinction between the
verb "to be" and the verb "to become."  In verses 1 and 2 we have the verb "to
be" (en) meaning "was," but in verse 3 we have the verb "to become" (egeneto),
meaning "became."  The English obscures this distinction, but a consideration
of the use of these two verbs in one or two other passages will help us to see
how complete the testimony is that "the Word was God."

In verse 17 we read, "The law through Moses was given (edothe), but grace and
truth became (egeneto) through Jesus Christ."  Thus by a comparison of verses
3 and 17 we find that both in the creation of the universe, and in the
spiritual sphere of grace and truth, all things "were made," or "became,"
through Him.  When the incarnation is the subject, this same verb is used, the
Word became flesh; but not so when speaking of the essential deity of the Word
D the Word WAS God.  He BECAME flesh.  This distinction is clearly seen in
John viii. 58, Prin Abraam genesthai, ego eimi.  "Before Abram became (or was
made), I, I am."  If the Lord merely intended to say that He had an existence
before Abram, He would surely have said, "Before Abram was made, I was."  But
no, in the full consciousness of His Godhead, He says, "I AM."  The words are
further emphasized by the pronoun ego.  The Greek verb carries the pronoun
with it; thus eimi means "I am."  Hence, if we add ego we must read, "I am,"
or "I, I am."  Those who can refer to the Septuagint will find further
suggestive thought by comparing the words Ego eimi ho on of Exod. iii. 14 with
John viii. 58, and iii. 13.

Space will not allow our going further with this subject.  Abundant evidence
is in the Scriptures to disprove on the one hand the statement that "the Word
was a God," while everywhere it joyfully renders to the Son the same homage as
to the Father, confessing that He is the true God and eternal life.  It will
be observed that we have kept to the task of expounding the Scriptures, and
not attempted to "search out God unto perfection."  It is not our task to
endeavour to be wise above that which is written.  Mathematics or philosophy
can render no tangible illustration or confirmation of the mystery of the
Godhead.  Suffice it for us that we believe that there is one God, and that
there is revealed for our faith the transcendent fact, that, whilst we own one
God, we are also called upon to worship God the Father, through our great God
and Saviour Jesus Christ, as we are quickened and led by God the Holy Spirit.

May we be kept faithful to the Lord and His truth, and believe and rejoice in
the fact that the Word who was made flesh and tabernacled among us, was
nevertheless the One of whom it is written, THE WORD WAS GOD.