Word

“In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

(John 1:1-5 NLT)

Although this passage is familiar to most Christians, it is still enigmatic. The use of the common ‘Word’ makes it generic and ambiguous. In order to delve into this passage, it might be better if we use the original Greek version of the word: Logos.

Logos (Greek): expression of a thought, analogy, divine communication, message, promise, reasoning expressed by words, wisdom.

Dabar (Hebrew): word, expression, commandment, order.

Words are orderly expressions of thoughts. They shed light and bring understanding. They enable communication and thus communion. Without words--there is just chaos, darkness, confusion, disconnection, and unawareness.  Substituting these concepts in the above verses helps us understand this passage a little better.