The Eternal Living Word
God accomplishes all things by His WORD. The universe was created by His word and the universe is upheld by His word. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." Psalm 33:6
"...upholding all things by the word of His power..." Heb 1:3
Salvation is also the accomplishment of the word of God.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom 10:17
"The word of the LORD endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you." 1 Peter 1:25
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever." 1 Peter 2:23
"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby." 1 Peter 2:2
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Rev 3:10
The Word of God Is Self-fulfilling
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:10,11
The Word Of God Cannot Be Defeated
"For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." 2 Cor 13:8
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God stand forever." Isa 40:8
"And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
"...Thy word is the truth." John 17:17
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb 4:12
The Son Of God Is The Logos Of God, The Eternal Living and Divine Word
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1,2,3,14
The Greek word translated WORD in John 1:1 is LOGOS from which we get our English word logic. Logos denotes WISDOM and in Proverbs 8, WISDOM, the Logos of God, the Son of God, speaks thus:
"The LORD (YAHWEH) possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old." Prov 8:22
The question may now be asked: When was THE BEGINNING OF YAHWEH'S WAY? DID HE, YAHWEH, HAVE A BEGINNING?
To answer this question you may want to quote Psalm 90:1,2. "LORD (YAHWEH) thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or even Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God."
But the Hebrew word translated everlasting is OLAM. It's linguistic usage is similar to the Greek word AIONIOS also translated everlasting. These words, olam in the Hebrew and aionios in the Greek, mean a DURATION OF TIME WHICH MUST BE DETERMINED BY THE NATURE OF THE SUBJECT BEING DESCRIBED.
Let us, for example, read Jude verse 7. "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal (aionios) fire."
How long did the eternal fire which burnt up Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes (2 Peter 2:6) last? The answer is given in Lamentations 4:6, "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her."
So we see that the "eternal" (Hebrew: Olam; Greek: aionios) fire which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah lasted such a short time that Jeremiah informs us that those cities were burnt up as in a moment. It is clear therefore that we cannot use the words olam or aionios to prove that anyone or anything is beginningless or endless. So where is the biblical proof that our God, YAHWEH, is without beginning and without ending, that is, eternal in the absolute sense of that word in our modern linguistic usage?
The answer is found in Exodus 3:14. "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel I AM hast sent me unto you."
The Hebrew words translated I AM THAT I AM are EHYEH ASHER EHYEH. This mysterious term indicates the continuous present tense, it indicates self-existence, it signifies beginninglessness and endlessness. This is the only term in the original languages of the Bible which is equivalent to our English word eternal in the absolute sense of that word as we use it in our modern languages.
When the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us 2000 years ago, He applied the mysterious term I AM to Himself. Let us read John 8: 56-59. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou are not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." John 8:56-59
Notice that Jesus did not say: "Before Abraham was I was, but rather He said, "Before Abraham was I AM." He thereby declared Himself to have always existed. He therefore declared His DEITY. The Jews clearly understood what He intended to say and they took up stones to stone Him. Why? They understood that He was declaring Himself to be the Infinite "I AM THAT I AM"! Consider these gems from Desire of Ages.
"With solemn dignity Jesus answered, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you , Before Abraham was, I AM.' Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, 'whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.'" Micah 5:2, margin. D.A 469-470
"It was Christ who from the bush on mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, "I AM THAT I AM.... Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." Ex 3:14. This was the pledge of Israel's deliverance. So when He came "in the likeness of men," He declared Himself the I AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Tim 3:16. And to us He says: "I AM the Good Shepherd." "I AM the living Bread." "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life." "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." John 10:11; 6:51; 14:6; Matt 28:18. I AM the assurance of every promise. I AM; be not afraid. "God with us" is the surety of our deliverance form sin, the assurance of our power to obey the law of heaven." D.A 24,25
The Son of God is called the Word of God and the Wisdom of God. He is the only begotten Son of God the Father. There are some students of the word who interpret these terms "Son of God" and 'only begotten Son" in an earthly, biological way, and they conclude therefore that the Son of God cannot be without beginning as God the Father is. They claim that a son must always be younger than His Father. Yet these same students say that they believe in the Deity of the Son of God. This brings us to some deep principles.
The Definition of God
By definition Deity is Creator and is uncreated and without beginning. No one can be said to have Deity if that one had a literal beginning either by creation or by birth.
No true diety was formed after another true deity
"Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD (YAHWEH), and my servants whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed neither shall there be after Me." Isa 43:10
In other words you cannot say that you believe that the Son of God is Deity and still believe that He was formed after the Father because the word of God clearly states that such cannot be. If the Father is Deity and the Son is Deity neither One was formed before nor after the Other. This is the unmistakable truth revealed in Isaiah 43:10.
This is further confirmed by comparing Isa 44:6 and Rev 1:17, where YAHWEH in Isa 44:6 and the Son of God in Rev 1:17 each declares that He is the first and the last. This would not be true if One is younger or older that the Other.
We cannot interpret the ways of God according to the ways of man
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (YAHWEH). For as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isa 55:8,9
This means that the way in which the Son of God was begotten is as high above the way a son of man is begotten as God is higher than man.
Let us bring these principles together and apply them to the problem of the Son of God being the only begotten Son of the Father.
The Word of God is the Son of God
We must not deny that the Son of God is truly the Son of God, begotten of the Father. But we must let Him tell us when He was begotten, and He tells us in Proverbs 8:22.
"The LORD possessed Me in the beginning of His way before the works of old."
When was the beginning of YAHWEH'S way? We have already proven that YAHWEH is beginningless. Therefore in Proverbs 8:22 the Son is saying that He is as eternal as His Father. In other words He is eternally begotten. This is a deep mystery but some of the mysteriousness is clarified by the very fact that the Son of God is the WORD of God, the WISDOM of God.
Eternal Wisdom
YAHWEH must be the source of His wisdom, the Father of His wisdom. Therefore His Wisdom is begotten of Him. Yet there was never a time when God's wisdom was not in existence because God's wisdom must have been in existence for as long as God has been in existence. Therefore although God, the Father, is the Source, and Father of his Wisdom and His Wisdom is begotten of Him, both the Father and Son are Co-eternal, because God and His Wisdom are co-eternal.
Paul informs us that eternal power is the first absolute eternal reality in Deity. "For the invisible things of Him (God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." Rom 1:20 We understand form Proverbs 8 that power without wisdom is self-destructive. Therefore eternal power eternally gives birth to eternal wisdom so that power and wisdom are co-eternal. And the force that unites them is love. Infinite Power, Infinite Wisdom, Infinite Love.
The Father, His Son and their Spirit, this is the Deity, and each must have all the characteristics of the Father, therefore each must have personality and each must be without beginning and without ending. What a mystery!
We can only skim the surface now. The deep ocean of truth is still beneath. In the eternity to come we shall be able to plumb the depths of this mystery, but the more we learn the more there will be to learn because the Father, Son and Spirit are infinite and eternal.
Having established the absolute eternity of the Son of God from the Bible, we can now add the Spirit of Prophecy "icing" from the writings of the Lord's servant to the "cake" which has already been "baked" in the "oven" of correct Biblical interpretation.
Consider these quotations carefully (emphases supplied).
1. Commenting on John 1:1-3
"If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are do decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.
"The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right. This was no robbery of God [Pro 8:22-27 quoted].
There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was One with the Father before the foundation of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself, explains other mysterious and otherwise un-explainable truths, while it is enshrined in light unapproachable and incomprehensible." (RH April 5, 1906)
2. "In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him. - The Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900.
3. "Here Christ shows them that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before his incarnation is not measured by figures. - The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899
4. "From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God. - The Signs of the Times, Aug 2, 1905, p. 10.
5. "When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity. - The Acts of the Apostle,. 38, 39
But while God's word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding his pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with his Father. From everlasting he was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted him, were to be blessed. "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God. - The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906
"A human being lives, but his life is a given life, a life that will be quenched. "What is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." But Christ's life is not a vapor; it is never-ending, a life existing before the worlds were made. - The Signs of the Times, June 17, 1897, p. 5
"From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was "the image of His greatness and majesty, "the outshining of His glory." - Desire of Ages,. 19
"He was one with the Father before the angels were created." Spirit of Prophecy, vol 1, 17.
"Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. - The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, 8.
Any doctrine which denies the absolute, eternal beginninglessness of the eternal Word, the Son of God "not only lowers man's conceptions of the work of redemption, but undermines faith in the Bible as a revelation from God." Great Controversy 524
"If men reject the testimony of the inspired scriptures concerning the deity of Christ, it is in vain to argue the point with them; for no argument, however conclusive, could convince them." Great Controversy 524
The eternal Word, the eternal Wisdom, the Son of God had to become human in order to save humanity by the engrafted word, for only He who is without beginning could impart eternal life to humanity.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath eternal life." Through the beloved John, who listened to these words, the Holy Spirit declared to the churches, "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life." 1 John 5:11,12. And Jesus said, "I will raise him up at the last day." Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave, - not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ but because through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of life eternal." Desire of Ages 388
Conclusion
Oh what wondrous love! Our redemption could not have been accomplished by anyone who was one iota less than God in every respect.
The term the Son of God now embraces redeemed humanity for the eternal Word of God, the eternal Son of God is now also the Son of man. How can anyone reject such love!
And the word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. "He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Eph. 1:6. The glory that rested upon Christ is a pledge of the love of God for us. It tells us of the power of prayer, how the human voice may reach the ear of God, and our petitions find acceptance in the courts of heaven. By sin, earth was cut off from heaven, and alienated from its communion; but Jesus has connected it again with the sphere of glory. His love has encircled man, and reached the highest heaven. The light which fell from the open portals upon the head of our Saviour will fall upon us as we pray for help to resist temptation. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2. Our Redeemer has opened the way so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised, may find access to the Father. All may have a home in the mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare. "These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; . . . behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." Rev. 3:7, 8. D.A. 113
