The Word

The Gospel of John starts with the famous verse about the word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This verse reflects the first verse in Genesis where it says: "In the beginning God created heavens and the earth." How did God create them? The Genesis report shows that God did the whole creation simply by saying "Let there be..." That is, He created by His Word alone because He Himself is the Word, as the Apostle John illustrates it. The whole discourse about the Word eventually culminates in John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." This, of course, is a reference to Jesus, who is God incarnate.

Let's jump now to a different book: The Quran states in sura 4:171: "but Jesus Christ the son of Mary is the messenger of God and His Word." When Mohammed revealed the Quran, he must have known the passages in the Gospel of John and Genesis about the Word. Yet, he picked up the same thought line and declared that Jesus is the Word of God. Did Mohammed meant to say that Jesus is not only human, but God incarnate? A thought that every Muslim would reject immediately. But simply following the rules of logic would lead to this conclusion: When Jesus is the Word of God, and God Himself is the Word, then Jesus must be God and not only human.