Who or What is the Gospel of John Talking about in John 1:9-13?

in #logos6 years ago (edited)

I will quote from the New International Version, which makes this passage into a paragraph:
"9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."
This seems to be structured to be a tie between three different themes, in John, first, this power or force of influence, the Logos, that can bring things about, second, the person, John the Baptist, who has this logos in him in the form of Light, and third, the person Jesus.
What I want to do is to dissect this a bit, to pull apart which sections of the narrative is talking about which of these three things. This is not a simple thing to do, so I want to start out by just saying what my intention is, and to say what I think these parts are, and later I will be supporting this view with what I think is evidence that comes from what these words actually mean in the Greek of the original version of the text.
If you did not know anything about the Greek that this Bible passage comes from, but just read the translation, you might take what they are trying to say by how they translate it as the obvious correct understanding of it. What I propose is that what is being promoted by this intentional angle in translation is something that religionists are forced to do in order to support accepted church doctrine and dogma about the Trinity. Why I very early on decided this is the case is from going onto online discussion forums and seeing in the religion section of the forum, arguments being made for and against the Trinity doctrine, and how without this particular interpretation of John 1, there is no real argument on the dogmatic side.
An overview of what John is actually talking about, I will briefly cover in this post, which is that John, talking to Greeks, is not like the other three gospels using an argument that these events had to happen because it was so prophesied. Instead, he introduces a thing he calls logos, which is a thing that is somehow behind events, starting out with why the world even exists in the first place. Then, the writer of John goes on, once there are people here in this created world, this logos takes the form of enlightenment so people can live well.
Where it gets tricky is where the next step is to say this light came on and the world refused it because of not accepting or recognizing it. I think this is the key point where people sort of fall off the cliff and stop following along with John. I think the translators use an interpretation created by a forced bias, one to support doctrine, to make you think without saying so that this is talking about Jesus being literally the logos and his being eventually killed. I have to say that if you look at it objectively, you have to go back to my first basic premise that it is talking about prophecy. You have the Law and the Prophets, which would have lots of meaning to Jews, but not any to Greeks. So here it is saying in a understated way for the sake of those Greeks, that this light came through the Law and the Prophets to the Jews who should have benefited from it to gain enlightenment but it was shut down and instead was built into a institutional thing to support what had become basically a business of getting people to come to their temple.

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Actually, it's only Jesus and John the Baptist that are being talked about.

I don't have to know Greek to understand it. People who know Greek much better than you translated it for me.

The Bible clearly teaches the Trinity over many passages. Here are some:

(John 14:8-10 NIV) Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." {9} Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? {10} Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

(Acts 15:28-29 NIV) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: {29} You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

(Acts 13:2 NIV) While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

(Matthew 28:18-20 NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. {19} Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

(Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. {7} Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

(Psalms 72:5-8 NIV) He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. {6} He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. {7} In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. {8} He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

(Zechariah 12:9-10 NIV) On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. {10} "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

How and when did they pierce God? And why would they mourn? Isn't because it was the Jews that crucified Jesus? And they now recognise him as God?

These passages all confirm that Jesus existed for eternity in Heaven before being born on earth.

(John 17:4-5 NIV) I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. {5} And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

(John 8:56-58 NIV) Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." {57} "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" {58} "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

(John 1:1-4 NIV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was with God in the beginning. {3} Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. {4} In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

Despite your denials, John 1 is talking about Jesus in verses 1-4.

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