“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Those are the opening words of John’s Gospel. According to that statement, the Word existed prior to everything that was created. And John continues by asserting that through the Word “all things were made” (v. 3). The Word, therefore, is uncreated, pre-temporal, transcendent, and the source of all created things. In other words, the Word is divine. That means the Word should not be viewed on the same level as anything in creation.
But then John continues by making an astounding claim: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). The eternal, uncreated Word became a human being and that human being is Jesus Christ.
In line with John’s statements, the ancient Christian Creeds affirm that Jesus is fully divine and fully human. Jesus is one person with two distinct yet inseparable natures. The union of the two natures does not override the distinction of each nature because if it did so Jesus would not be fully God and fully human, but some sort of hybrid being. In other words, if he was 50% God he would not be worthy of worship and if he was 50% human he would not be able to relate with us.
But how can the divine nature, which transcends everything in creation, become limited to a human being? Human beings, by definition, are limited by time, space, and gravity. How did this transcendent nature become limited? Did it cease to be transcendent?
According to Reformed theology, while the divine nature was fully united to the human nature in Jesus, a remainder of the divine nature exists outside of or beyond the human body of Jesus. And that is because a being in a human body could not totally contain the infinite and transcendent Word. For example, the Word is omnipresent, but a human being cannot be omnipresent. Thus this doctrine asserts that the divine nature—the Word outside of and before space and time—persists as the Word outside of and before space and time even after the Word became flesh. This doctrine is called extra calvinisticum (the Calvinistic outside/beyond).
But what about Paul’s statement that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col. 2:9)?
Remember, Reformed theologians agree that all the fullness of the Deity was in Jesus. He was 100% divine just as he was 100% human. But extra calvinisticum asserts that more of the divine nature exists outside of Jesus’ body. Consider also that while the Father and Spirit were in Jesus, both also existed outside of Jesus so Paul’s statement that “all the fullness of the Deity” lives in Jesus does not mean all of the Father and Spirit lived in Jesus without remainder.
So how was the eternal Word relating with creation before Jesus was born? The Word was being revealed to Israel’s patriarchs and through Israel’s prophets. According to Justin Martyr (AD 100-165), seeds of the eternal Word can be seen even in the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Plato. Following Justin’s logic we can recognize seeds of the Word wherever justice and truth are preached. But the revelation of the Word in these places is only partial.
For Christians, the full revelation of the Word occurred in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. And yet the Word continues to transcend all of creation.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.