Doctrinal confusion does not begin with bad intentions; it begins with blindness to the Son.
From the beginning, God did not work alone, anonymously, or abstractly. In Genesis 1, God created through His Word. That Word was not an impersonal force but the Son — present with God, under God's authority, and reigning as Lord from the beginning. Scripture later makes explicit what Genesis already contains: all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made.
The failure to see Jesus in Genesis 1 fractures doctrine downstream. When the Son is removed from the beginning, God becomes distant, undefined, and accessible apart from the way He chose to reveal Himself. This blindness produces false teachings about who God is, how creation happened, how salvation works, and how unity with God is attained.
Jesus Himself testifies to His eternal preexistence: "Before Abraham was, I am." He declares exclusive access to the Father: "No one comes to the Father except through me." John confirms that the Word was with God and was God, and that the Word became flesh. Micah declares that the Son's goings forth are from old, from everlasting. Proverbs shows Wisdom with God during creation. And Scripture is clear: no one has seen God at any time — the only begotten Son has declared Him.
The Son did not begin in Bethlehem. He did not become relevant later. He did not replace God. He is how God has always acted, ruled, revealed, and saved.
This is why bypassing the Son is not "going directly to God." There has never been a direct-to-the-Father path apart from the Son. The Father and the Son are one, and access to the Father has always been mediated through the Son. To skip Jesus is not deeper faith; it is a different gospel.
Jesus prayed that those given to Him would be "one in us." The oneness of the Ekklesia is not independent unity with God but participation in the same divine life shared between the Father and the Son. Unity exists in them, not alongside them.
When the Son is removed from Genesis, theology collapses into abstraction. When the Son is restored to the beginning, everything aligns: creation, salvation, authority, revelation, and unity.
The confusion is not intellectual. The confusion is blindness. And the blindness is to the Son.
Part One — The Scriptures
The Son Present at Creation
"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 any thing made that was made." — John 1:1–3
"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 1:14
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." — Genesis 1:1–3
"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." — Colossians 1:15–17
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds." — Hebrews 1:1–2
"The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was… When he prepared the heavens, I was there… Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him." — Proverbs 8:22–31
The Son's Eternal Origin
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." — Micah 5:2
"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." — John 8:58
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." — John 17:5
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." — John 17:24
Speaking of Melchizedek as a type: "Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." — Hebrews 7:3
No One Has Seen the Father — Only the Son Reveals Him
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." — John 1:18
"Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father." — John 6:46
"Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see." — 1 Timothy 6:16
"And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." — Exodus 33:11
"And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre." — Genesis 18:1
"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." — Genesis 32:30
The Son Is the Only Way to the Father
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." — John 14:6
"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" — John 14:9
"I and my Father are one." — John 10:30
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." — John 10:9
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." — Acts 4:12
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." — 1 Timothy 2:5
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power." — Hebrews 1:3
Oneness in the Father and the Son
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one." — John 17:21–23
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." — 1 John 1:3
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." — 1 Corinthians 8:6
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." — Colossians 2:9
Blindness as Judgment and Condition
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." — 2 Corinthians 4:3–4
"Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him." — John 12:39–41
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." — Romans 11:25
"And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed." — Isaiah 6:9–10
"Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." — Matthew 13:13–15
Part Two — The Teaching
I. In the Beginning Was the Son
Open your Bibles to Genesis 1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Now hold that verse and turn to John 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
John is not introducing a new idea. He is revealing what Genesis already contained. When God said "Let there be light," He spoke through His Word. That Word was not a vibration in the air. That Word was a Person. That Person is the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Paul confirms this in Colossians: all things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. The writer of Hebrews says God made the worlds through His Son. And Proverbs 8 reveals Wisdom present with God before the earth was formed, set up from everlasting, rejoicing before Him as one brought up with Him.
The Son was not absent from Genesis and introduced later. He was there. He has always been there. Everything that exists was made through Him.
II. The Son Did Not Begin in Bethlehem
This is where much confusion enters. People read the birth narrative and conclude that the Son began at Bethlehem. But Micah says His goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Jesus Himself says, "Before Abraham was, I am." He prays to the Father to restore the glory He had with Him before the world was. He says the Father loved Him before the foundation of the world.
Bethlehem was not an origin. It was an arrival. The eternal Son entered the flesh, but He did not begin in the flesh. He was begotten of the Father before all things — brought forth, not manufactured. This is what "only begotten" means. Not created. Not made. Begotten. From the Father, of the Father, before anything else existed. This is new birth at its origin. Do we believe God is a Father? Who then is the Firstborn? Jesus the Messiah.
If you miss this, you will either make the Son into a created being, or you will collapse Him into the Father and lose the relationship between them entirely. Both errors come from blindness to who He already was before Bethlehem.
III. Every Appearance of God Was the Son
Here is a question that should shake every reader of the Old Testament awake: Scripture says no man has seen God at any time. Yet Moses spoke with the LORD face to face. Abraham saw the LORD in the plains of Mamre. Jacob saw God face to face at Peniel and lived.
How do you reconcile this? John answers it directly: "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Paul says the Father dwells in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see.
So who did Moses see? Who walked with Abraham? Who wrestled with Jacob?
The Son our Lord. Every visible, tangible appearance of God in the Old Testament was the Son acting under the authority of the Father. The Father remained unseen. The Son was always the one who came down, who spoke, who appeared, who revealed. He is the image of the invisible God. He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person.
If you strip the Son from the Old Testament, you are left with contradictions. If you restore Him, every passage aligns.
IV. There Is No Path to God That Bypasses the Son
Jesus said it plainly: "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." This was not a suggestion. This was not one option among many. This is the structure of how God has always worked.
Peter confirms it: there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Paul confirms it: there is one God, the Father, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus says He is the door — whoever enters through Him will be saved.
Think about what this means. It means there has never been a moment in history when a human being accessed the Father apart from the Son. Not Adam. Not Abraham. Not Moses. Not David. The Son was always the mediator, always the revealer, always the way in.
To claim you can go directly to say "Yahweh" bypassing Jesus is not deeper faith. It is a different religion that often is about laws and zero relationship and it denies the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The Father Himself has ordained that all things come through the Son. To reject the Son is to reject the Father's own chosen method of revealing Himself.
V. Oneness Exists in Them, Not Apart from Them
Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, just as He and the Father are one. But notice where the oneness exists: "that they also may be one in us." Not one independently. Not one by agreement. Not one by organization. One in the Father and the Son.
Paul says there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things. John says our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. The fullness of God dwells in the Son bodily.
The unity of the Ekklesia is not a human project. It is participation in a divine relationship. The Father and the Son share life, glory, and authority, and believers are brought into that shared life. Remove the Son, and there is no oneness to participate in — only human imitation of it.
VI. The Blindness Is Not Intellectual — It Is Spiritual
Paul says the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, so that the light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine on them. John records that Isaiah saw the Son's glory and spoke of Him — and yet the people could not believe because their eyes were blinded and their hearts hardened.
This blindness is not a lack of education. It is not a lack of access to Scripture. It is a spiritual condition. People can hold the Bible in their hands and read Genesis 1 and still not see the Son standing in the text. They can read John 1 and still not connect the Word to the One who spoke creation into existence.
Jesus told the Pharisees they searched the Scriptures thinking they had eternal life in them, but those very Scriptures testified of Him, and they refused to come to Him. The problem was never information. The problem was sight.
VII. When the Son Is Restored, Everything Aligns
Remove the Son from Genesis, and God becomes abstract. Creation becomes mechanical. Salvation becomes transactional. Unity becomes organizational. The Old Testament contradicts the New. The appearances of God contradict the invisibility of the Father. The exclusivity of Jesus contradicts a supposedly open access to God.
Restore the Son to the beginning, and everything locks into place. Creation was through Him. Every appearance of God was Him. Salvation has always been through Him. Access to the Father has always been mediated by Him. The oneness of the Ekklesia exists in Him. The Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, testify of Him.
The confusion that fractures churches, produces false doctrines, and scatters believers does not begin with bad theology. It begins with blindness to the Son.
And the cure is not more study. The cure is sight. "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
All Scripture quotations from the King James Version.
In the 11th month of Shevat on the 19th day.
Derek Stirnemann, Ekklesia Way
(Feb 5th, 2026 Gregorian)