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Introduction

The Word was with God

In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God from the beginning. Through him, all things are made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not overcome it.

the crucifixion with the virgin saint john saint jerome and saint mary magdalene

There was a man named John who was sent by God. He was sent as a witness to testify about the light. The true light was coming into this world.

Though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He gave those who believed in him the right to become children of God.

The Word became flesh and lived among us. We have seen his glory. John testified about him saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.”

For the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and has the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

What the story means to us today

Christ as a deity

John opens his gospel with a poetic but cryptic treatise about Jesus. On close inspection, however, the resemblance to the introduction in Genesis is clear.

Altar of All the Saints

John tells us that Jesus has existed since the beginning of time. His introduction is the main contributor to those who believe Jesus is God in human flesh—the principle followed by Trinitarian Christians (those who believe God exists in the forms of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit). The emphasis on Jesus as a divine being is central to the Gospel of John. Throughout this gospel, John (assuming this was written by John the Apostle) recounts Jesus’ deeds while emphasizing Jesus as a deity.

John’s writings were likely written during the early days of Christianity to encourage the early churches to stand strong by emphasizing the importance of Jesus to God’s plan for mankind. No other writing in the Bible has had such a profound impact on Christianity as John’s prologue. The modern Christian doctrine of Christ is primarily based on these opening verses.

Deeper thoughts and additional considerations

All things through Christ

John writes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.” Jesus is the “light” for Christians, providing the guiding principles we choose to live our lives by. John tells us that by living our lives as Christians or followers of Christ, evil will not win over good.

John – the man sent by God

John says, “There was a man sent from God whose name was John.” The “John” he refers to is not himself but John the Baptist.

Interestingly, in the early days of Christianity, some of the disciples continued John the Baptist’s teachings. We see a couple of instances in Acts where Christian disciples discovered them and helped them convert to Christianity.

Today, there are still Mandaean sects in southern Iraq who follow John’s teachings and, like radical Muslims, are anti-Christian.

The “true light”

The Apostle Saint John Evangelista

John carefully points out that he is not the light but rather only a witness to “the light.” The light is, of course, Jesus. A light shows the way, illuminates the dark, and gives us comfort. Those same things can be said about Jesus, who was sent as God’s messenger to emphasize the true meaning behind the Bible’s message, clarify the narrative the Jewish teachers had misunderstood, and ensure we understand that God is here to help us, not hurt.

John’s purpose is further emphasized when he says, “The Law was given to us through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This can be envisioned as a sort of spiritual awakening. But we have to be willing to accept that Jesus is the light, that his message is true, and that he was sent by God to save us.

The Word becomes flesh

John says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Many believe this paints Jesus as God walking around Earth in human form. However, John says in the very next sentence, “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Too much debate centers around Jesus as God or Jesus as a human—a debate that cannot be answered, nor is there any need to. Jesus was unique among all mankind—that much we can say with certainty. He was sent by God to deliver God’s message to humanity. He, indeed, was the “Word” of God.

Translation notes

Logos

John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Greek word for “Word” is “logos,” which means speaking, a message, or words. The word was often used in philosophy or Jewish wisdom texts.

Bible text

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 all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 

The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities

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. 

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and  is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

NET Bible

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. 1:2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 1:3 All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. 1:5 And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it. 

1:6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. 1:7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. 1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. 1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him. 1:11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him. 1:12 But to all who have received him—those who believe in his name—he has given the right to become God’s children 1:13—children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God. 

1:14 Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. 1:15 John testified about him and shouted out, “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’ ” 1:16 For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. 1:18 No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.

NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became 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.

15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

The Message

           The Word was first,

             the Word present to God,

             God present to the Word.

           The Word was God,

             in readiness for God from day one.

           3–5 Everything was created through him;

             nothing—not one thing!—

             came into being without him.

           What came into existence was Life,

             and the Life was Light to live by.

           The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;

             the darkness couldn’t put it out.

    6–8 There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

           9–13 The Life-Light was the real thing:

             Every person entering Life

             he brings into Light.

           He was in the world,

             the world was there through him,

             and yet the world didn’t even notice.

           He came to his own people,

             but they didn’t want him.

           But whoever did want him,

             who believed he was who he claimed

             and would do what he said,

           He made to be their true selves,

             their child-of-God selves.

           These are the God-begotten,

             not blood-begotten,

             not flesh-begotten,

             not sex-begotten.

           14 The Word became flesh and blood,

             and moved into the neighborhood.

           We saw the glory with our own eyes,

             the one-of-a-kind glory,

             like Father, like Son,

           Generous inside and out,

             true from start to finish.

    15 John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”

           16–18 We all live off his generous bounty,

             gift after gift after gift.

           We got the basics from Moses,

             and then this exuberant giving and receiving,

           This endless knowing and understanding—

             all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.

           No one has ever seen God,

             not so much as a glimpse.

           This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,

             who exists at the very heart of the Father,

             has made him plain as day.

KJV

1 IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 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. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

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