Scripture
Prologue: Christ, the Eternal Word
1In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2He existed in the beginning with God.
3God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4The Word gave life to everything that was created,[1]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.[2]
6God sent a man, John the Baptist,[3] 7to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
14So the Word became human[4] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[5] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
15John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
16From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.[6] 17For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God,[7] is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.
Translation notes (7)
- 1:3-4 Or and nothing that was created was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything.
- 1:5 Or and the darkness has not understood it.
- 1:6 Greek a man named John.
- 1:14a Greek became flesh.
- 1:14b Or grace and truth; also in 1:17.
- 1:16 Or received the grace of Christ rather than the grace of the law; Greek reads received grace upon grace.
- 1:18 Some manuscripts read But the one and only Son.
So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.
When we open the New Testament and turn to the book of Matthew, we are often expectant of what we are going to read. We are not surprised to find the genealogy of Christ and then read about the birth of Christ. The extraordinary story of Scripture can become so commonplace to us today that we miss the wonder of the birth of Christ. A theme woven throughout the Old Testament is the Israelites' sin and wandering; a theme in the New Testament is Jesus and the salvation that He offers.
The book of John begins with the message that the story of Scripture is all about Jesus. He starts this book by saying, "In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." (verse 1). The "Word" John is talking about here is Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus was God, and He existed since the beginning of time. Several verses further, John wrote life-changing, life-altering news about the Word. "So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son" (verse 14). Jesus, the Word, came to earth, and the world was never the same. When Jesus came, He brought hope, peace, life, and forgiveness. The coming of Jesus, John made clear, ushered a new time, the time of Christ. As a result of His coming, the world could receive hope, healing, forgiveness, and life if they put their trust in Him.
As we study Scripture, we can see glimpses of Jesus from the Old Testament through the New Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus is no longer a glimpse because He had finally come. Because of Him, we have hope. May we never get tired or lose our sense of awe when we consider the gift of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
Moving toward action
Take some time today to go on a walk. Remove any distractions as you walk, embracing silence. As you walk, marvel in God's creation. Marvel in His goodness to humanity when He sent Jesus to save us. As you walk, be sure to tell Him that He is good and praise Him for what He has done.
Going deeper
Read John 1:1-18(NLT)
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