John 1:1-18
The Word Became Flesh
Read the passage
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
4In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.
7He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
8He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
11He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—
13children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
16From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
“In the beginning” takes us back to the opening of Genesis. But John tells us that the Word was already there: with God, and Himself God. Everything that came into existence was made through Him. Jesus does not belong on the list of created things. The life and light we need come from Him.
Then John says something astonishing: this Word became flesh and lived among us. He did not cease to be God when He became human. In Jesus, the Son truly entered our life, and His glory was seen in grace and truth. John the Baptist was sent to bear witness to Him; the witness himself was not the Light.
The world was made through Him, yet it did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. This rejection runs through John's opening, but it does not have the final word: the darkness has not overcome the Light, and Jesus gives those who receive Him the right to become God's children.
Becoming God's child is more than adopting a set of good habits. John describes receiving Jesus and believing in His name, and he traces this new birth to God. Our family history cannot give it to us, and our determination cannot produce it. We depend on God's grace for a life we could not give ourselves.
The passage ends where our knowledge of God begins: the Son makes the unseen Father known. We do not have to invent a picture of what God is like or wonder whether His grace is merely a hopeful idea. John directs us to Jesus Christ, from whose fullness His people receive grace upon grace.
Questions
1 What does John say existed before creation began?
AnswerThe Word already existed. He was with God and was God, and everything that was made came into being through Him.
2 What does it mean that the Word became flesh and lived among us?
AnswerThe eternal Son became truly human without ceasing to be God. Jesus lived among people and made the Father's glory, grace, and truth known in His own life.
3 Why does John connect the Word's life with light for humanity?
AnswerJohn says the Word's life was the light of humanity because the Word gives life and that life reveals God to people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
4 How does John say people become children of God?
AnswerThose who receive Jesus and believe in His name are given that right. Their new birth comes from God, not their ancestry or human will.
What This Means for Us
No one in our household can inherit faith simply by sharing a last name or attending church. Each of us needs the Son whom John introduces. We can ask God to help us receive Him with trust rather than treating familiarity with Bible stories as the same thing as knowing Him.
When we want to know what God is like, we can return to what Jesus says and does. His coming among us gives us reason to approach Him, including when our own failure makes us want to hide.
Prayer
God of life and truth, help our household receive the Word who became flesh. Give us honest hearts, patient attention, and courage to walk in the light. Help us receive your mercy and show it in the way we speak and serve. Amen.