1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was already with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
4 He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.
6 God sent a man named John to be his messenger. 7 John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message. 8 John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
9 The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him. 12 However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him. 13 These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire to have a child. They were born from God.
14 The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness and truth.
15 (John declared the truth about him when he said loudly, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’”)
16 Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is. 17 Laws were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
Read John 1:1-18 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In John’s introduction to his gospel, we learn an interesting truth about God and about Jesus. John opens his gospel using simple terms, but they share a very powerful and profound message.
In the opening verses of this introduction, John tells us: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was already with God in the beginning. Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him. He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.” (v. 1-4)
John describes the Word as being with God in the beginning, as bringing the world into existence, and as being the source of life in the world.
But John then shares a profound idea that we might miss if we are reading too quickly. This idea sets the stage for all of the gospels, and really for all of history: “The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.” (v. 5)
If the Bible has a theme verse, this would be a strong contender the top spot. While there are great verses about God’s love, this verse speaks not only about His love, but also His power, and it shares the ultimate conclusion: Darkness never overpowers light.
Darkness is the absence of light. It spreads easily and effortlessly when a light goes out. But darkness cannot put a light out. If a light is present anywhere, the light wins over the darkness every single time.
It is this truth that John applies to Jesus and His ministry: the dark spiritual forces of Satan are no match for the light that Jesus is. What Jesus did for us is a light that shines through history and it will never be extinguished, no matter what Satan tries. John draws us to the ultimate conclusion of history in this unassuming verse: No matter what it looks like today, when history ends, Jesus wins.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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