The Word came into the world as a man
1 In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God. The Word was God. 2 He was with God from the beginning. 3 God made all things through the Word. God did not make anything without him. 4 It is the Word who caused everything to live. Because of this, he has brought light to all people. 5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark cannot put out the light.
1:1Jesus Christ is the Word of God. God shows himself to us in Jesus. Jesus is like God's message to us. God speaks to us in a way that we can understand, because Jesus lived as a man in this world.
1:5In the Bible, when people do not know the truth about God, it is like they are living in a dark place. The Word (God's Son, Jesus) is like light. He shows us what is true. God's light shines in the dark places and nothing can stop that light. Jesus said that he himself was the light of the world. See John 8:12; 9:5. 6 God sent a man to bring his message. His name was John. 7 He came to tell people about the light. God wanted everyone to believe in the one who is the light. 8 John himself was not that light. God sent him to tell people about the light. 9 The true light gives light to every person. That light was now coming into the world.
1:6This was John the Baptist. He was not the man called John who wrote this book.
10 The Word was now in the world. God had made the world through him. But the people in the world did not know who he was. 11 He came to his own place, but his own people did not accept him. 12 But some people did accept him and they believed in him. He gave authority to those people to become God's children. 13 They did not become God's children in the usual human way. They were not born because some people wanted to have children. They were not born because of what any man decided. No! They were born from God.
14 The Word became human. He lived among us. We saw his great glory. He has the glory of the Father's one true Son. He is full of God's grace and his truth.
