John 1:1–28

The Word Became Human

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

³All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. ⁴Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not understood it.

⁶A man came who was sent from God. His name was John. ⁷He came to give witness about that light. He gave witness so that all people could believe.

⁸John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light. ⁹The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

¹⁰The Word was in the world that was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. ¹¹He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him.

¹²Some people did accept him. They believed in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. ¹³To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.

¹⁴The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the one and only Son.

He came from the Father. And he was full of grace and truth.

¹⁵John gives witness about him. He cries out and says, “This was the one I was talking about. I said, ‘He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’ ”

¹⁶We have all received one blessing after another. God’s grace is not limited. ¹⁷Moses gave us the law. Jesus Christ has given us grace and truth.

¹⁸No one has ever seen God. But God, the one and only Son, is at the Father’s side. He has shown us what God is like.

John the Baptist Is Not the Christ

¹⁹The Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John who he was. John gave witness to them. ²⁰He did not try to hide the truth. He spoke to them openly. He said, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet we’ve been expecting?” they asked.

“No,” he answered.

²²They asked one last time, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³John replied, using the words of Isaiah the prophet. John said, “I’m the messenger who is calling out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight.’ ”

²⁴Some Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵asked him, “If you are not the Christ, why are you baptizing people? Why are you doing that if you aren’t Elijah or the Prophet we’ve been expecting?”

²⁶“I baptize people with water,” John replied. “But One is standing among you whom you do not know. ²⁷He is the One who comes after me. I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”

²⁸This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.