The Word Becomes Flesh: John 1:1-18 Explained

Scriptures for Today

John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2 The same was in the beginning with God.  3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.  11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.  16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.  17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.  18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Introduction — The Greatest Introduction Ever Written

Every book begins somewhere. Genesis begins with creation. Matthew begins with a genealogy. Luke begins with eyewitnesses and a priest in the temple. But John begins before time began.

He doesn’t start with Bethlehem, Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, or kings. He starts in eternity with the Word of God! The Gospel of John is one of my absolute favorite books and it makes me very happy to read it over and over again. I was saved with the words written by the Apostle John in 1 John through the Holy Ghost.

John begins by lifting Jesus Christ infinitely above every other person, prophet, or teacher. And make sure you heard me. John lifts up Jesus INFINITELY above anyone else. This book doesn’t show us a baby in a manger — but God in the flesh. And I’ll say that again: God Himself IN the flesh.

These 18 verses that we study today are not just an introduction. They are a revelation. A declaration. A proclamation of Christ’s deity, power, grace, and glory.

This passage declares one truth: Jesus is God. Jesus became flesh. Jesus brings grace and truth. Jesus reveals the Father. Let’s walk through it verse by verse.

Verses 1–3 — The Word Is Eternal, Personal, and Fully God

John 1:1–3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This is one of the strongest declarations in the Bible:

• Jesus is eternal — “In the beginning WAS the Word.”
• Jesus is distinct from the Father — “the Word was WITH God.”
• Jesus is fully God — “the Word WAS God.”
• Jesus is Creator — “All things were made by Him.”

John does not ease into this. He doesn’t build up gradually. He starts with a theological explosion. Think about that right there. There is no easing gradually into this book. This just hits you hard like an explosion right there at the beginning of the book.

You cannot lower Jesus. You cannot demote Jesus. You cannot treat Him as a mere man when Scripture says: He is the eternal God who made everything. The Word was God. All things were made by Him. And yet, people out there who claim to be Christian, such as Jehovah Witness and the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), will say that Jesus is not God.

So, look, if you can read those 3 verses right there and slither out of them by saying that doesn’t mean Jesus is God, then you are greatly deceived by the that slippery serpent Satan.

Verses 4–5 — The Light That Darkness Cannot Overcome

John 1:4–5
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Jesus is not just alive — He is life. That light or life within us is Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. He lights us up with the spirit of life. He gave us the life we live right now. Thank God! I’m happy to be alive and to be here with you right now.

Jesus does not just shine — He is the Light.

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Darkness can’t stop Him. Darkness can’t contain Him. Darkness can’t overcome Him.

The world may reject Christ, but it cannot extinguish Him. Every time light shines, darkness must retreat. And it will retreat. Jesus overpowers everything. The darkness cannot comprehend Jesus Christ. Jesus leads the way. The only way we can truly see is by the light of Jesus Christ.

Verses 6–9 — John the Baptist: The Witness to the Light

John 1:6–9
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John was not the Light — he was the pointer to the Light. Many thought John the Baptist might be the Messiah. They thought he might be the Savior. But he was not. He was sent from God, though. John the Baptist was there to be a witness, to bear witness of the Light.

So we aren’t talking about the apostle John here that wrote this book. The apostle John is speaking of John the Baptist – two different people.

John the Baptist’s job was to prepare Israel for Jesus.

Every preacher’s job is the same: Not to draw attention to ourselves, but to point people to Christ — the true Light that shines to every soul. And that’s huge as many preachers in Baptist churches have lost the way on that. They love to be lifted up and worshipped. That wasn’t John the Baptist.

We are here to bear witness of THAT LIGHT so that all men THROUGH THAT LIGHT might believe. We are not that Light. John the Baptist was not that Light. Jesus is the only one who lights every man that comes into this world. We didn’t do that. We don’t give life. So we point to the one who does – Jesus Christ.

Verses 10–11 — The Creator Came Home and Was Rejected

John 1:10–11
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Imagine the grief of this verse:

• The Maker stepped into His own creation.
• The Author stepped into His own story.
• The God of Israel came to His own people, Israel.

And they rejected Him. The world did not recognize Him. His own people did not receive Him. Rejection does not mean Jesus failed — it means man’s heart is blind without the grace of God.

Imagine coming unto your own people and they won’t receive you. They are the ones who put him on the cross. Their own King – the King of the Jews. Imagine killing you own King. Imagine killing the Savior of the world. Imagine a preacher getting up and telling you what you’ve done.

Acts 2:37
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Imagine you didn’t know. And you put this innocent man, God in the flesh, to death. Pricked in the heart. That hurts. I remember when I got saved. I looked closely at 1 John 5:10. I remember that feeling of being pricked in the heart. I was doing the same thing as those Jews who killed Jesus. I wasn’t trusting the words of Jesus.

1 John 5:10-11
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I was making my Creator out to be a liar because I believed sin would cause me to lose everlasting life. And I thought, “Hey, that’s the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to call God a liar.”

Verses 12–13 — The Promise to Every Believer

John 1:12–13
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

This is the gospel: Those who receive Him and those who believe on His name become the sons of God. Change your mind about Jesus and receive Him. Don’t reject Him. Don’t call Him a liar. Don’t spit in His face. Receive Him.

Not by works. Not by behavior. Not by heritage. Not by turning from sin. But by faith alone — by being born of God. Not born of man.

You are a child of God because He saved you, not because you proved yourself. Simply receive Jesus Christ by believing IN Him. Not by the will of the flesh. Not of our works. Not by our own will. But only by the WILL OF GOD.

Verse 14 — The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

This is one of the greatest statements in Scripture:

God became man. The eternal Word became flesh. Deity wrapped Himself in humanity. Think about that. Somehow this great, great miracle was done by God. And God was able somehow to come in this sinful flesh without the flesh exploding.

He “dwelt” among us — meaning He tabernacled, pitched His tent among human beings. And what did they behold? Glory. Grace. Truth.

He is Glory incarnate or the visible majesty of God in human flesh. He is Grace incarnate or God’s mercy and love walking among us. He is Truth incarnate or the perfect revelation of God’s reality made human. He God in human flesh – a walking and talking miracle.

This is the miracle of the incarnation: God became touchable, knowable, visible, killable, and risen again. God allowed all of this to happen.

Verses 15–17 — Grace Upon Grace

John 1:15–17
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John testifies again: Jesus came after him, yet existed before him — because Jesus is eternal. How can all the cults out there deny all the instances in the Bible that tell you Jesus is God? Jesus is eternal.

Then comes the beautiful phrase: grace for grace — meaning:

• grace stacked on grace
• wave after wave of grace
• limitless grace flowing from Christ

Moses gave the law — a mirror to show our sin. Jesus brought grace and truth — salvation, forgiveness, and life. That’s we preach. We preach Jesus Christ. We don’t preach the law to be saved.

Verse 18 — Jesus Reveals the Invisible God

John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. If you want to know God — look at Jesus. If you want to hear God — listen to Jesus. If you want to understand God’s heart — study Jesus. No man has seen God the Father or the Holy Spirit but God made it possible for Him to be seen through Jesus Christ. Jesus is declaring the Father by being God in the flesh.

He “declared” God — revealed, explained, demonstrated, and embodied Him perfectly. Jesus is in the image of His Father. Jesus says in John 14: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” He isn’t God the Father, but He is the express image or exact imprint or the perfect representation of God the Father. Amazing.

If you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen the Father. They are so exact that it’s hard to separate them into different persons, but the Bible does this. Jesus is not the Father. He is the Son of God. He is a different person.

Application — What John 1 Teaches Us Today

1. Jesus is eternal — so He is unchanging. Your world may shift, but your Savior never does. He says in the Bible, “I change not.”

2. Jesus is Creator — your life is not an accident. You were made intentionally, purposefully, personally.

3. Jesus is Light — and darkness can’t stop Him. Not sin. Not fear. Not the world. Not Satan. Not unbelief. Nothing can stop Jesus Christ. He has all power.

4. Jesus came unto His own — and still receives all who believe. No matter your past, your failures, your doubts — if you believe on His name, He makes you His child.

5. The Word became flesh — God drew near on purpose. He knows your pain. He understands your weakness. He sympathizes with your struggle.

6. Grace and truth came by Jesus — both are necessary. Grace without truth is compromise. Truth without grace is cruelty. Jesus is perfectly both. He is grace and truth.

Closing — Behold His Glory

John 1 invites us to look at Jesus and see: the eternal Word, the true Light, the Creator, the Son of God, the Giver of grace, the Revealer of the Father, the God who became flesh. This is the Jesus we preach. This is the Jesus who saves. This is the Jesus who is full of grace and truth.

Let’s behold His glory. Let’s trust His Word. Let’s walk in His light. And we have to understand what that means. Read the Scriptures. If you want to get to know Jesus, and you do, search the Scriptures. You’ll find the truth.

John 5:39
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Let’s pray.