(43.03a)
For this week’s study:
- Any time you read or study the Bible, always start with prayer, asking God to guide you, so you understand God’s message and learn His methods for living.
- Read John 1:14-18 several times using your Bible, and the two translations provided below, to understand the boundaries, content and flow of the passage.
- Then, explore the “Study Guide” and “Study Resources” provided below.
Read the Passage
Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)
The Word Became Flesh
(Psalms 84:1–12)
<14>The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.1 We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son2 from the Father, full of grace and truth.
<15>John 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.’ ”
<16>From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. <17>For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. <18>No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and3 is at the Father’s side,4 has made Him known.
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*
<14>All this leads up to the most dramatic event in the whole of history. The Word of God, Jesus Christ, took on a real human body. He was fully God and fully man. He chose to make his home among us. We—and I include myself here—have gazed in wonder on his radiant glory as the unique Son of the Father. His life was filled with love for those who do not deserve his love. He is the reality underlying all things.
The new era of grace and truth has come in Jesus
<15>John gave evidence of these truths about Jesus. He declared, ‘This was the Person I was talking about when I said, “He who comes after me is far greater than me, because he existed long before I was born.” ’ <16>We have all constantly received the ever-fresh full resources of his love. Such love is like a never-ending stream: it keeps on flowing. We simply don’t deserve such love!
<17>Let’s stand back and put all this in the range of human history. The law, which showed us right and wrong, was given in the old era through Moses. That era paved the way for the new era of grace and truth that has come in Jesus Christ, who met all the demands of the law. He gets to the root of what is wrong in our lives and helps us, showing us the real way to live.
<18>God himself cannot be seen by anyone. However, Jesus, God’s unique Son—who is fully God and is in the closest possible relationship with his Father—has made him perfectly clear to us.
* Words in italics are not translated from the original Greek text. They have been added to explain and at times apply the text, much as a preacher does on a Sunday or notes do at the foot of the page in a study Bible. These additions are integrated with the text itself, and are in italics, so readers can see what has been explained, changed or added.
Study the Passage
Study Guide
► What is the significance of the Word becoming flesh?
► What is the significance that Jesus, the Son, is at God, the Father’s side?
► Verse 18 says Jesus made God the Father known to us. Based on your studies in the Bible, or experience following Jesus, what have you learned about God the Father from Jesus?
Study Resources
To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/1/John-1-14.html. Read the commentary of each verse in the study passage. (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)
If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.
If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage.
Thessalonian Faith 