EXPLORE IT! - John 1:1-18

The Gospel of John begins with a Hymn to the Logos, or Word which identifies Jesus as the Logos and the Logos as divine. 

It is an introduction to the Gospel as a whole, stating that the Logos is "God" and acts as the mouthpiece (Word) of God "made flesh", i.e. sent to the world in order to be able to intercede for humans and forgive their sins. 

This portion of John's gospel is of central significance to the development of the Christian doctrine of Incarnation. 

Comparisons can easily be drawn from this part to Genesis 1 where the same phrase In the beginning first occurs along with the emphasis on the difference between the darkness (such as the earth was formless and void, Genesis 1:2) vs light (the ability to see things not understood/hidden by the darkness, John 1:5). 

The summation of this comparison occurs in the statement, the law was given through Moses... grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). 

Here John successfully bridges the gap for the reader – including Jewish readers well-versed in the Torah – from the Law to the One who would fulfill the Law (such as the requirement of animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins), Jesus. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

-- John 1:1-5, 14