John 1:14
About this verseThe eternal Word became a human being and lived among us, and those who saw him saw God's glory, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1
John opens his Gospel by declaring that the Word already existed at the beginning, was with God, and was himself God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
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What John 1:1 means
John opens his gospel by echoing the first words of Genesis, then reaching further back. Before the beginning there was already the Word — present, distinct from God, and himself God.
The claim is deliberately paradoxical and John does not soften it. Thirteen verses later he identifies this Word as the one who became flesh and lived among us. Memorising it fixes the starting point of the whole gospel: the one who walked Galilee was not a later addition to the story.
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Questions about John 1:1
What does John 1:1 mean?
It states that the Word existed before creation, was in relationship with God, and was himself God — establishing Jesus’ eternal existence and deity at the gospel’s very first line.
Who is ‘the Word’ in John 1:1?
Jesus. John makes the identification explicit in verse 14, where the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us.