John 1:1-18 – A Paraphrase

One of the most helpful kinds of Biblical commentary are biblical paraphrases. If you read New Living Translation or other similar translations, then you are really reading an interpretive paraphrase of the Bible. The paraphraser makes explicit his or her interpretation of the text. But this is really a commentary. It makes interpretive decisions for you. 

For my devotional study of the Scripture, I will be writing paraphrases of the Bible that accord with my interpretation of the Bible. My goal is to sharpen my understanding of God’s word and help people to understand what the Bible says. Yet I am only providing a paraphrase. Read the Bible for yourself and see if my paraphrase matches the context and meaning of the passage that I translate. 

I start this series with John’s Gospel. Leave a comment and tell me what you think! 

The Christian Creation Account: A Retelling of Genesis 1

In the beginning was the Word,
and the word was with God.
And God was the Word.
He was in the beginning with God. (vv. 1-2)

Everything came into being
through him, and,
apart from him,
not one thing came into being. (v. 3)

In him
is life,
and this life is
the light of humanity. (v. 4)

And the light shines
in the darkness,
and the darkness
does not overtake the light (v. 5).

Let There Be Light

[6] A man came into being who was sent from God. His name was John. [7] He came as a witness so that he might bear witness concerning the light, in order that all people might believe through him. [8] He was not the light instead he came in order to bear witness concerning the light.

[9] He was the true light, who enlightens every person—he who came into the world. [10] In the world was he, and the world came into being through him. Yet the world did not know him. [11] To his own, he came, yet his own did not embrace him.

And He Recreated Mankind as Children of God

[12] Now to all who received him—to whose who are trusting in his name, he gave them authority to become children of God. [13] They are not children from blood, nor children from the will of the flesh, nor children from the will of a man. Instead, they are children born from God.

God’s Only-Begotten Son Assumes Flesh

[14] And the Word became flesh, and he tabernacled among us. And we beheld his glory, glory as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. [15] John bears witness concerning him and has cried out, saying: “This one was whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is before me because he existed first.'” [16] For from his fullness we all received grace in place of grace [17] because the Torah was given through Moses, while grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah. [18] No one has even seen God at any time. The only-begotten of God who lays on the Father’s chest—he has made God known.