John 1:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

NIV: For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

NASB: For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

CSB: for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

NLT: For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

KJV: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

NKJV: For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

This explains an important difference between the ministries of Moses and Jesus. Moses' ministry brought knowledge of the law. But the law could only show us how sinful and broken we were (Romans 3:20). It was never intended as the final means of our salvation (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Hebrews 9:24).

Rather than only bringing truth, Jesus also brought us grace. Instead of simply telling us we were broken, Christ gave us a way to fix what was wrong. This is an important, common theme of the Bible. Human efforts will always fall short, and everyone is corrupted with sin (Romans 3:23). Instead of leaving us to face that uncomfortable truth alone, Jesus provided a way for us to experience forgiveness (Hebrews 4:15–16). Merely doing good deeds can never save us, only God's grace, through faith, can do that (Titus 3:5; Romans 11:6).

This is further represented using miracles. In the first plague against Egypt, Moses turned water into blood, which is symbolic of judgment (Exodus 7:20). Later, only those homes which had the blood of a lamb on their doors were "passed over" by God's wrath (Exodus 12:26–28). Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine—symbolic of blood—as a gracious gift (John 2:7–11). Only those who accept Christ's sacrifice of blood are spared from the judgment we all deserve (1 John 1:7; John 3:36).

John 1:1–18 is a poetic introduction of Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to using the Greek word logos, meaning "the Word." This passage clearly describes Jesus as God, and co-creator with God the Father. These verses summarize Jesus' ministry and mission on Earth. The passage also explains how John the Baptist—a different John from the author of this gospel—was sent ahead of Christ to prepare for His arrival.

The first chapter of John introduces Jesus as "the Word," from the Greek logos. This chapter clearly describes Jesus as God. After this prologue, the chapter describes Jesus recruiting the first of His disciples, as well as a conversation between John the Baptist and the Pharisees. There are seven names or titles for Christ in this chapter, including "the Son of God," "the Word," and "the King of Israel."

The first chapter of the gospel of John equates Christ with God and introduces John the Baptist. The Baptist specifically points to Jesus as the Promised One. Jesus collects the first five of His disciples. In this chapter, Jesus is given seven descriptive names, including "the Word," "the Son of God," and "the King of Israel." This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the gospel, by giving the reader a sense of who Jesus truly is, and why He has come. The rest of the gospel is an exploration of the claims made in this initial passage.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.