And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.—John 1:14-18
Father…You must increase and I must decrease! As I sit here this morning reading Your word, my heart has been overcome several times with the knowledge of Your goodness and greatness and my own utter unworthiness. And yet…You have shone on me the light of Your countenance, have accepted me in Your Beloved Son, call me Your daughter and have given me Your precious Spirit. Because You are at my right hand I will not be moved. I stand justified before You, enveloped in the righteousness of Your Son…eternal life is mine.
Uphold my steps in Your paths, and keep my footsteps from slipping. Show me Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye and hide me under the shadow of Your wings.
Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You. You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines truly have fallen to me in pleasant places. My flesh can rest in hope because my inheritance in You is secure. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices! You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy and at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Beloved…For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ…and of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace.
Here are the verses above from the Amplified Bible…
And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). John testified [repeatedly] about Him and has cried out [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.'" For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].
