In the Beginning Was the Word
Before Bethlehem, before the wilderness, before all things — the gospel was preached through the Son, the Word who was with God and was God. The Light that made every living thing came into the world, and the world knew him not.
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The reading is the Restoration Edition — the Joseph Smith Translation reading — carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the RE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
1In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made which was made. 4In him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the Light of men. 5And the Light shines in the world, and the world perceives it not.
6There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7The same came into the world for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, to bear record of the gospel through the Son unto all, that through him men might believe. 8He was not that Light, but came to bear witness of that Light, 9which was the true Light who lights every man who comes into the world,
10even the Son of God, he who was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God — only to them who believe on his name. 13He was born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the same Word was made flesh and dwelled among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John bare witness of him and cried, saying, This is he of whom I spake: He who comes after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. For in the beginning was the Word, even the Son, who is made flesh and sent unto us by the will of the Father. And as many as believe on his name shall receive of his fullness. 16And of his fullness have we all received, even immortality and eternal life through his grace. 17For the law was given through Moses, but life and truth came through Jesus Christ. For the law was after a carnal commandment, to the administration of death, but the gospel was after the power of an endless life through Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. 18And no man has seen God at any time, except he has borne record of the Son, for except it is through him, no man can be saved.
1In the Highest Council of Heaven there was One who spoke out. And the One who spoke out was among the Gods, and He was a God. 2He was in the Council of the Gods, 3and the creation of the cosmos was organized through Him. And without Him does not exist one thing that has come into existence in the cosmos. 4In Him was the power of life, and this power was conveyed into the cosmos as the Light in men and every thing. 5The Light shone in the chaos, and those in darkness have not been able to grasp it.
6There was a man sent from God, and his name was John. 7This man was sent as a witness so that he might testify and identify the Light, to give everyone a reason to believe through the Messiah. 8He, John, was not the Light, but he was sent by Heaven as a witness to testify of the Light, and to end the dispensation of Moses, and baptize to begin a new dispensation. 9The Light enlightens every man who is progressing upward in the cosmos.
10The Messenger of the Heavenly Council was in the cosmos, and the cosmos existed through Him, and the cosmos had not acquired His knowledge. 11He came into His own creation, but those there were unable to understand Him. 12As many as perceived the Light in Him, to them He gave knowledge to enable them to follow the path to become like Him, begotten children in the family of the Most High God. This is only possible for those who believe through His name. 13Those who believe through His name are no longer born of blood to follow the appetites of flesh, nor the ambitions of man, but are able to become, like Him, the offspring of God. 14This one who was Spokesman from the Heavenly Council was made flesh, and He temporarily cast His tent among us, and we could see His knowledge of the path to ascend in light and truth; he was a member of the Family of God, full of the power to ascend and able to display truth to others.
15John bore witness of him, and proclaimed, This is He of whom I testified; He who would be born after me has advanced in progression above me. He has advanced in progression far beyond everyone else in this sphere. For in the Council of Heaven was the Spokesman, even God’s Heir, who is born into the flesh and sent to us to fulfill the will of the Father. And as many as obtain authority in His name shall gain the right to ascend to Heaven. 16We who have witnessed His fullness comprehend what Eternal life means through Him revealing the pathway of ascension to the Throne of God. 17For the law was given through Moses, but life and truth come through Jesus the Messiah. The law gave carnal instructions, but led only to condemnation and death. The gospel is to empower endless life, through Jesus the Messiah, the Only Begotten Son, who is a manifestation of the love of the Father. 18No man has seen the Father without hearing Him testify of the Son, for only through Him is any soul saved.
John Saw and Bore Record
The Fulness of John’s Record
Teachings & Commandments 93:6–14 (D&C 93:6–14) · 6 May 1833 · scriptures.info ↗A revelation given to Joseph Smith preserves what it calls “the fulness of John’s record” — the same opening the fourth gospel sets down: the Word who was in the beginning, the Light and the life of men by whom all things were made; the Only Begotten, full of grace and truth; and the fulness received “not at the first,” but “from grace to grace.”
John saw and bore record of the fullness of my glory, and the fullness of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed. And he bore record saying, I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was. Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the Messenger of Salvation, the Light and the Redeemer of the world, the Spirit of Truth, who came into the world because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. The worlds were made by him. Men were made by him. All things were made by him, and through him, and of him.
And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of Truth which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. And I, John, saw that he received not of the fullness at the first, but received grace for grace; and he received not of the fullness at first, but continued from grace to grace until he received a fullness, and thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fullness at the first.
- The King James opens "In the beginning was the Word"; the Restoration opens "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son." What changes when you learn that the gospel itself — the way back to God — was there from the beginning?
- In the King James, verse 13 describes those who are "born… of God." The Restoration reads "He was born… of God," speaking of Christ himself. How does that one change move the verse from being about us to being about him?
- "The Light shines in the world, and the world perceives it not." Where is the Light going unrecognized — around you, or in you — and what would it cost to perceive it?