John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
World English Bible (WEB)
On John 1:1: the meaning of "In the beginning was the Word," its place at the opening of John's Gospel and why it is seen as an introduction to the identity of Jesus.
John 1:1 is the first sentence of John's Gospel and it sets the tone for the whole book. With the words "in the beginning" it deliberately echoes the Bible's very first sentence — the account of creation.
The verse introduces Jesus not with a life story but with a title: "the Word." This image lays the background for everything the later chapters will tell; it raises the question of who Jesus is in the very first line.
You can move to the chapter below to see how the opening unfolds toward the line "the Word became flesh." Related collections on Jesus and salvation bridge to other verses that deal with the same identity.