The Word was first, the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
There once was a man, his name John [John the Baptizer], sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life he brings into Light.
John 1: 1-9 THE MESSAGE (MSG)
She [Mary] will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)
Sin always kills things!
For the wages of sin is death, …
Romans 6:23a (NIV)
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NIV)