This is a key moment in this story. The beginning of John 1 explained that the Lord is perfect, infinite love which gave itself expression as divine truth. The duality of love and expression formed a template for humanity, which meant that the Lord’s duality made him the ultimate, divine human. It showed that the divine truth was the power of creation, and that the Lord shared that truth with humanity from the outset, so that people could receive His love and return it. But people kept turning away, and the Lord had to keep expressing his love in more and more external forms to maintain a connection.

By mentioning John the Baptist, the chapter showed that the Jews of the time still had the truth – the Lord’s Word – contained inside the rough-hewn images of the Old Testament. But they were so steeped in evil loves and false thinking that the connection to the Word – to the love within the Old Testament – was about to be snipped forever.

So the Word became flesh. The Lord passed the full expression of His love and His full humanity into physical flesh as Jesus. That way He could once again show the life within the existing Scriptures and could make His own life and His own words part of an expanded expression of truth for a new age of humanity. People could no longer see and feel the Lord’s love through the Old Testament, but they could see and feel it in the face and hands and words of Jesus.

The "glory" here expresses the blinding brilliance of that truth. The "Father" represents the Lord’s actual love itself, and being "begotten" means that the love was expressed in the form of truth. Being full of "truth" has a pretty obvious meaning, but "grace" means an affection, a love for what is true.

The Lord had to come. He had to let His humanity flow down into the flesh, into the most external of forms, because that was the only way we were going to see and embrace it.

(References: A Brief Explanation of the Teachings of the New Church 117; The Apocalypse Explained 1069 [3]; The Word 20; True Christian Religion 3, 85)

85. (ii) JEHOVAH GOD CAME DOWN AS THE DIVINE TRUTH, WHICH IS THE WORD, YET HE DID NOT SEPARATE THE DIVINE GOOD FROM IT.

There are two factors which make up the essence of God, the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, or, what is the same thing, the Divine Good and the Divine Truth. This dual essence of God was proved above (36-48). The same pair is meant in the Word by Jehovah God; Jehovah means the Divine Love or the Divine Good, God the Divine Wisdom or the Divine Truth. Hence these terms are distinguished in various ways in the Word; at one point only Jehovah is named, at another only God. Where the subject is the Divine Good, the name Jehovah is used, where it is the Divine Truth, God; and where both are meant, He is called Jehovah God. It is evident from John that Jehovah God came down as the Divine Truth, which is the Word:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, John 1:1, 3, 14.

The reason why the Word there means the Divine Truth is that the Word possessed by the church is Divine Truth itself, for it was dictated by Jehovah Himself, and what Jehovah dictates is pure Divine Truth and could not be anything else.

[2] But because the Word passed through the heavens in its descent to the world, it was made suitable for angels in heaven, and for men in the world. So the Word contains a spiritual sense, in which the Divine Truth is illuminated, and a natural sense, in which the Divine Truth is in shadow. So what is meant in John is the Divine Truth in this Word. This is also plain from the Lord's coming into the world to fulfil everything in the Word. This is why we read so many times that this or that happened to Him 'that the scripture might be fulfilled.' Nothing but the Divine Truth too is meant by 'the Messiah' or 'Christ', or by 'the Son of Man', or by 'the Holy Spirit the Comforter', which the Lord sent after He left the world. In His transfiguration before the three disciples on the mountain (Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9), and before John in Revelation (Revelation 1:12-16), He represented Himself as that Word, as will be seen in the chapter on the Holy Scripture [222].

[3] It is plain from the Lord's words that in the world He was the Divine Truth:

I am the way, truth and life, John 14:6.

and:

We know that the Son of God came and gave us understanding so that we might know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and everlasting life. 1 John 5:20.

This is also shown by His being called 'light', as in these passages, among others:

He was the true light which illuminates every man coming into the world, John 1:4, 9.

Jesus said, For a short while yet the light is with you. Walk so long as you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. So long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may be sons of light, John 12:35-36, 46.

I am the light of the world, John 9:5.

Simeon said, My eyes have seen your salvation, a light to be a revelation to the nations, Luke 2:30-32.

This is the judgment, that the light came into the world; he who does the truth, comes to the light, John 3:19-21.

Light means the Divine Truth.