Christ is the true light
From the inescapable witness of the visible creation,
bringing light to all mankind, we are introduced to a human witness, no less a
person than John, whom Jesus described as among “the greatest born of women.”
6 “There was a man sent from God whose name was
John. 7 The same came for a
witness to bear witness to the light, that all through Him may believe. 8
He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness to the light.” All light of men is but reflected light from
the One who is the Light. Nevertheless
it pleases God to send men as a witness.
John’s message was Christ, and Christ alone as the true light of God. God is still sending men as a witness to
Himself. Attention is drawn to his name;
John means “Jehovah is gracious”, and John was sent with a message of grace, as
many are sent today with the same message, that God is prepared to forgive sins
on repentance. His mission was that all
might believe, no one was left out, simple faith in Christ was all that was
required. Here is the picture; A world
in darkness…a man sent…a message of grace!
Light from creation and light from the creature. What grace!
9 “That was the true light which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world. 10 He
was in the world, and the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. 11
He came unto his own and his own
received him not, 12 but as many as received Him, to them gave He power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name; 13
which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.”
The light of the world(the knowledge of God) is not in
a doctrine or creed or religion but in a glorious person. Christ is the true light, the real thing, the
genuine light(revelation) of God.
EVERYTHING
ELSE IS DARKNESS!
The bible defines what is true and what is false, and
this is a major bible topic and a favourite with John.
Luke
16v11 the true riches; John 1v9 with 1st John 2v8 the true light; John
4v23 the true worshippers; John 6v32 the true bread; John 15v1 the true vine; John 17v3 with 1st Thessalonians 1v9
and 1st John 5v20 the true God; Hebrews 8v2 the true tabernacle; 1st
Peter 5v12 the true grace of God; Revelation 3v 14 the true witness.
Thayer’s
Dictionary defines this important word alethinos as follows:
a)
The opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary,
simulated, or pretended.
b) The contrast
between realities and semblances.
c) The opposite to
what is imperfect, defective, frail, and uncertain.
In
Revelation 19v11, describing the Coming of Christ to the world, He is called
Faithful and True. In a world full of
falsehood and deceit and fakery, Christ is The Truth.
EVERYTHING ELSE
IS FALSE!
All
other doctrines, philosophies, counsels, precepts, that do not have their
origin in Christ, are just spiritual and moral darkness. He alone is the truth, the light of all
mankind. People speak of THE REAL WORLD,
using phrases like “Get real”, and the like.
The real world, as men call it, is fake, because it is transient, and
will not last. The real world is not the
material world for “the things which are unseen are eternal”-2nd
Corinthians 4v18.
The
construction of v9 is uncertain, scholars being divided between whether the
“coming into the world” refers to the incarnation , or the birth of every
man. The reality is that both are true,
and can be supported from scripture. The
former view is feasible from 1st John 2v8, where in the context of
the incarnation John says “…the true light now shineth”. However the latter seems more likely from the
volume of scriptures that say “He is a light to lighten the Gentiles”-Psalm 43v3
and Daniel 2v22 are accorded to Messiah as the light of God; other scriptures
are Psalm 98v2-3, Isaiah 9v1-2, 42v6, 49v6, 52v10, 60v3. There is no doubt that He is the light of the
world, meaning of every one who is born.
Men may choose to ignore that light but He is nevertheless the true
light.
10
He was in the world…this is historical
fact. All of human history is divided by
BC and AD. Denial of the historical
Jesus is on a par with denial of the holocaust.
The
world was made by Him…this is Divine revelation. Paul in Colossians chapter 1 reveals that Christ
is the designer, the builder, the sustainer, and the intention of all creation.
The
world knew Him not…this is human ignorance.
Because He was indistinguishable from other humans, externally, He was considered
to be just another man, if a good man.
His claims evoked public rejection of Him, as was predicted-Isaiah 53v2-3;
Psalm 22v6
11
“He came unto His own(things)-the Jewish nation, the Land given to them
by Divine providence, the Priesthood, the Temple worship, the future Kingdom of
the world, all of which were His own things…
“His own(people) received Him not…this is Jewish rejection, a
fact which, in the main, persists until the present day. There was minimal acknowledgment at His birth;
there was large scale scepticism in His life; there was clamour for His
untimely death, one of their own, Peter, charging them with “…ye have taken and
by wicked hands have crucified and slain”-Acts 2v23; again in Acts 3v13-15
“…Jesus, whom ye delivered up and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he
was determined to let Him go. But ye
denied the Holy one and the Just, and
desired the murderer to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of Life,
whom God hath raised from the dead whereof we are witnesses.”
12
But…in scripture the “buts” are very important.
Despite rejection by the chosen people at large, and the consequent
ignorance of the world at large, God offers blessing to those who do receive
Him. Interesting that God does not
impose himself on the human race, even upon the chosen race, but offers to all
who will freely receive Him the ultimate blessing. God is not in the business
of coercion, but of persuasion, and offers a priceless status for simple faith
in Him.
“…as
many as received Him…individual responsibility. In the main, He was rejected, but for the few
who accepted Him, the rewards are great.
Entry into the family of God, he uses the diminutive term children, rather
than sons. John classes all believers as
children, little ones in the family of God, with God as their Father, under His
tender care and protection and provision.
In his 1st epistle, John uses this term when writing to
believers no less than 7 times-2v1; 2v12; 2v28; 3v7; 3v18; 4v4; 5v21. The particular word is “dear children”, and
could be rendered “little darlings”, speaking of God’s tender compassion and
care for all His own. This bestowal of
affection comes to all who simply “believe in His name”, not by any personal
merit.
13 These have been the recipients of new birth,
of new life, directly from God. This
came, not of any status, or achievement or association, as is the case in the
fallen world. People are accorded honour
by one or other of these things. Says
John:
Not of blood(plural) meaning bloodlines, not because of
what family tree you belong to, nor of any particular nation, nor of any
association with those of status. People
speak of good blood, blue blood, bad blood-the bible speaks of ONE BLOOD, Acts
17v26. Under God all men are from the
same source, there is no respecter of persons(faces) with God; He sees us all
the same needing new life, and gives it freely on believing faith in Him.
Nor of the will of the flesh
This new life cannot be gained by your own effort, it cannot be bought(it
is priceless); it cannot be earned(it is out of reach of humankind-as 4000
years of history has proved). This free
and gracious bestowal of God is beyond all human attainment.
Nor of the will of man No
one else can do it for you, will it for you, pray it for you. Not your father, or mother, or siblings, or
doctor, or preacher, or priest, or bishop, or pope, or church. The bible is clear “None(referring to those
who have the multitude of riches) can by any means redeem his brother, nor give
to God a ransom for Him(for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it
ceaseth for ever)”-Psalm 49v7.
But of God The
only source of new life is God, and is given directly to the believer from
Him. We cannot save ourselves, no one
else can save us, only God. New birth is
the life of God in a human soul. We must
have direct dealings with God! The initiative was God’s and we responded. “Of his own will He begat us that we should be
a kind of first fruits of his creatures-James 1v18; “Being born again, not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever”- 1st
Peter 1v23. All of God, nothing of man
involved. Receiving Jesus, believing on
his name (and all that he is) involves a supernatural, Divine act, implanting
new life within us, eternal life, true life that will never end.
There is no need for anyone to go on living in darkness! Just embrace the light and it will flood you with understanding.
Next The Lamb of God
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