The Gospel of John | The Light Lives Among Us – John 1:1-18
Jesus is fully God who became man for the salvation of His people
From Genesis 1:1 (which John clearly is referencing in his opening prologue) we witness God creating life out of nothing. Yet, the perfection of paradise did not last with the introduction of sin and darkness. In a single moment of mutiny, God’s people corrupted the perfection of creation and corrupted the soul to stand against God. For some, it may be easy to think that the actions of God were nothing more than plan B in reaction to mankind’s choices. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1, ESV) John begins with an immediate assertion of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. John’s presentation of the Gospel, compared to the other three, delves in greater detail into the theological and Spiritual truths and sees the Spiritual realm and the physical realm on an intention collision course with one another for the sake of rescuing the people of God. Yet, at no point should one think that God remains hands off with His beloved creation. God remained present since the beginning of time and guides His beloved people towards a deeper understanding and greater revelation of the glory of God. The message of the Gospel is clear; Jesus has come into the world to save and redeem His people. He is the source of life being offered to all and His eternal victory will either be declared or realized by all.
Christ as the True Light
The imagery of light and darkness, common throughout the work of John, paints a clear picture of the spiritual battle at work. With the introduction of sin, darkness seems to reign supreme. Everyone and everything in all creation has felt the effect of sin and corruption. Yet, as Genesis tells us the story of sin’s introduction to the world, John makes it clear that the light of Christ never extinguished and resides with the people. As the true light comes into the world, the thrust of the wording describes Jesus taking residence among the people. The light lives in the midst of darkness to deal with the problem head on and bring life to those who bask in the light. Jesus is fully divine, coming from heaven. For the world that rejected Him and did not recognize Him, Jesus came to live among them and become one of them so that those in darkness might become free to live in the light. This light spoke creation into existence and even today calls people to rebirth into the newness of true life.
With Christ coming as the True Light, those who put their faith in Him are given the right to become Children of God. We have heard it said (or perhaps even said it ourselves) that we are all children of God. This, however, ignores the truth of scripture to smooth sounding lies. In truth, everyone is created in the image of God but not necessarily sons. A portion of the process of salvation (Ordus Salutis or Order of Salvation) involves our adoption. Once, we remained outside of the family of God. Through our unity with Christ, we are declared to be the sons of God, with all of the rights and privileges that accompany this. We gain the inheritance of the Kingdom through our rebirth of God that those who do not put their faith in Christ will never experience. It may sound kind to claim that all God’s creatures are children of God but to do so cheapens the sacrifice that Jesus makes on the cross.
Christ coming at the True Light seeks to rescue people from darkness. We all have become blind to the spiritual darkness in our lives and in the world. We may see the blatant evil all around us, but, in truth, the same darkness that motivates the most atrocious of acts resides in every one of us until God fully purifies us as righteous.
- What is the difference between Spiritual Light and Spiritual Darkness? What do each produce? Where do you see these on a daily basis?
The Incarnation of Christ
One of the fundamental and foundational theological truths of Jesus Christ comes in the incarnation. Simply put, the Incarnation describes the person of Jesus becoming flesh. It is the idea that God did not remain high and lofty unable to be approached, but instead chose to be with His people and take on the flesh and form of humanity. This is not to say that there has been no indication or evidence of God before Christ became flesh. Everything and all creation spoke to the person and nature of God being His creation. However, something fundamentally changed when the author of creation wove his presence into the story. Where people did not recognize Christ, He came to dwell among them.
While Jesus is fully divine, He is also fully man. He endured the same temptations we did yet without sin. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is vital to our understanding of God. It reveals that God desires to know and be known by us. It demonstrates the lengths that God will go to in order to bring the light of life to all mankind. Furthermore, its provides the perfect sacrifice as the propitiation (payment that satisfies the cost) of our sin. God is rightfully transcendent, or above and beyond our ability to approach Him and His holiness. However, by the incarnation, God’s immanence, or closeness to His people displays through the incarnation. He is both Holy and near by. Grace is the distance between God’s immanence and transcendence that we are permitted to travel by Jesus Christ.
- What does it say about God’s affection for us that He would take the form of man? Why did Jesus become man?
The Witness of John the Baptist
For everyone reading the Gospel and learning of Jesus Christ, whether it be for the first time or for the 100th time, two questions confront us all. First, how will we respond to the testimony of the light? Jesus came to His own people, created by His hand, reflecting His image and we sought to reject Him at the outset. The life offered by the true light does not mesh with the life offered by the darkness. The two are wholly incompatible with one another. Light and dark cannot peacefully coexist and one must depart for the other to survive. We have the choice to fully identity as children of God and turn our backs on our former lives or embrace the consequences of living in darkness.
Second, how will we respond? John the Baptist (not the author of this Gospel but another John) came as a witness to the light. While he was not the light itself, the light shown through him as he testified to the presence and effect of God. It became the naturally outpouring out of God, who could not be contained within John. His encounter with the True Light and the revelation of Christ’s purpose revealed to John produced in Him the desire to proclaim the coming Christ. The same is true of us. When we submit to the true light that is the life of men, our lives are shaped and transformed to reflect that same light. Christ overflows through our thoughts, our words, and our actions. We proclaim the Gospel that we were once all dead in the darkness of our sins but by the grace of God, we have access to the true light that saves and redeems mankind. The presence of God produces evidence of that same presence. While we may wrestle with sin as we are sanctified over time, we speak to the goodness of God to take on flesh in order that we might come to know Him!
Discussion Questions
- Who gets to be called Children of God? What does it mean to be a child of God?
- Why did the world come to not know the creator? How does John tell us Jesus solved this issue?
- Why is it important that God is fully divine? Why is it important that God is fully man?
- How should we respond to the presence of God in our life? Where do we need to invite the true light of life to shape our life?
- Who are some people in our life that we can share the good news of the Gospel with? What can we do to communicate the Gospel to those around us?
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