"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4).
Once again, John uses three abstract terms to describe Christ and our relation to Him: life, light, and darkness.
What was John’s intention in using these terms? Does life, for instance, merely describe our existence in Christ? From the passage, we find that it means much more than that, for this life is the “light of men.” The life we receive from Christ, while it certainly encompasses our physical existence, is spiritual life. He alone is the light of men because He illumines our hearts and minds to the truth of God. He alone gives us life and opens our eyes so that we can see the light—the revelation of grace.
Hendriksen writes, “Basically the term (life) refers to the fullness of God’s essence, His glorious attributes: holiness, truth (knowledge, wisdom, veracity), love, omnipotence, sovereignty. This full blessed life of God is said to have been present in the Word, and this from all eternity and throughout the entire old dispensation: ‘In Him was life.… Here in the present context (John’s Prologue) the life of God in Christ to which all things and all men owe their existence (creation and preservation), is represented as the source of men’s illumination regarding spiritual matters and of the everlasting salvation of God’s children.”
Christ as the light illumines every man. This was true in the old dispensation, and it is still true today. Only in Christ can we see God. Only in Him can we come into His most holy presence and apprehend the many spiritual realities hidden from those blinded by sin. Mankind is fallen and dead in its sins. While the message of Christ’s glorious work on the cross is proclaimed throughout the world, the world refuses to listen because it suppresses the truth, preferring sinful ignorance to the enlightenment of Christ’s revelation.
The darkness does not appropriate, apprehend, or comprehend the light. There is more going on here than just a lack of understanding. Fallen man hates the light. Unbelievers oppose the truth with all their might. Darkness is active and personal. As Christians, we must remember that the world hates Christ—and because it hates Him it will hate us. Therefore, we must be on our guard against those who oppose the light.
If Jesus is the only way to know God, the fountainhead of wisdom, why do Christians so often look to the world for answers? Are you guilty of doing this? Is your understanding of the world and yourself informed by the Word and guided by the Spirit? If not, repent of this today and rely on Christ.
