Jesus Christ: The Light And Life Of The World

Every writer who penned down the Holy Scriptures did so under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and a reverence towards Almighty God. Every word was written down with the sense that these men from all walks of life and who lived at different times in history were in communication with the Sovereign of the universe who has all creation under HIs control and direction. The Scriptures are the inspired and inerrant account of God's dealing with fallen humanity and of His plan to redeem us from the sins and rebellion that have polluted the pages of civilization and have brought death upon us that were it not for His grace, mercy, and love, would condemn us to an eternity in hell where we would pay on our sin debt forever, suffering for the wickedness we have brought upon ourselves and this world that groans under the weight of our debauchery (John 17:17; Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18, 5:6-11, 8:26; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).

We take the pages of Scripture for granted without realizing that what we possess is the direct record of God's interaction with us, and not merely a collection of good stories and moral lessons from the minds of sages and storytellers. We have forgotten how to handle the Word of God as the writers did, with a sense of unworthiness and a true holy fear of God who were silent or made silent in His presence. We forget that these men and women were flesh and blood individuals with their own problems and times of triumph but were also aware that they were interacting with the will, plan, and design of the Almighty Sovereign Ruler of all. He has no rivals nor equals in terms of His power, wisdom, love, mercy. He can also bring terror and dread to any heart that would dare to reject or challenge Him in some misguided display of arrogance and pride. Even in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, the twelve ordinary men who were chosen by Him stumbled, argued, and misunderstood His mission, to say the least. Yet throughout the New Testament, each one who had the honor of writing either a Gospel, history, or letter did so with a sense of wonder and gratitude in that He entrusted them to tell His story, teach the people, and spread the message of salvation and true peace with God.

Each Gospel is presented as an account of the One who is the fulfillment of the prophecies within the Hebrew Scriptures and the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. These men and all who have truly followed Jesus have given testimonies of wonder, amazement, and eternal thanksgiving for the redemption He freely offered them and to us. Why then do we treat the Word and its message of redemption in these times with indifference and apathy? Why do far too many of us approach the Holy Word as if it no big deal in our lives? We certainly do not find that kind of attitude or viewpoint when we read the Gospel of John, certainly not in the opening verses. John presents the Lord Jesus not just as the Promised Messiah and the Servant of God as did Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but primarily as God Incarnate, the Creator, Life, and Light of the World who came to Earth and fulfill the role of Eternal Savior.

John wrote his Gospel, along with his three pastoral letters and the book of Revelation around the end of the first century (90-95 A.D.). By this time, he was an old man and had outlived the other apostles who had met their deaths years before as martyrs for the faith. The young firebrand who had been labeled a "Son of Thunder" for his brashness, temperament, and frequent calls for God's fire to come down and destroy anyone who dared come against Jesus was now known as the "apostle of love" to the new generation of Christians who had been born years after Jesus ascended to heaven and the bulk of what would be the New Testament had been written and distributed to the churches who were meeting and spreading the Gospel amidst the might and persecution stemming from the Roman Empire. John had spent time in prison and in exile for his faith in Christ that never wavered. It is said that he nearly died as a martyr by being boiled in oil at the order of the emperor, yet was delivered from this fate, later to die a "natural" death around A.D. 98 in the city of Ephesus. He had mentored young believers who would carry the Gospel into the next century and beyond, such as Papias, Polycarp, and others who would be referred to as the "church fathers", with their preaching and teaching of the Scriptures extending into the third and fourth centuries A.D.