John 1: 6 – 18
The ‘Light’ Reflector
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ” 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
We read in the book of Genesis chapter 1 this, “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day. 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
We learn in these verses that our Holy Creator made the stars and planets. He strategically placed the moon, near the dwelling place he created for us – the earth. The stars were placed as we read in verse 14 as ‘signs’. Although we look up at night and see the moon shine, in reality it is not giving off light on its own.
The moon shines because its surface reflects light from the sun. And despite the fact that it sometimes seems to shine very brightly, the moon reflects only between 3 and 12 percent of the sunlight that hits it. The perceived brightness of the moon from Earth depends on where the moon is in its orbit around the planet.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world
Like John the Baptist we are not the source of God’s Light. We, like the moon, reflect that Light. John was pre-destined to declare the ‘Light’ to the world. Jesus Christ Is The True Light of the World. He lightens our paths to God and like a flash light He shines the right path for us to follow
The word ‘witness’ indicates our role as reflectors of His Light. Like John we need to point to the Source of Light – Our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
In just a few sentences John shares some amazing truths. We learn that the ‘world’ consists of everything our Great God Created. In his second highlight John speaks of the created world and unbelievers. Then John speaks of unbelieving men and women living in a world in spiritual darkness – a world without God.
John teaches us that the world did not know Him. The word ‘Know’ could mean ‘recognize’ or it could mean ‘personal response’. The word ‘ginosko’ used here suggests something of the latter. But why did they not respond? Could it be because they were blind? Or perhaps they were too busy and He got in the way? Or possibly He did not fit in with their preconceived notions? All of these were true, and more. The Creator was rejected because they did not want His kind of world. In other words they were not just blind, they were guilty. They deliberately closed their eyes to the light.
He came to His own ‘home’ and His own people received Him not. Here now it is made clear that Jesus is being spoken of. This was not just some abstract philosophical idea, but a human being who came as God’s Word, not only to the world, but to ‘His own people’, and was rejected by both them, and the world at large.
It was ever a wonder to John that the very people who had looked for His coming, and whose fathers had waited longingly and yearningly through the centuries for that time, were not willing to receive Him when He came. But of course what they had yearned after was not what Jesus had come to be. What they had yearned for was superiority and plenty, and for abundance of good things and complete security. They yearned to rule the nations. But He had come to reach the hearts of men, not to pander to their desires. He wanted them to yearn for truth. He wanted them to rule themselves under the Kingdom of God.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
We need to stop and take a moment to reflect on how important these two verses are. In fact it deals with everyone’s eternity. All who ‘receive’ Jesus Christ as Lord of his or her life, no matter what a person’s age is, are reborn spiritually. Through a person’s belief and faith in Jesus Christ each new believer receives a new life from God. This new birth changes us from the inside out. It will rearrange our attitudes, desires, and motives.
In truth we learn that being born physically places you in an earthly family, being born again spiritually places you in God’s family.
Now the question to ask yourself if you have complied in what God desires to do for you. If you have never ‘received’ Christ into your life, let’s not wait and do it now. Even though I am not with you physically the Holy Spirit IS there with you right now as you consider this life changing experience.
I ask you to read this short prayer. Take it into your mind and believe these words. Now take a moment to get alone and with your own delivery of these thoughts pray to God The Father – Okay? Here’s the prayer.
‘Father, I know now that Your Son Jesus Christ Is The Light of the World. I know that He came to earth to give His life for me by pouring out His blood and dying in my place. He arose again and Is back in Heaven with You. I ask You to forgive all my sins that I have committed in my life. I ask you to fill we with Your Light and give me Your Precious Holy Spirit. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for being my everlasting life. From now on I pray to You in Jesus’ Name.’
If you prayed this prayer you need to do a few things.
1. God buy a bible and start reading it from cover to cover. Our Holy God will speak with you through His word.
2. Pray – start communicating with The One Who Loves you
3. Fellowship – Find a bible teaching church and go learn and meet other believers
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John now stresses that men can only become genuinely ‘children of God’ in a spiritual sense when they have had a ‘new birth’, that is, when they have received new life from God. So he is again stressing the distinction between the whole of humanity, who view themselves as children of God in a general sense, and believers in Jesus who are children of God in a unique sense through being ‘born of the Spirit’. This is revealed as the purpose for which the Word has come, to bring men to God and give them the life of the Spirit. ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men’.
John is careful to make his meaning clear. ‘It is not of bloods’. This spiritual birth has no connection with natural birth. It does not refer to normal birth, when there is plenty of blood, taking the plural as intensive.
Please note that the statement ‘Nor of the will of the flesh.’ For one thing this is not a birth that results from men exercising their will to follow God’s commandments, or to become members of a special community (even the Christian community). (
John use of the term ‘the flesh’ is not essentially speaking of what is weak or evil. It is rather speaking of humanness. In addition, it has in mind the natural desires of the flesh which results in procreation, or the desire for an heir, something which was not to be seen as producing ‘children of God’ in any spiritual sense.
This is why John continues neither by stating ‘Nor of the will of man.’ This new birth was not something that could be bestowed by any man, whoever he was, whether John the Baptist, or a priest, or the Pharisees, or any other. It was not ‘of the will of man’, or under the control of men. This may include the idea that it is not the result of the decision of a human father to have children, but the primary reference is to exclude all human activity. Thus it excludes anything that man does which can be thought of in terms of ‘birth’ in any way, whether religious or otherwise. It even excludes baptism carried out simply as a rite. The important lesson is that man has nothing to do with this birth whatsoever. It is something which is between God and the individual alone.
That is the essence of this record is that men, women, and children are ‘born of God’. It is the result of a direct person-to-God relationship. And by it all who ‘receive’ Him for Who He Is become His, and become members of His own risen body. They become His chosen ones.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Some religious cults attempt to blaspheme the Honor due to our Holy King. In one way or another they attempt to deny His human existence or His Deity. When our Lord Jesus Christ was born He was totally a human being [man] and Deity [God], By taking on the form of flesh The Lord Jesus Christ helps us to know our God fully because He became visible and tangible. Our Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man. Awesome Is He
People could see Him, watch Him, touch Him, talk with Him, from babyhood to the grave. And those who went around with Him saw Him under every circumstance. As John could say elsewhere, ‘That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed upon, and touched with our hands . It was to be no fleeting glimpse. It was a day by day contact with, and awareness of, the One Who was the Word. They had walked with Him and lived with Him among the everyday problems and trials of life, and what they had seen had only convinced them the more that they had seen ‘the glory as of the only begotten of the Father’. Indeed Jesus will later explain to them that in Him they have seen the Father Himself.
Some critics have tried to minimize the Lord Jesus by the words ‘The only begotten of the Father.’ It is important to note that the emphasis and emphatic idea behind the term ‘begotten’, as with the use of the term ‘the Son’ in parallel with ‘the Father’, was that He was of the same nature as the Father. It is stressing that He was not created, but was truly God. As John has already indicated it does not indicate that He came into existence after the Father, for He always ‘was’.
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed what He Was (God only begotten) by what He was (full of grace and truth). This is what lies at the root of the nature of God. Graciousness, love undeserved, abounding mercy is the essence of what God Is and yet always in the context of what is true and right. Grace has to go along with truth, for God cannot deny Himself and His own essential nature. If His grace is to be known it is by response to truth, for the One Who Is Love Is also Light. In the same way the One Who Is God’s Word to man came with all compassion to sinful men, but He would only prove of benefit to those who responded to the truth. Men could not enjoy His gracious working in their hearts unless they responded to that truth. All men want to experience His love and compassion. Few want to face up to the truth that He brought.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ ”
John was related to Jesus. He was the boy born to Elizabeth, Mary’s relative. However during the years they grew up John was not aware of Who Jesus really Is, until this happened as recorded later on in the Gospel of John chapter 1, “And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
Look with me and consider the statement ‘He was before me.’ In context the statement must intend to be seen as giving the significance ‘was in existence before me’ as well as ‘was before me in precedence in God’s purposes’. For John is aware of the uniqueness of the One to Whom he testifies. He is aware that He has come from God and from Heaven with a unique pre-existence. The past tense makes this abundantly clear. Had he been thinking of Jesus’ future status he would have used another tense.
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The author now stresses the overflowing wonder of what Jesus, the Word, has come to do, and stresses His superiority over Moses. The instruction (the Torah) has been replaced by the Word. The book has been replaced by a Person. Moses had given God’s instruction (Hebrew torah = instruction, law) as a guide to men, and as providing through the sacrifices a way of forgiveness, but the instruction had been made harsh and unreasonable by its interpreters. Jesus has come as God’s direct Word to man, active in men’s lives, and has brought undeserved love and favor, together with the fullness of truth. There is nothing harsh and unreasonable about what He declares. Indeed His fullness has overflowed into them in unbounded measure, far exceeding anything offered by Moses.
Law and Grace are both ways of God’s nature in which He deals with us. Moses’ assignment was to bring to mankind God’s laws and justice. Our Precious Holy Master Lord Jesus came to highlight God’s Mercy, Love, and Forgiveness. Moses gave us God’s laws on stone tablets. The Lord Jesus Christ came and fulfilled this law through His Perfect life.
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
There were some men who had awesome revelations of God, such as Job, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and Ezekiel. However, all these were but shadows of the great reality. So, in truth they did not fully ‘see’ God. Mainly He was revealed in fire. They had not seen God as He really is. The apostle Paul teaches us this in 1 Timothy 6.16, ‘For God Is the One Who dwells in unapproachable light, Whom no man has see nor can see. Yet here He now was revealed in human form. In Jesus the Father Was being revealed.
John tells us that our Lord Jesus ‘Who is in the bosom of the Father.’ To be in someone’s bosom meant to be in favored relationship, to enjoy the choicest position, and as you know and understand only one could be in a person’s bosom at a time. Thus we read and learn that our Lord Jesus Christ Is being portrayed as uniquely favored by The Father.
Look at the significant point ‘He has made Him known, (or ‘declared Him’).’ The verb is ‘exegeomai’ This word means ‘to explain, interpret, tell, report, and describe. In this context therefore it means ‘makes God fully known’. He has made God known as none else had or could do.
Through Jesus Christ, God’s final Word to man, God Is revealed as never before, not in the sheer glory of a shining brightness like a few men had seen, but in the fullness of His personality, in His behavior, in His thought and in His presence. Now we can know what God Is really like, for He has sent us His likeness in human form, His final Word to man, and through that Word we can be saved – Selah!
