Introduction
John has been teaching us about the Word, which is his title for God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. And he taught us that in the beginning, before anything was created, the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
And then John taught us that all things were made through the Word; and without him nothing was made that has been made. In other words, God the Father made all things through the divine Word. He made all things through his Son.
And then John taught us that in the divine Word was life. And we thought about how the Word, who is God, has all life in and from himself and he has given us our life here on earth. And John went on to say that the life that was in the divine Word was the light of men. And we thought about how this means that everyone who receives life in this world also receives this light. Life and light go together. You can’t have life without also having this light. And the light is our knowledge of God, which the divine Word gives to every single human being, because God is continually revealing himself to us by his works of creation and providence. That is, he is continually revealing himself to us by what he has made and by what he does in the world.
And so, the heavens declare his glory and the skies above proclaim the work of his hand. And in this way, God has displayed to all living people his light. Everything he has made and everything he has done in the world is like a bright light or it’s like a flashing sign which tells every single person that there’s a God and that he’s powerful and that he’s good and that they should worship him.
And yet, John went on to say that the light shines in the darkness. It shines in the darkness, because we’re sinners. And instead of knowing God, we are sinfully inclined to repress the knowledge of God; and we replace what we know about him with something else. We put other things before him.
And so, we’re like people on holiday who are wearing dark glasses so that they don’t notice the bright sunshine all around them. God is continually revealing himself to us. His works of creation and providence are like a flashing light which tell us about God. But because we’re sinners by birth, because we’re sinfully inclined to repress the truth, it’s as if we’re wearing dark glasses and we don’t notice God’s light all around us.
But John went on to say that though the light shines in the darkness, the darkness has not overcome it. The darkness of our sin and unbelief has not obliterated the light. God will not let our sin and unbelief snuff it out. Indeed, throughout the period of the Old Testament, he revealed himself in an even clearer way through his prophets. And the last of those Old Testament prophets was John the Baptist. And John says more about John the Baptist in the verses we’re studying this evening. And God not only spoke through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, the divine Word who became flesh and lived among us and who revealed more fully than ever before God’s glory and his grace and truth and his willingness to save us from our sin and misery and to give us eternal life in his presence.
The divine Word has all life in and from himself, because the divine Word is God. And he gives life to everyone in this world; and he gives eternal life to all who believe in his name, so that all who believe in his name will live with God in the new heavens and earth where we’ll be perfectly holy and perfectly happy for ever.
Today we’re going to spend most of our time on verses 6 to 13, but we’ll also look at verse 14 briefly. And in verses 6 to 8 John tells us about John the Baptist, who came to bear witness to the light from God. Then, in verses 9 and 10, he tells us about the true light from God, who was not only in the world, but who was coming into the world. And he’s now talking about the divine Word who came into the world at the time of his incarnation as Jesus Christ. And John then tells us in verses 11 to 13 about the benefit we receive from his coming and how everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus receives the right to become children of God. And finally, in verse 14, John tells us about the Only Begotten Son from the Father.
Verses 6 to 8
We read in verse 6 that there came a man who was sent from God whose name was John. The Apostle John, who is the writer of the gospel, is referring here to John the Baptist. And we know from the gospel of Luke that before John the Baptist had been conceived, an angel appeared to Zechariah to announce to him that his wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son and their son will prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. And in due course, John was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth. And when he was an adult, the word of God came to him in the desert and he went into all the country around the river Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and telling the people about the one who was coming. That’s what we read about John the Baptist in Luke’s gospel. And so, John the Baptist was sent by God.
And according to verse 7 in today’s passage, he came as a witness to testify concerning the light. Now, as we were thinking about last time, all things bear witness to God, because God is continually revealing himself to us through his works of creation and providence. Everything that God has made and everything he does in the world speaks to us about God: that he’s real and that’s he’s powerful and that he’s good. Everything that exists bears witness to God.
And then the good works of God’s people also bear witness to the Lord and his glory. And so, the Lord Jesus tells us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven. And God’s people bear witness to him when we have the opportunity to explain to people the reason for our hope. And we bear witness to him when we gather together for public worship. And so, everything that exists bears witness to God and God’s people bear witness to him by the things we do and say and by our worship.
But then, the Lord appoints certain people to bear witness to him in special ways. We can think of the apostles, for instance, who were appointed by the Lord to be the official eye-witnesses of his resurrection. And we can think of preachers in every generation who are appointed by God to preach his word. And John the Baptist was one of those special witnesses, because he was specially chosen and sent by God to bear witness to God by preaching to the people in the wilderness and by baptising all who turned from their sin. And so, we read in verse 7 that he was sent from God to be a witness. And in particular, he was to be a witness who testifies concerning the light.
Normally a light doesn’t need a witness. No one needs to point out a light, because a light shines brightly and everyone can see it. No one needs to point out a light, because a light is obvious. At least, no one needs to point out a light to people who can see. But if people can’t see, then they won’t notice a light shining brightly in front of them. And God’s light has been shining brightly in front of us ever since God created the world. God’s light has been shining brightly, because God’s works of creation and providence testify to him. They display his glory to everyone. But since we’re sinners, we don’t notice God’s light shining all around us. We don’t pay attention to it. We don’t pay attention to God.
And so, God sent John the Baptist to testify to the people concerning God’s light, which has always been shining, but which the people could not see because of their spiritual blindness. Because of their spiritual blindness, the people didn’t know God from his works of creation and providence. But God sent them John the Baptist to give them the knowledge of God by preaching to them. And God wanted the people to believe what John was saying. As it says in verse 7, God sent John the Baptist to testify about God’s light so that all men might believe.
And what we read in verse 8 about John the Baptist not being the light, but being a witness to the light summarises what we read in the gospels. When people came to John in the desert, John kept pointing them away from himself. He was telling people not to follow him. Instead they were to follow the one who was coming after John.
And the one who was coming after John was the true Light. He was the true Light who would enable people everywhere to know God like never before. And that means that the true Light is actually a person. Up until now, when the Apostle John has referred to the light, he’s been referring to the ways that God has made himself known in the world through his works of creation and providence. God’s works of creation and providence are like a flashing sign that tells us about God. But now John is referring to the light as a person. He means that the light of God or the knowledge of God is perfectly revealed in a person. It is perfectly revealed in the divine Word who was with God in the beginning and who is God and who is therefore perfectly qualified to reveal God to the world, because he himself is God. Who better to make God known to us than God himself? And God was coming into the world in the person of his Son to tell us about God and his glory and his grace and his truth and his willingness to make us his children and to give us eternal life in his presence.
Verses 9 and 10
We read in verses 9 and 10 that the true Light that gives light to every man was coming into the world; he was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him.
John says that the world was made through the true Light. This confirms what I’ve just said that whenever John now refers to the true Light, he’s thinking of a person. The true light is the divine Word who was with God in the beginning and who is God and all things were made through him. So, the world was made through him: the world was made through the divine Word who is also the true Light.
And John says that the true Light was in the world. He was already in the world. In what sense was the true Light in the world? He was in the world in the sense that the divine Word is continually displaying the knowledge of God to everyone in the world through God’s works of creation and providence. So, ever since the world was made, God’s light has been shining in the world. Through his divine Word, God has been revealing himself continually to us by the things he has made and by the things he has done in the world.
So, the world was made through the Word who is also the Light. And the Word, who is also the Light, has always been present in the world, because he’s continually displaying the knowledge of God in the world. And since the Light has always been shining, then John is able in verse 9 to describe him as being the Light that gives light to every man. So, ever since the creation of the world, the divine Word, who is also the Light, has been displaying to every single person the knowledge of God. Everyone knows there’s a God in heaven who deserves their worship. Everyone knows this, because the true Light is continually shining. The Light is continually shining, because he uses God’s works of creation and providence to make clear to every single person that God is real.
And so, to summarise what John has been saying in verses 9 and 10: The world was made through the divine Word, who is also the Light. And he’s always been present in the world, because he’s continually displaying the knowledge of God in the world. And so, the divine Word is continually giving light, or the knowledge of God, to everyone. Everyone knows deep down inside that there’s a God.
However, the world did not recognise him. Some of the commentators think that John means they did not recognise the divine Word when he became incarnate and dwelt among us. That is to say, they didn’t realise that the man Jesus is actually the Son of God. However, I don’t think that’s what John is saying here. I think he’s repeating what he said earlier about the light shining in the darkness. So, the divine Word, who is also the Light, has been giving us the knowledge of God, but we haven’t noticed it. We haven’t paid attention to it. Like the person on holiday who doesn’t notice the sun because he’s wearing dark glasses, so we haven’t noticed God because of the darkness of our sin and unbelief.
And to grasp what John has been saying in these two verses, think of Cave Hill. As most of you know, the manse is right below Cave Hill. When we’re standing in the garden or at the kitchen window, you can’t help but notice Cave Hill which is always there. It’s always in view. And yet, there are days when I’m busy and I don’t notice it. It’s there, but I don’t pay attention to it. Or think of a wife who is always at home and is continually doing things for her husband: cooking his meals, cleaning the house, and looking after the household so that he always has what he needs. But he’s all wrapped up in his own thoughts and he hardly looks at her or notices her or says thank-you to her. And the divine Word, the true light, is always there like Cave Hill or like that faithful wife. And he’s always revealing God to us by the works of creation and providence. He’s always showing us what God is like. But, because we’re sinners, we don’t notice him. That’s what John is saying.
And then he says in verse 9 that the true Light was coming into the world. So, he was always in the world in the sense that he was always displaying for us the knowledge of God by the works of creation and providence. But now he was coming into the world in a new way. He was coming into the world as one of us. He was coming as the man, Jesus Christ.
Verses 11 to 13
We come to now verses 11 to 13, where John tells us that the true Light came to that which was his own.
It’s not entirely clear, but it’s likely the Apostle John means that he came to the Jewish people. The Jews were his own people, because when he came into the world as the man, Jesus Christ, he was born as a Jew. His earthly parents were Jewish and, as a man, he was descended from Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And so, the Jews were his own people, because, as a man, he was descended from them. But the Jews were his own people in another sense, because the Jewish people were God’s chosen people at that time. Of all the nations in the world, the Lord graciously chose the descendants of Jacob to be his special people. And to them, he revealed his law. And to them, he revealed his plan of salvation and how one day he would send them a Saviour.
And so, if anyone should have welcomed the divine Word, who is the true Light, when he came into the world as one of us, it was the Jewish people, because it should have been clear to them that he was the one God had promised to send to them. Everything he said and did testified to it. John the Baptist also testified to it: he pointed the Lord Jesus out to them and said that he’s promised Saviour.
But the people he came to save did not receive him. That is to say, they did not believe in him. Instead they rejected him. And when we read the gospels, we see how they rejected him, because after he was born, Herod wanted to kill him. And after he began his public ministry, the Pharisees and Sadducees and teachers of the law kept trying to catch him out with his words. And though there were some who followed him, most did not believe in him. And in the end, the authorities had him arrested and they sentenced him to death. So, he came to his own people, but his own people did not receive him. They did not believe in him. They rejected him.
However, to all who received him, or to all who believed in him, he gave the right to become children of God. And so, here’s the benefit we receive from his coming. He came into the world as Jesus Christ; and all who receive him and who believe in him become children of God.
And notice that he says all who receive him. There’s a wonderful expansiveness and generosity about that phrase. God’s grace and mercy and kindness overflow, not to a few, but to all who receive and believe in him. It’s not that some who receive him become children of God. All who receive him, all who believe in him, receive the right to become children of God. Isn’t that wonderful? This underlines for us the overflowing goodness and love of our God, whose bestows his kindness on a great number of people.
And John goes on to make clear that he’s talking here about a supernatural birth and not a natural birth. He’s talking about a spiritual birth and not a physical birth. So, he says that all those who receive the Lord Jesus become children of God not by natural descent or by human decision or by a husband’s will. So, John is not talking about natural reproduction, when a husband and wife come together and have a child. He’s talking about a supernatural birth, when people are born of God. God is the one who gives people this new birth.
And so, all who receive him by believing in him receive the right to become the children of God. And that means that all who believe can know God in a new way. He’s no longer a stranger to us. He’s no longer our judge. He’s our heavenly Father.
Verse 14
And I want to turn your attention briefly to verse 14, where John says that the divine Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. So, he’s referring to the incarnation of the Son of God, when the Son of God came into the world as one of us. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary and he was born in Bethlehem. And in the way, he became flesh like us and dwelt among us as Jesus Christ.
And John goes on to say that we have seen his glory. Whose glory did they see? They saw the glory of the One and Only. That’s how the NIV translates what John wrote, but a better translation is that they saw the glory of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. So, whose glory did they see when they looked at the Lord Jesus? They saw the glory of God’s Only Begotten Son. They saw the glory of God’s Eternally Begotten Son.
And I wanted to point out something that the English translations obscure. The last words of verse 13 can be translated, ‘begotten of God’. So, all who received and believed in the Lord Jesus are begotten of God. That means that there are many who are begotten of God. There are many who become children of God. But there’s only one Only-Begotten Son from God the Father. And it’s the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Because of him and his work on earth, when he gave up his life to pay for our sins and when he shed his blood to cleanse us, many receive forgiveness and peace with God and become children of God.
So, many are begotten of God, but there’s only one Only-Begotten Son from God the Father. Many are begotten of God, but there’s only one Eternally Begotten Son from God the Father. Or we can put it this way: there’s only one natural Son of God. But because of what that one natural Son of God did, all of us can become sons and daughters of God by grace and through faith.
And so, how great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. We’re sinners, after all. And we sin against him continually. We deserve to be condemned by him and sent out of his presence for ever to suffer eternal punishment for all that we have done wrong. But how great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And — so long as we’re trusting in Christ — that is what we are. That’s what we are and that’s what we will always be: children of the Father Almighty with Jesus Christ as our elder brother.
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