In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish1 it.
John 1:1-5
Look at the verse John 1:5 in your Bible. If there is no footnote1 on this verse you don’t have a good study Bible. Change it. Get a better study bible. This verse has 2 meanings.
The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not understood1 it, or overcome2 it. Which did John mean? Both. He was making a play on words. John has two themes, one of understanding and a theme of overcoming.
Take note of John’s theme words. Light, life, world, water, bread and more. These themes continue, keep following them to see how the thoughts develop. They are words worthy of studying.
He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
John 1:8
John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message.
John 5:35
John contrasts himself with the Light, the Christ. John is the luknos (the small oil burning lamp) but Christ is the phos (intense, bright light of the sun).
And what’s the real meaning behind “That was the true Light which lightens every man coming into the world.”? That’s a point for you to ponder. Does the phrase “coming into the world” refer to the Light, The Word, Christ or does the phrase refer to “every man”? Does the light of Christ shine on everyone and therefore all will be saved, a universalist theory which comes from the second way to read this verse? Or does the word relate to the Light that was coming into the world? Time for you to ponder it. How does your answer fit with the rest of the Bible? Or the rest of John?
People laugh because I am different. I laugh because they all are the same.
Ian Vail
The luknos – small oil burning lamp reminds me of a little song that my Mum used to sing to me when I was scared. “Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light. Like a little candle burning in the night…”
And what’s the real meaning behind “That was the true Light which lightens every man coming into the world.”? I had never considered this sentence in more than one way. I love the second way that I hadn’t considered before, that Jesus was coming into the world to lighten every person that believed in Him. What a wonderful thought, that he was “coming into this world”, as you can feel the words showing the meaning of it being His choice to come to us.
Yes that is an amazing thought that always grabs me but what grabs me more is the contrast between the [luknos] and the [phōs]!
I see the light of Jesus shining on every man, but as John shows later, not everyone comes to the light, but prefers the darkness to cover their evil deeds…
Jesus is fully God in human form and is the Light that was to come into the world before the foundations of the world were put in place.
Adam and Eve handed over authority to the enemy, and now all creatures are born into darkness.
We have been introduced to Jesus by the Father, and when we believe in His Son we are rescued “called out” of the realm of darkness.
Let us then put on Christ daily and be the light to others. Hallelujah!