John 1:4-5 (WEL) In him was life, and the life was the light for people. 5 The light keeps on shining in the darkness, and the darkness can’t overcome it.
V4 In him was life, and the life was the light for people.
In him was life does not mean Jesus began living. It refers to the fact that Jesus, the Word, can give, create, life in a clay statue as Adam was (Genesis 2:7, Job 33:4, and 1 Corinthians 15:45). Adam’s body was made by the hands of God, yet his soul and spirit, the real person living in the body, was made by a word (spoken) from the Word (Jesus). Those who believe and trust Jesus Christ for salvation are recreated (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Life is vitality (the principle that causes all living systems to function, and if that function stops, vitality stops and death begins). Vitality is also the spirit and soul of an individual, the real person as seen in human essence having the communicable character traits of God. Vitality to the body is the body systems functioning, and vitality to the human is the ever-living character traits of a human, their personality, their logic and reason, their emotions, their thinking, etc.
God has the incommunicable character trait of life as in John 5:26 (aseity). Spirits (angels), humans, animals do not have this trait.
I cannot give life to anything; God is able.
Sin is a separation, thus, good as dead meaning ((Free Dictionary): In a position of great and irreversible danger or trouble, with the outcome of death being either figurative or literal).
Sin has effects:
Fellowship is destroyed. Relationship is alienated. Blessings have disappeared. Peace is gone. Eternity is now punishment.
The Greek word for sin is G0266. ἁμαρτία hamartia, which means:
(Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (Louw & Nida)) “to act contrary to the will and law of God.”
(Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Abridged – Little Kittel)) “The four main roots which carry the idea of sin have the varied senses of ‘sin or negligence,’ ‘rebelling,’ ‘guilt,’ and ‘error,’ enough to show the variety of thinking about sin quite apart from the many other roots.”
Light refers to awareness. Sin causes blindness about God, His character traits, His ways, His worldview, His rules, His lifestyle, etc. Compare 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, 2 Corinthians 4:4, and the opposite in Acts 16:14. Sin also causes humans to not realize their sin, God’s punishment, or the Gospel. The Lord Jesus came to teach all the things about God by words and actions, as the Passover Lamb to provide salvation.
V5 The light keeps on shining in the darkness, and the darkness can’t overcome it.
The light is God’s light, His work, His calling to salvation, etc. Compare John 16:8, Acts 16:14, and Luke 24:45. No one can stop God or His plans. Darkness is used to describe ignorance, spiritual blindness, the tactics of the devil, sin, etc.
Some facts about light:
(Dictionary of Bible Themes) Light is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the presence of God in the world. It is often especially associated with the word of God, the salvation brought about by God, or the person of Jesus Christ.
Light as a symbol of God
- God’s purity 1 John 1:5 See also Job 25:4-6; Isaiah 5:20; 1 John 1:7
- God’s glory Revelation 21:23 See also Psalm 76:4; Psalm 84:11; Isaiah 60:19-20; Habakkuk 3:4; 1 Timothy 6:15-16
- God’s knowledge Psalm 90:8; Psalm 139:11-12; Daniel 2:22; 1 Corinthians 4:5
- God’s unchangeability James 1:17
- God’s vengeance See also Psalm 94:1; Isaiah 10:17
- Satan as an imitator of light 2 Corinthians 11:14
We learn:
- About the Bible’s definition and use of the word light.
- About humanity’s inability to comprehend God or ourselves without God’s intervention.
Questions:
- Do you understand God’s ways, Gospel, and His opinion of you?
- Do you understand God’s power and ability?