Saturday, May 4, 2013

John 1:4

Life is in him, and that Life is the Eternal Source of darkness-piercing Light for all of humanity.  John 1:4 EFP

The Word is forever.  The Word is Creator.  The apostle John has made two fundamental assertions about the Word, but has yet to identify who the Word is.  Today he adds two more divine qualities to the two already ascribed:  The Word is “The Life” and the Word is “The Light.” 

I actually see these two qualities as subsets of the previous declaration that the Word is “Creator.”  It is as if John is making a reference to Creation and expanding the direct association of the Word to the creative activities of that first week on this planet.  When God came to the moment of creation it was he that brought life to an orb that was “dark and void” (Genesis 1:2).  Life could not have begun without the presence of God initiating it.  In fact, on the first day the creation narrative states that God said, “Let there be light!” and light appeared where no light was present before. I believe this light was not associated with any external source other than the life-giving light of God’s presence.

I cannot help but see a passionate desire by the aging apostle to draw from that allusion to creation in order to establish an even greater truth related to the spiritual re-creative work of the Word on behalf of the same humanity He created to begin with.  Think about it, the Creator becomes the re-Creator.  The light of creation becomes the light that re-directs his lost creation.  The Life-Giver breathes life into a dying planet.  Something amazing it at work!  The Word of God is ever-working (John 5:17).  It is in His nature to work.  We are the focus of that never-ceasing activity.  It sure is nice to know that God works so hard in order for us to fully live the life He created us to live and to clearly see the beauty He offers in exchange for the ashes of our death-bound existence without Him.  It sure beats languishing blindly, groping our way through the darkness of sin and death.  That, after all, becomes our ultimate choice—the choice that John is placing before us.

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