A Simple Commentary - John 1:9

A Simple Commentary - John 1:9

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. The true Light is referenced in our subject verse. There are many lights in the world, this is the true Light; Light here is another name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As the true Light our Lord came into the world to declare or reveal the Father, verse 18. The three persons of the Holy Trinity are one God. (John 10:30 with I John 5:7) Therefore the Son, eternally “in the bosom of the Father” and one with the Father in all counsels, decrees, covenants, and other matters of absolute sovereign will and equal in essence, power, and glory with the Father, and who is also a man; is uniquely able and sent to declare or reveal God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The true Light, lighteth every man.

The light, which is from the true Light; “shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” verse 5. The objective light, shining out in this world from the true Light, is not subjectively received in the heart of the unregenerate (the darkness). How then can it be true that the true Light, lighteth every man? By every man, in this verse the writer understands, that set of rational creatures of Adams race. These have light from the true Light. First, there is the light of creation; (Romans 1:19-23) “Because that which may known of God is manifest in them; (or to them) for God hath shewed it unto them. 20. For the invisible things of him (the invisible things of God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, (by the things that are made is meant the race of men) even his eternal power and God Head; so that they are without excuse: 21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools, 23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things.           

There is also the light of natural conscience; (Romans 2:11-15) this light is also from the true Light. “For there is no respect of persons with God”. 12. For as many as have sinned without law (the gentiles) shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law (the Jews) shall be judged by the law; 13. (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15. Which shew the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing them witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

There is also the light of reason, which is from the true Light. Hebrews 3:4 “ For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. This light was given to be exercised on the light of creation mentioned above. The light of reason is that light which renders man without excuse. For the invisible things of God, (which invisible things are his eternal power and Godhead) are clearly seen by men and are understood by the faculty of natural reason; every house is built by some, but he that built all things is God. Man is able by the faculty of reason to understand that God, his creator, is of infinite power, eternity, and wisdom, and therefore is to be worshipped as creator and God, but man holds that truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18) that is natural man desires to suppress the truth, which natural reason sets before him and does not “like to retain God in their knowledge” and because of that “God gave them over to a reprobate mind” or to a mind that is void of judgment (Romans 1:28). For “this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

Every man, (the writer understands this term to be every rational and intelligent descendant of Adam); is made responsible before God by the light that is afforded him as mentioned above. However, it is true, that man’s responsibility does not indicate that man is able to perform that for which he is responsible. The first man, as created, was in himself able to fulfill his responsibility, but in his fall man lost that ability, yet he remains responsible, (Genesis 6:5; 8:21)

Our Lord Jesus Christ said “that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:65). The reason that no man can come to Christ, or receive the light, is because of an extreme perversity of the will of man brought on by our fall in Adam. The Jews, the Apostles, the Prophets, were all men of like passions as we have, Acts 14:15 James 5:17. The truths spoken to those men are generally true of all the race. Our Lord said to the Jews “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life”(John 5:40). This is true of all men by nature; because of the corruption of nature received in the fall. Men by nature cannot come to Christ, because they will not come to Christ. The will of natural man is to will not, to come to Christ. Mans will is subject to his fallen and ruined nature, and the ruined nature of natural men has sin as a ruling principle, the ruling principle of sin is manifest in this “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God neither in deed can be) Romans 8:7. see also I Corinthians 2:14; Jeremiah 6:16,17, a host of other verses to this purpose can be found in the scripture.

The invitation of the gospel however is, whosoever will let him come and take the water of life freely. How then can that invitation be legitimate? Since no son or daughter of Adam can be willing of his or her own self. The answer to this question is found in Psalms 110:3 “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,”.

Thy people; that is, those given an interest in Christ before the foundation of the world; Ephesians 1:1-14; II Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:29-39; I Thessalonians 5:9; Psalms 65:4; Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45, and a host of others.

Shall be willing, that is his people shall be made willing by the infusion of a new principle of spiritual life, that is they are given a new nature. The new nature is called the divine nature in II Peter 1:4. It is not that men are given the essential nature of God. Men are not made omnipresent, or omnipotent, or omniscient, men are not given nor are they able to receive the essential properties of God. The new nature consists in new inclinations, new aspirations, and a new bent of life to that which is in a reverential awe, and respect of God, called in scripture the fear of God, (Jeremiah 32:38-42; 31:31-34), (Ezekiel 36:25-27). The stony heart, that is the stubborn heart that wills, to will not, is removed and a new heart is given to the children of God in the new birth. This work of the Spirit of God makes his people willing and obedient. Though the inward principle of sin is not entirely removed, but weakened so that it is no longer the ruling principle, (Romans 7:23)

Reader are you willing to come to Jesus Christ for all of salvation, to be pardoned by his shed blood, justified by his righteousness, clothed in his garment of salvation? Yours is not to determine the eternal decree of God concerning you as to election but yours is to come to Jesus Christ when you are made willing. For that is the day in which his power  is applied to you; for all who are willing are made so by the Spirit of the Living God. The will to come to Christ for all salvation is the operation of his Spirit, it is the gift of God. The will to come to Jesus Christ for all salvation is “not of blood” (that is, it is not because of your blood line or family tree) “nor of the will of the flesh” (that which we are in ourselves) “nor of the will of man” (whose carnal mind is enmity against God, Romans 8:7) “but of God” [John 1:13](that is of the will of God) who purchased salvation for his elect by the blood of his well beloved Son.

The gospel invitation is whosoever will let him come to Jesus Christ for life; but you may ask, how shall I come to Christ? Come as you are, spiritually filthy with sin, to be washed in his shed blood, guilty before God and confessing it, to be declared perfectly righteous in the sight of God because of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to your account through faith in his shed blood. Come to Christ empty of merit, or of anything that you think should recommend you to God, trust the Lord Jesus Christ with your eternal standing before God, he is worthy, and saves to the uttermost all that come to God by him. But the fact is, that if you truly desire to come to and to close with Christ, Dear Reader, you are already found and apprehended of the Lord Christ, Philippians 3:12.

A.J.Ison

A Simple Commentary- John 1:5-8

A Simple Commentary- John 1:5-8

            “And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness; comprehended it not.”(John 1:5) “And the light”- in this verse refers to that life and light of verse four where it is said “In him was life; and the life was the light of man” of that light it is said; that it “shineth in darkness”. The light shining, is the perfect moral rectitude of the Son of God in sinless human flesh (for the Word was made flesh John 1:14). The light which is in and by the Word made flesh, was the light that presents the way of salvation by Christ alone, through grace alone. “For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”(Ephesians 2:8) And faith is the gift of God, according to the purpose and grace of God; For it is “Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9) The shining of the light is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises and prophesies concerning Christ, and the gospel, which according to them was to come. And has come, and by the greater part of the race of men it is not received, for the Apostle Paul saith; “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid from them that are lost: In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, (believers) to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:3-6)    The shining of the light declared how God justified his people by Jesus Christ; for “of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” and again it is written “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of he law, being made a curse for us:” (as a substitute who stood in our judicial place) “for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:13) and again “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (II Corinthians 5:21). Now the light “shineth in darkness”.

            The darkness that the light is said to shine in, is the heart of mankind. Now in his first created condition, man was an enlightened creature, (Genesis 1:26-31), with abilities in himself of living unto God (Genesis 2:25). In the innocence of his creation the first man dwelt under one law toward God, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”  Or (Heb. dying thou shalt die). Now through the subtility of Satan the first man did eat of the forbidden fruit, and when he ate of the fruit he passed under the curse of the broken law. In the fall, the first man lost the image of God and was conformed to image of Satan which was spiritual death to man. The nature of man was corrupted; darkness and blindness reigned over man and all the race of men are born in that condition. When the first man fell, all his posterity was in him, and accordingly partook of his deeds and curse and so man is in darkness, death, and under the curse of the law and is a child of wrath by nature.(Ephesians 2:3). Now into this darkness light came and shone, “and the darkness comprehended it not”.

                  Now as “darkness was upon the face of the deep” in the creation recorded in Genesis, so darkness reigns over the hearts of men, the subjects of the new creation, (for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them, Ephesians 2:10& II Corinthians 5:17).This darkness is not mere ignorance, but it is willing ignorance, it is stubborn and obdurate ignorance, ignorance that delights to be so. It is ignorance that rebels against the truth, the truth of man’s natural corruption, the truth that man must be justified by a righteousness which he cannot produce, the truth that salvation is by Christ alone, and the truth that the Lord Jesus freely gives his salvation to whom he will; all this is, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in deed can be”, Romans 8:7, and “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, I Corinthians 2:14. To these add; …”light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Now because of the corruption of the heart of man, and because of the ruin of man’s nature by the fall, and because of man’s blindness by sin, the enmity of his heart toward God, and because fallen man bares the image of Satan, he will not and therefore cannot perceive or comprehend the light. Man being spiritually dead has no spiritually living means of perception of the things that pertain to God. “The Darkness comprehended it not” and therefore “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, John 3:3. And Proverbs 20:12 “The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them, see also Proverbs 16:1. 

            Into this world of total darkness, or total depravity, the Lord has shined the light of his free grace in face of his dear Son. It is a wonderful mercy for us sons of Jacob (for all men are Jacobs by nature) that our God changeth not, in his predestinating and electing grace, for if his purpose of salvation for his elect could be altered surely we would be consumed; “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.) Malachi 3:6.

            There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. (John1:6) This verse speaks of the coming of John the Baptist; according to the prophesy of Malachi, chapter 3 verse 1. “Behold I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” The same John the Baptist was prophesied of by the prophet Isaiah, chapter 40 verse 3, “The voice of him that crieth in  the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. The Lord Jesus said of this John the Baptist “ Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:” Matthew 11:11. This is that John the Baptist who is set before us in the third chapter of Matthew.

            The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John1:7) John the Baptist came to bear witness of the Son of God, here called Light.  Notice, “all men” men is in italics, indicating that the italicized word was added by the translators; so that the original read “that all through him might believe” that is all of some sort, even the elect of God.

            He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. (John 1:8) The Light was the Lord Jesus Christ, for in Him (Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men, Verse 4. It is commentary on the natural blindness of our race, that God in His infinite wisdom and grace found it necessary to send one to inform us that Light was then in the world. John the Baptist confessed “I am not the Christ” verse 20; but was sent of God to prepare the hearts of some for the appearance of the Christ. 

A.J. Ison

A Simple Commentary John-1:4

A Simple Commentary John-1:4

            In him was life; and the life was the light of men, John 1:4. In I Corinthians 15:45 we read “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit. Was made; is left out by the writer because it is italicized in the King James Version which means it was added for clarity by the translators. The reason the writer has omitted the words mentioned is because the original text is more accurate, the last Adam (is and was and always shall be) a quickening spirit. In I Corinthians 15:45, Adam is mentioned, and a last Adam is mentioned. Adam, in that verse is the first created man, who was the covenant head of all his posterity, that is all the race of men, the last Adam as mentioned in the verse is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, John 1:14, the God man, and mediator (I Timothy 2:5) of the everlasting covenant of grace.

            All of Adams race were in the loins of Adam when he sinned, and so, all of Adams race sinned in Adam, Romans 5:12. Now in I Corinthians 15:22 we read “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Adam was a figure of Christ in that he was a covenant head of a people, Romans 5:14. The people, of whom Adam was covenant head is all the natural race of men. Now the race of natural men died spiritually in Adam, because of a legal bond to Adam in a covenant of works, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17) or dying thou shalt die. In the day that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit he began to die physically, and he died spiritually. The result of all this is that of natural men and women, none are born in this world with spiritual life, we are born into this world in a state of spiritual death, and under the curse and sentence of death inherited through Adam. “In Adam all die”.

            In the same verse there is a promise or statement of truth, “even so in Christ shall all be made alive” again this promise is in I Corinthians 15:22, see above. The promise is that all who are in Christ shall be made alive, but who is in Christ before they are made alive? That is who is in Christ before they are made spiritually alive? The answer is quiet clear and very simple, those who are in Christ before receiving spiritual life are, those who have covenant interest in Christ, those who have been chosen in Christ from everlasting, or before the world was made (Ephesians 1:4) They are the entire election of grace, and because they are the children of God by eternal election they shall be taught of God and come to Christ; and in Christ they shall live, or be made alive. “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” Isaiah 54:13, we send our children to school because they are our children, we do not send our children to school to make them our children but because they are our children. In the New Testament the apostle John quoted this scripture from Isaiah thus, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me, John 6:45. And they shall be all taught of God, that is, all the children (Isaiah 54:13) shall be taught of God, because they are God’s children by election of grace, and so because they are children and taught of God they come to Christ because of life, that is, because they have been given life. To confirm the same truth see Galatians 4:6 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father”. In this verse, those who received the Spirit of God’s Son were already sons and God gave them the Spirit because of that already present relation, but you may ask how were they already sons? And the answer is the same, these were chosen of God in his eternal decree of election before the foundation of the world. The last confirmation of this truth the writer will offer at this time will be found in Hebrews 2:14 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”; here, they who were children took art of flesh and blood, they were already children when they took part of flesh and blood. These were children by divine election.

            Because of eternal union in Christ, and with Christ, the children of God are brought to Christ, and in Christ shall all be made alive. See Psalms 139:16, “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them”. Compare this with I Corinthians 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular”. These members in particular of the body of Christ are they, the children of God, who were written in his book from everlasting. In Christ the children of God are given life, in Christ shall all be made alive.

            In Christ the Word, was life, spiritual life as above, and all forms of life as a fountain of life. Whether it be natural human life, animal, plant, angelic, spiritual, eternal, or what so ever kind of life, it is from the Lord of life, Christ the Word, Wisdom and Power of God.

            “And the life was the light of men” Physically living persons with their faculties of natural life in tact perceive natural light, they hear the sounds of nature, smell the smells of this world, they have living and functioning receptors tuned to the sights, sounds, and smells of earth. Those who are already in the grave do not see; first, because there is no natural light in the grave; and second, because they have not a living receptor of natural light their eyes are in a state of physical death with the rest of their body. The dead do not hear, nor do they have any functioning receptor to the things of this life. Death reigns over their natural body so that they have no faculty of physical life. The naturally dead body does not see, hear, nor understand any of the things that pertain to this life. The dead body lies in cold and silent darkness.

In Adam all died, that is, we all died spiritually in Adam, because of our covenant interest in Adam. Just as natural death brings an end to natural perception so, spiritual death brings an end to spiritual perception, so that we in spiritual death do not hear, see, nor understand the things of life unto God. The members of our race are born into this world physically living and spiritually dead Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13 John 5:25. We have no spiritually seeing eye, nor spiritually hearing ear, and our minds though intelligent in things of earth, have no spiritual understanding, and all this condition is caused by spiritual death which reigns over us through our fall in Adam.

Now the Word finds his covenant people in this state of spiritual death and speaks unto them the word of life. His word of life, is the command of life, and with the command comes the thing commanded, life. Thus is the case in Ezekiel 16:6, And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, (dead in sin and trespasses) I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live. The one who was dead is now alive, through the Word commanding life, and of course has a spiritually living eye, and a spiritually living ear, and a spiritually living mind and heart to understand. Thus is life in the Word, light to men, for “In him was life, and the life was the light of men”. “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” Matthew 13:9.                              

A.J. Ison

A simple Commentary John 1:3

A simple Commentary John 1:3

           

All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made, John 1:3. “All things were made by him” God the Son is the immediate creator of all the creation, He who is the Word (or Speech, so John Calvin) spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast, Psalms 33:9. “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth”, Psalms 33:6. The person of the triune God who was active in the creation was God the Son, the means through which he did create was the breath of his mouth, he spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast. This word of command, by which God created is shown us in Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26, and that word of command was “and God said, let there be____” .

Not only did God the Speech, or Word create the things of the earthly creation but he also created the things of the heavenly or spiritual creation, we are informed of this by the apostle Paul, Colossians 1:16, where we read “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible or invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:(the governmental institutions of the world above) all things were created by him, and for him: to this add the testimony of the same Apostle from the epistle to the Hebrews 2:10, For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things... and in Hebrews 1:10 we read “ And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.

And without him was not anything made that was made, this second part of the verse is a statement of the same truth as was in the first part of the verse. Only it is given in the negative, to assure us that the Word was not left out in any part of the creation. His is the hand of the great creator, it is the Son who is the immediate creator of the worlds, Hebrews 1:2. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things that do appear, Hebrews 11:3 this verse tells us that the Son of God, the Word, created all things out of nothing by his word or by the breath of his mouth. He was in the beginning with God the Father and therefore He is the eternal God. He created all things out of nothing and therefore He is the omnipotent God. His creation of all things was not as an instrumental means, but as the principle efficacious cause.  

The creation of all things out of nothing by the Word, is in line with the order of the divine operations of the blessed three in one. The three in one of the God head are equal in power essence and glory, but in their operations they follow the structure outlined in Ephesians 2:18, “through the Son”, (through his mediation of the everlasting covenant of grace, his intercession [based upon his sacrifice] being a integral part of his mediation Hebrews 7:25) “by the Spirit” (the application of the inheritance of grace to the children of promise Galatians 4:28) “unto the Father” (all things according to his purpose and grace II Timothy 1:9).    

            A.J. Ison