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
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