Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20130505.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
John: Believing On The Christ, The Son Of God, For Eternal Life
Part III: Believing On Christ As God's Light Amid The Darkness
(John 1:5-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Apostle John wrote that his Gospel was penned that its readers might "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name," John 20:31 KJV.
    2. However, we live in a world of spiritual "darkness," and a great war wages between God's "Light" and Satan's "darkness" with Christ and His Gospel being key battlegrounds of this war, 2 Cor inthians 4:3-4.
    3. We thus need to understand this war so that we ourselves might become victors in it (as follows):
  2. Believing On Christ As God's Light Amid The Darkness, John 1:5-13.
    1. John implied a great war exists in the world between God's "Light" and Satan's "darkness," John 1:5:
      1. The "Great Light" of Christ's life predicted in Isaiah 9:1-2 invaded the spiritual darkness of the world and its dominion under Satan and his evil spirits, Isaiah 8:19-9:2, 6 with John 1:5a.
      2. Though the Greek verb katalambano is translated "comprehended it not" in John 1:5b KJV, since this verb also means "overpower" (Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T ., 1967, p. 413-414), John 1:5b reveals the lost world lacks a spiritual comprehension of and it also resists the Light under the influence of Satan in the lost world's rejection of Christ, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 272.
      3. Yet, the spiritual "darkness" does not overpower the shining of God's "Light" in the world, John 1:5c.
    2. Historical elements in this war are explained in John 1:6-13, with invaluable insight for us (as follows):
      1. God sent John the Baptizer to testify that Christ is God's "Light" so all might believe in Him, Jn. 1:6-7.
      2. John was not that "Light," but was sent from God to testify that this "Light" was Christ, John 1:8, 29.
      3. Jesus Christ was the true "Light" Who illumines every man who comes into the world, John 1:9. This is not the "inner light" the Quakers alleged every man has in him that he can develop (Ibid.), for John 1:13 teaches Christ's salvation is apart from human merit or effort, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to John 1:13. Rather, John 1: 9 refers to Christ's spiritual conviction of sinners regarding His truth that is taught in passages such as John 16:8-11, 14 and Revelation 22:17.
      4. As the true "Light," Christ was in the world, and though the world was created by Him (John 1:3), the world of spiritually lost men in "darkness" did not recognize Him as God's true "Light," John 1:10.
      5. Indeed, Christ came unto His own nation Israel but it did not receive Him as God's "Light," John 1:11.
      6. However, some people did receive Him, that reception being their trusting in His name, John 1:12a, c.
      7. When they believed in Him, that He was God's Messiah and Son of God (John 20:31), Jesus gave them the right to become children, or born ones (tekna, Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N. T. ) of God, John 1:12a,b.
      8. This spiritual birth occurs by God's power apart from any human merit or work, John 1:13:
        1. Those thus spiritually born are not born "of bloods", a plural, that is, they are not born of a special lineage of a father and of a mother, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to John 1:13; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 321.
        2. John's claim that this birth is not by the "will of the flesh" means it is not by the natural man, and his claim that it is neither "of the will of a male man" (aner , Ibid.; Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 65-66) shows no other even godly man can achieve this spiritual birth for another person, Ibid., Ryrie; Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 1974, p. 30.
        3. Rather, the strong adversative "alla" contrasts the human and divine, so this birth is by God alone, John 1:13c: (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 37-38)
    3. [The John 1:5-13 contentions that (a) Christ is the "Light" and (b) one is saved by God's grace apart from any mortal cause shows key factors of the "Light" are these truths, and to oppose them is "darkness." It also follows that spiritual achievement in Christian living is only of God, not of human origin, John 15:5.]
Lesson: Christ is God's "Great Light" Who has shone in the spiritually dark world, and the world has not comprehended Him and has resisted Him. However, God graciously "births" as His spiritual sons those who trust in Him versus the world that looks to human effort or merit for spiritual advancement.

Application: May we trust alone in Christ alone for salvation ("Light") and view all human effort or merit for salvation or spiritual blessing apart from God's grace as being of the "darkness," John 1:14.