COV LIFE BLOG

Advent – John 1:1-13 – The Divine Light Come to Expose and Rescue us from the Darkness

When Christ arrived, now the second member of the Trinity becomes clear to us. Now we see who He is. We know from the New Testament that He was working in the Old Testament. That He was a spiritual rock, for example, that brought water to the children of Israel in the wilderness. We know other things about Him that are referred to in the New Testament. We know that He was actually the One on the throne in Isaiah 6 of whom the angel said, “Holy, holy, holy.” We know that He is the Savior of Isaiah 52 and 53, the One who would be our substitute.
 
But there’s still shadow around that until we come into the New Testament and the Light arriving illuminates Himself. And we see the light of the glory of God like never before, shining in the face of Jesus Christ. Which is more glorious, which is more instructive? To see a cloud of fire at night, a cloud of light in the day, leading the children of Israel, or to look into the face of Jesus Christ? He is the effulgence of the Father’s glory, the express image of His person, Hebrews 1. He is the One in whom the Godhead dwells bodily. He is the one in whom the glory of God is revealed, full of grace and truth.
 
The light shines, then, on the true nature of gospel ministry and it shines on the Light itself. He is the true Light. We see that. He is the true Light, as opposed to shadows and symbols. He is the pre-eminent, all-glorious emanation from God. The glory of God shines in Him, more brilliantly than in any other revelation and consequently enlightens every man who sees Him for who He is.
 
What does it mean, “enlightens every man”? What it means is for every man who truly sees Christ, there is complete enlightenment about who He is – not available in the Old Testament – not available. No one really could see the full glory of Christ until He came into the world. He enlightens every man. He is the only Light for every man. Everyone who is enlightened is enlightened by Him. Everybody who understands salvation and His role as Savior, everyone who understands that understands it because they see Him for who He is.
 
Everyone who is truly enlightened, everyone who sees spiritual reality, who sees the supernatural world the way it really is, everyone who is enlightened genuinely and savingly is enlightened because he has seen the light of Christ. You can’t be saved apart from Christ. He says in 8:12 of John, “I am the Light of the world. No man who follows me will ever walk in darkness.” The only light the world has is Christ. He is the only light that can enlighten anyone and everyone. His light is the only sufficient light.

John MacArthur

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SCRIPTURES FOR THIS SUNDAY
Read John 1:1-13 and consider how we have discussed the theme of light over the past 3 weeks. How does understanding our own overwhelming darkness reveal the glory of the light that was able to break through and give us life?

SONG FOR THIS WEEK
Joy to the World by Isaac Watts