Chapter 1:1-5. These verses are abstract-not history. In verse 5 we have a very singular statement. The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Now, naturally, light cannot shine without putting aside the darkness. The light thus shining then is a very out-of-the-way, non-natural thing. As light, it is an immensely deep truth, that while God is light Himself, yet when we look upon it as it is here revealed in the world, it is for men. In the Greek the last clause of verse 4 is a reciprocal proposition. " The life was the light of men." It is not for angels, but for men. God is revealed in a way especially suited to man. It is mercy, grace, patience, &c., with which angels have nothing to do. Here then we see God revealed as the light of men and no one else. Abstract godhead is light for everyone and everything. Here it is God revealed as the light of men, and after Him as thus revealed even angels have to search. " Seen of angels." If they want to learn what God is in the character of life and light, they must learn what Christ was upon earth.
" In Him was life." This was His nature. There never was a created being of which we can say, " in him was life." We have no life in ourselves. As believers, Christ is our life. Life is in Him -ours is derivative, being from Him. Because He lives, we shalt live also.
This life is distinct from the Holy Ghost, which Christ Himself did not get officially until He was baptized, and so life and the Holy Ghost are separate things to the believer. This is seen in the difference between the Epistle to the Ephesians and the Colossians. In the former there is not merely life, but the Holy Ghost pent down as earnest of the inheritance and the power of service; while in Colossians, where life itself in connection with the Head is the subject, we do not get the Holy Ghost once mentioned, but simply the new man.
Verse 9 simply means that Christ being here, the light was not for Jews merely, but for every man-the world. Not that every man would positively see it-we know they did not-but it came for them, with an aspect towards all.
In the first part of this chapter we get what is before Genesis. When Genesis begins we have the word already, for in the beginning the Word was. The divinity and personality of the Word are very carefully spread out. In the beginning was the Word-when everything began it was; for it did not begin-it had not beginning. Then " the Word was with God." There I get, as far as our ideas and language go, personality—." the Word was God." There I get divinity. In verse 2 we get another thing, which the Fathers, as they are termed, did not understand, but were quite wrong as to it; namely, eternal personality. As to the term personality, I do not think much of it; but I know of no better. Human language is defective here.
The force of the term " Word" is that which expresses God's mind. Christ was the only living expression of truth as it is in God. The Word was the expression of God, but it is not language, but a person. The Greek word λογος does not mean merely Word, but the thought also. Word, thought, and expression of thought are all indicated in Greek by the term λογος.
Image and likeness. The term image does not express so much as likeness. Image carries with it more the idea of representative-as the image of Jupiter, which is more that which is representative of him-not his likeness. Whereas likeness may not be representative of a person, but conveys to us the idea of what the original is like. Man stood in Eden both as the image and likeness of God. He was the center of a system-in this sense representing God-for all creation centered up in Adam. Man was the image of God, not of the Word as such, although he is a type of the latter.
In this chapter we get first what the Word is in His nature and person; ( ver. 1, 2;) then we get Him as Creator, (ver. 3,) where we see Him as the maker of everything in the most absolute way.
The anti-nicene fathers were not at all orthodox. Heathen philosophy got amongst them. They were really the corrupters of the simplicity which was in Christ. Their notion was, that the Word only came out to be a person at the creation. Justin Martyr even said, that it was impossible that God should become a man. This was the result of an attempt of man to philosophize on the nature of God, to explain which is impossible.
Verse 4. In Him, was life. That is, in its very nature life was in Him. We have life as given to us by God, but in Him was life, and this was the light of men. This light is not the light which Paul says, in 1 Tim., " No man can approach unto." This was abstract Godhead -which is and must necessarily remain inaccessible light. But in the Word, the Light is seen as the light of men-light shining out for men. It shines out to sinners, and, if they receive it, also in them. Believers ought to exhibit it. In 1 Tim. 6:16, the light spoken of is quite inaccessible (ἀπρόσιτον). It is such that not only no man, but no being, (see Greek) can approach unto. This is quite different from what we have in John 1:4. In the first part of the verse in Timothy the word man is left out. It really means " no being." It is unrevealed divine light-what God is in Himself in the abstract. In the second part of this verse, " man " does come in; but the apostle is simply confirming and applying his statement; bringing it home, as it is called.
Now this light which has come out, which is revealed, the WORD, is for man; it is not adapted to angels, although they, no doubt, may see it, but it is for, fitted to, and takes its character from man. Grace, mercy, patience, love, is its character. Showing God to be connected with man in a way in which He could not be in connection with angels. This gives man a wonderful place among the creatures of God.
These first five verses in John 1 have a kind of covering character to the whole gospel. Up to the end of the eighth chapter, we find the light manifested, but men unable to use it. In chapter ix. we find Christ giving eyes in order that the light may be seen. Before this the light does not shine so as to dispel the darkness. Power is needed to work upon man and not merely light. We see here the moral effect of the light as revealed among men. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all: there could not be darkness where He was, but there might be blindness: so here, the darkness comprehended it not. In chapter ix. we find Christ giving eyes to see the light; without this all was of no use. It is a most remarkable fact to see this light shining and the darkness comprehending it not.
Verse 6. It is very noticeable here, how that verse 5 drops from abstract statement into history. " The light shineth" but the "darkness comprehended it not." Hence we get in verse 6 history commenced. God not only sends light but sends a witness to bear testimony to the Light. Here we get the activity of God's goodness still dealing with the responsibility of man, supposing, of course, grace to make it effectual. " There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came to bear witness," &c. Verse 9 should be read, according to the best Greek authorities" That was the true Light which, coming into the world, lighteth every man."
It is a remarkable witness of the great grace of God, that He sent not only the true Light, but a witness to the Light-a witness, as it were, that the sun was shining; not only putting it there to shine, but sent to tell us to look at it. This shows us God's grace and the hardness of man's heart. At the creation, the light that shone needed not a witness to it. It was there, and man saw it; but then man was good.
In verse 10 we find that the world would not have Him. Although the world was made by Him, yet it knew Him not. Hence we get an entirely new thing brought in. " To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God," &c. Here I see how I get the power. Through receiving Christ I get life-giving power. It is not in myself at all. John is very absolute in his statements, because he deals with the truth itself. Hence we get absolute Calvinism, or rather absolute grace. Now here man is nothing at all-has nothing to do with it. Man may receive the Word-believe it-but Christ gives life. It is a gift. When we get to the root of the matter God is seen in action, and man is nothing. Still there is man's responsibility. Outwardly, as to man, it is either a good will or a bad will, but secretly and really the life comes from God. We here get another thing-life by receiving the Word: hence it is we are sons. Before Christ was revealed there might be life, but there could not be sonship. This was only brought out when the Son came into the world and was received. The expression, " power to become," is a bad translation: it should be, " right or title to be sons of God."
This verse also goes outside the Jews: it embraces all that believe. Those who are here made sons are so in contrast with the fleshly relationship which was found in the Jew. This gospel generally set things in contrast with Judaism, as may be seen in almost every chapter.
We get in this gospel no allusion to Pentecost amongst the Jewish feasts that are alluded to, because Christ here always gives us things upon earth. The pass-over was on earth, and He will be on earth at the feast of tabernacles. Christ was in heaven at Pentecost.
" Believe on his name." His name expresses what He really is. To us that name is " Jesus," which is not an official name, but a personal one. It is by this name we are saved. In the Gospels " Christ" is always an appellation-" the Christ." It became eventually a personal name and is so used frequently in the Epistles of the New Testament.
(To be continued.)