What is the meaning of John 1:4? In Him • John immediately anchors “life” in a Person—Christ, the Word who “was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). • Scripture presents Jesus not merely as a messenger of life but its very locus: “For in Him all things were created… and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). • By locating life “in Him,” the verse affirms that every dimension of existence—physical, spiritual, eternal—depends on Christ. Humanity is not self-originating; we live derivative lives sustained by the Lord who never had a beginning (Psalm 90:2). was life • “Life” is more than biological breath; it is the fullness God intended from the start when He “breathed the breath of life into his nostrils” (Genesis 2:7). • Jesus openly declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), presenting Himself as the single pathway to genuine, everlasting life. • Eternal life is not a mere future promise; it is presently possessed by those who trust Him: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11-12). and that life • The definite article (“that”) points to a specific, identifiable life—Christ’s own divine-human life, flawless and indestructible. • His life was displayed in tangible ways: healing the sick (Mark 2:1-12), loving the outcast (Luke 7:36-50), obeying the Father perfectly (John 4:34). • When believers receive Him, His life animates them from the inside out: “I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness” (John 10:10). was the light • Life in Christ automatically radiates illumination. “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness” (John 8:12). • Light exposes reality, revealing God’s character and humanity’s need: “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6). • Where Christ’s life is received, moral and spiritual darkness must retreat (Ephesians 5:8-9). of men • The scope is universal. Every person, regardless of culture or era, needs and is offered this light (John 12:46). • Rejecting that light leads to self-inflicted darkness: “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness rather than the Light” (John 3:19-21). • When a man or woman embraces Jesus, the inner lamp is lit, and they become reflectors of His brightness to others (Matthew 5:14-16). summary John 1:4 proclaims that Jesus Christ personally embodies life itself, and that His indestructible, eternal life shines into humanity as the only true light. He is both source and revealer—one cannot have real life without Him, nor genuine understanding apart from the radiance He supplies. Receiving Him means entering a living, illuminated fellowship that overcomes the darkness now and forever. |
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