John 1:6-14 - Recognize, Receive, Believe

You must recognize, receive and believe into the True Light.

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John 1:6-14 (NIV)

CONTEXT: This is part of the famous prologue that introduces John's gospel.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

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Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Point 2 - Limited Atonement

Point 3 - Total Depravity

Article 4: The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature

1. There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in all people after the fall, 

   1. by virtue of which they retain some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral, 

   2. and demonstrate a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior. 
      

2. But this light of nature is far from enabling humans to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him—

   1. so far, in fact, that they do not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society. 

   2. Instead, in various ways

      1. they completely distort this light, whatever its precise character,

      2. and suppress it in unrighteousness. 

   3. In doing so all people render themselves without excuse before God.

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Summary

John doesn't waste any time establishing the theme of his gospel - contrasting the light of Christ with the darkness of the world. In doing so he introduces another John, the one often referred to as 'the baptist,' who came as a witness to testify concerning the coming true light.

The sad fact in this happy passage announcing the light's arrival is that the world, which was made through Him, did not recognize Him. It's interesting how John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, frames Jesus' reception - or lack thereof. John doesn't describe the world's reaction to Jesus by using active tense words like reject or spurn, rather John uses reflexive & passive verbs here: the world simply did not recognize or receive the true light. This passive failure certainly led to active rebellion.

The point here is that it's easy to think of sin as simply being a deliberate choice to act contrary to God's law (which it is). But John is helping demonstrate that it's even far more insidious: dark sin oozes out of people's rejection of the true light. In other words, the ugly and obvious acts commonly associated with sin begin as an inability to receive or even recognize truth.

As the Canons put it, sin comes as the result of people completely distorting the true light... and suppressing it in unrighteousness. 

  Dig Deeper  

Of course John didn't pen this prologue or write his gospel, three epistles and the Revelation to announce bad news. Quite the opposite! John holds out a massie promise here to those who do receive the true light and who believe in His name: He gave them the right to become children of God!

Notice here how John combines a passive tense verb - receive - along with an active tense verb - believe. What a picture of how salvation works! The Holy Spirit regenerates those whom God has chosen for salvation. One way to understand this is that He opens the eyes of the elect so that they can't help but recognize the true light shining into the darkness. At this point, salvation is a passive process - we simply receive what the Spirit gives: recognition of Christ as our Savior.

But this passive process gives way to a very active demand: you must believe. John has an interesting and unique way of describing belief in the true light. Literally translated, you must believe into Him. The people Jesus ministered amongst are a good example of what John means. Even those who crucified Jesus believed in Him; how could they not? He stood right there before them!

But the those who had true faith, who recognized the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth, actively believed into Jesus by repenting. That is, they took all of their darkened, worldly ways of thinking and put all of their heart and soul and mind and strength into the True Light.

AAA Prayer (About)

• ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose children we now are because the True Light gave us the right;

• ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that as a believer in the True Light that you would put all of your heart and soul and mind and strength into Him;

• ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:

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Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 10