Man Points to the Light While a Family Listensby CBPepper
1:8John 1:8
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
John the Baptist was not the Light but was sent to bear witness to the Light, so that all might believe through Christ. The Light is Jesus Christ, the Creator and source of life who lights every person coming into the world, come to penetrate spiritual darkness and reveal the Father. John's appointed work was to point people to Christ as the Lamb of God, to prepare the way for Him and make them ready to receive Him. That same work is set for every gospel minister and every believer, who are sent as John was to bear witness to Christ as the Light. Following John's example they take no glory to self but ever direct praise and sympathy away from self to Christ, proclaiming Him as the crucified One who alone takes away sin and gives power to overcome.
John and the True Light
John was not the Light but was sent to bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through Christ the true Light. He was a witness pointing to Christ, not the Light himself, and the distinction between witness and Light is the meaning of the verse. Some mistook John for the Light, but he declared he was not that Light and refused to receive glory that did not belong to him.
John was the lesser light to be followed by the greater Light, Christ, and his work began the preparation that Christ would complete. Though Jesus called him a burning and shining light in whom people rejoiced for a season, every ray John had came from Jesus. The Light is Jesus Christ, the Teacher and Creator by whom the world was made, who made all things and gives life and lights every person coming into the world. Yet the world made by Him did not know Him, He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.
He came to His own chosen nation Israel, and they did not believe Him but rejected and crucified Him. Those who rejected John's light fell into deeper darkness and were ready to reject the evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah. Christ as the eternal Word existed from eternity with the Father and was before John. He is the pre-eminent revelation of God, the Faithful and True Witness, the incarnate Word, the fullness for Jew and Gentile, the manifestation of His character, law, love and life. He appeared as the Instructor when the fullness of the time had come.
As the Light of humanity He came to penetrate spiritual darkness and bring the prospect of immortality. He came as the light of truth to shine amid moral darkness and make divine truth known, bringing to the whole world the brightness of redeeming love. He came to reveal the Father to humanity, and He is the source of all light, life and knowledge, to be received as Teacher rather than accepting the world's account of true education. His coming when the world seemed wholly given into the control of evil gave evidence of God's love by His dying for the fallen race, gathering to His own pure sinless soul the penalty resting on the sinful race and offering Himself as a sacrifice. That coming revealed God's love and the immutability of God's law, and receiving the Word is receiving Christ, the Rock of Ages and the only foundation upon which a character that will endure can be built.
John's Preparatory Mission
John was a man sent from God as a messenger with plain truth for his time, that all might believe through Christ, for he himself was not that Light. He was a child of promise, filled with the Holy Spirit from birth and ordained by God to a special work as a reformer, the connecting link between the two dispensations. His appointed role was to bear witness to the Light and to point people to Christ the True Light, directing them to behold the Lamb of God. He was not to take Christ's place nor receive the glory belonging to Christ, but to prepare the way for Him and begin the preparation that Christ would complete.
His witness was plain, convicting and shining, for Christ alone is the Light who brings to the whole world the brightness of redeeming love. It shook the confidence of the people in their traditions, called their sins to their remembrance, and led many to repentance, so they would be prepared to receive Christ and appreciate His work. God spoke to him by inspiration and illuminated him, so that he could remove from the minds of honest hearers the superstition and darkness gathered for generations through false teaching. Those who rejected its light fell into deeper darkness and were ready to reject the evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah.
Through his witness those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given power to become sons and daughters of God. The Father's love is bestowed in calling believers the sons of God, bringing all who accept Jesus Christ into close relationship with God, freely granted pardon as members of the royal family. This is kept day by day by the power of God as they continue to receive Christ and confess Him as personal Saviour, in humility without self-sufficiency, through the Holy Spirit alone guiding into all truth, by acceptance of the light that comes from God to sanctify mind and will. He who is thus witnessed to is the eternal Word, the Son of God Himself, who existed from eternity with the Father and was before John, appearing as the Instructor when the fullness of the time had come, when the world seemed wholly given to the control of evil.
That same message was still needed in 1904, calling people to the life they must live in this world to prepare for the future life that measures with the life of God. It calls them to turn from distracting disputes and side issues and to serve God with full purpose of a renewed heart sanctified and made holy by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. The way men then treated Christ in not receiving Him is being repeated today and will be repeated again and again before Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. Then the deceptions of Satan will be upon those who dwell on the earth, and the enemy will claim to be Christ and will deceive all but those who are steadfast and true to God.
Pattern for Present Witness
John's sending sets the pattern for the work of every gospel minister and of every believer, who are sent as John was to bear witness to Christ as the Light. No human being can take Christ's place or take power, authority, or even the smallest tittle of glory to self, for talent and ability are only lent by God and at best a person is only God's instrumentality through whom God does His work. Following John's example, witnesses never attract people, sympathy and praise to finite self nor draw sympathies to themselves, but ever point to Christ as the Life, the Truth and the Way and lift sympathies above self to center them upon Christ. They direct every word of praise away from self back to the Giver and put self out of sight until the mind's eye sees only Jesus the crucified One. The burden of their message is to proclaim Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, to present the crucified One in His true office, and to teach that strength to overcome evil comes from Christ alone.
Those who witness must have Christ's light shining within mind and soul as an abiding presence, yielded to God to be purified, cleansed and sanctified. Words alone do not impress hearts, but Christ's presence and power working through them does. Bearing witness is done under the Holy Spirit's teaching in language pure, refined, simple and clear as a running stream, by studying the Word as a lamp to the feet and light to the path. It is done by continuing to receive Christ and confess Him as personal Saviour, kept day by day by the power of God in humility without self-sufficiency, with the Holy Spirit alone guiding into all truth, by acceptance of the light that comes from God to sanctify mind and will.
Christ's followers are to carry that light and its message of peace, hope and joy to everyone, to direct people to the light shining in darkness and to reach all places and all classes of people. They are to reflect His light through good works that help and comfort others and lead people to glorify God, flashing light amid the darkness of a sin-loving world. The true Light is the Saviour who calls people to follow Him rather than walk in darkness or be led astray by human teaching. All must go directly to Him as the source of all light and knowledge, of wisdom, guidance and true education, receiving Him as teacher rather than depending on erring mortals or accepting the world's account.
John the Baptist was not the Light but was sent to bear witness to the Light, so that all might believe through Christ. The Light is Jesus Christ, the Creator and source of life who lights every person coming into the world, come to penetrate spiritual darkness and reveal the Father. John's appointed work was to point people to Christ as the Lamb of God, to prepare the way for Him and make them ready to receive Him. That same work is set for every gospel minister and every believer, who are sent as John was to bear witness to Christ as the Light. Following John's example they take no glory to self but ever direct praise and sympathy away from self to Christ, proclaiming Him as the crucified One who alone takes away sin and gives power to overcome.
John and the True Light
John was not the Light but was sent to bear witness of the Light, that all might believe through Christ the true Light. He was a witness pointing to Christ, not the Light himself, and the distinction between witness and Light is the meaning of the verse. Some mistook John for the Light, but he declared he was not that Light and refused to receive glory that did not belong to him.
John was the lesser light to be followed by the greater Light, Christ, and his work began the preparation that Christ would complete. Though Jesus called him a burning and shining light in whom people rejoiced for a season, every ray John had came from Jesus. The Light is Jesus Christ, the Teacher and Creator by whom the world was made, who made all things and gives life and lights every person coming into the world. Yet the world made by Him did not know Him, He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.
He came to His own chosen nation Israel, and they did not believe Him but rejected and crucified Him. Those who rejected John's light fell into deeper darkness and were ready to reject the evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah. Christ as the eternal Word existed from eternity with the Father and was before John. He is the pre-eminent revelation of God, the Faithful and True Witness, the incarnate Word, the fullness for Jew and Gentile, the manifestation of His character, law, love and life. He appeared as the Instructor when the fullness of the time had come.
As the Light of humanity He came to penetrate spiritual darkness and bring the prospect of immortality. He came as the light of truth to shine amid moral darkness and make divine truth known, bringing to the whole world the brightness of redeeming love. He came to reveal the Father to humanity, and He is the source of all light, life and knowledge, to be received as Teacher rather than accepting the world's account of true education. His coming when the world seemed wholly given into the control of evil gave evidence of God's love by His dying for the fallen race, gathering to His own pure sinless soul the penalty resting on the sinful race and offering Himself as a sacrifice. That coming revealed God's love and the immutability of God's law, and receiving the Word is receiving Christ, the Rock of Ages and the only foundation upon which a character that will endure can be built.
John's Preparatory Mission
John was a man sent from God as a messenger with plain truth for his time, that all might believe through Christ, for he himself was not that Light. He was a child of promise, filled with the Holy Spirit from birth and ordained by God to a special work as a reformer, the connecting link between the two dispensations. His appointed role was to bear witness to the Light and to point people to Christ the True Light, directing them to behold the Lamb of God. He was not to take Christ's place nor receive the glory belonging to Christ, but to prepare the way for Him and begin the preparation that Christ would complete.
His witness was plain, convicting and shining, for Christ alone is the Light who brings to the whole world the brightness of redeeming love. It shook the confidence of the people in their traditions, called their sins to their remembrance, and led many to repentance, so they would be prepared to receive Christ and appreciate His work. God spoke to him by inspiration and illuminated him, so that he could remove from the minds of honest hearers the superstition and darkness gathered for generations through false teaching. Those who rejected its light fell into deeper darkness and were ready to reject the evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah.
Through his witness those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given power to become sons and daughters of God. The Father's love is bestowed in calling believers the sons of God, bringing all who accept Jesus Christ into close relationship with God, freely granted pardon as members of the royal family. This is kept day by day by the power of God as they continue to receive Christ and confess Him as personal Saviour, in humility without self-sufficiency, through the Holy Spirit alone guiding into all truth, by acceptance of the light that comes from God to sanctify mind and will. He who is thus witnessed to is the eternal Word, the Son of God Himself, who existed from eternity with the Father and was before John, appearing as the Instructor when the fullness of the time had come, when the world seemed wholly given to the control of evil.
That same message was still needed in 1904, calling people to the life they must live in this world to prepare for the future life that measures with the life of God. It calls them to turn from distracting disputes and side issues and to serve God with full purpose of a renewed heart sanctified and made holy by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. The way men then treated Christ in not receiving Him is being repeated today and will be repeated again and again before Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. Then the deceptions of Satan will be upon those who dwell on the earth, and the enemy will claim to be Christ and will deceive all but those who are steadfast and true to God.
Pattern for Present Witness
John's sending sets the pattern for the work of every gospel minister and of every believer, who are sent as John was to bear witness to Christ as the Light. No human being can take Christ's place or take power, authority, or even the smallest tittle of glory to self, for talent and ability are only lent by God and at best a person is only God's instrumentality through whom God does His work. Following John's example, witnesses never attract people, sympathy and praise to finite self nor draw sympathies to themselves, but ever point to Christ as the Life, the Truth and the Way and lift sympathies above self to center them upon Christ. They direct every word of praise away from self back to the Giver and put self out of sight until the mind's eye sees only Jesus the crucified One. The burden of their message is to proclaim Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, to present the crucified One in His true office, and to teach that strength to overcome evil comes from Christ alone.
Those who witness must have Christ's light shining within mind and soul as an abiding presence, yielded to God to be purified, cleansed and sanctified. Words alone do not impress hearts, but Christ's presence and power working through them does. Bearing witness is done under the Holy Spirit's teaching in language pure, refined, simple and clear as a running stream, by studying the Word as a lamp to the feet and light to the path. It is done by continuing to receive Christ and confess Him as personal Saviour, kept day by day by the power of God in humility without self-sufficiency, with the Holy Spirit alone guiding into all truth, by acceptance of the light that comes from God to sanctify mind and will.
Christ's followers are to carry that light and its message of peace, hope and joy to everyone, to direct people to the light shining in darkness and to reach all places and all classes of people. They are to reflect His light through good works that help and comfort others and lead people to glorify God, flashing light amid the darkness of a sin-loving world. The true Light is the Saviour who calls people to follow Him rather than walk in darkness or be led astray by human teaching. All must go directly to Him as the source of all light and knowledge, of wisdom, guidance and true education, receiving Him as teacher rather than depending on erring mortals or accepting the world's account.