John draws clear contrasts for a world mired in nuance.
John 1:9-13 (NIV)
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.
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
4 - A Twofold Response to the Gospel
God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel.Â
But those whoÂ
do accept itÂ
and embrace Jesus the SaviorÂ
with a true and living faithÂ
are delivered through himÂ
from God’s wrath and from destruction,Â
and receive the gift of eternal life.
Summary
The true light. What an interesting adjective John uses here! Certainly there are lots of false lights in the world; most only seem like light because they're lesser shades of darkness, while others only dimly reflect the one true light. But this one true light burns bright enough to give light to everyone.
Yet it's obvious that two millennia after this light arrived in the world, most people still bumble around in absolute darkness. As John puts it, the world did not recognize or receive this one true light. This light shines all around them and makes it plain where they ought to go and how they ought to get there, but they have their eyes shut so tightly that it results in self imposed blindness.
But you've seen this light! Or better yet, as John puts it, you've received the Light by believing in His name. You've come to recognize that the very One who made the world now stands before you to guide you out of the brokeness our sin has brought to the world and into the perfect righteousness that this One true Light both requires and supplies.
Jesus does more than just illuminate the path you need to follow. Because you've received / believed in Him, He changes your eternal identity - He gives you the right to become a child of God!
Dig Deeper
We're going to spend this entire week in John's gospel because John, more than any other Biblical writer, illustrates the stark contrast between rejecting the gospel and embracing Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith. John contrasts concepts like darkness / light, truth / falsehood, and God / world, as we read in today's passage, as well as numerous others in his gospel, epistles and Revelation.
We live in a world in love with nuance that rejects stark contrasts. It wants to stretch the continuum between good and evil by adding steps in between; most things are either sort of good or sort of evil. The world loves to point to the flaws in that which has been considered good and to make excuses for things considered evil in the past.
While nuance is good and necessary at times, John will help us recognize this week that ultimately God's judgment is binary. You're either with Him or against Him. You either walk in the Light or wander in darkness. You are either the child of God or your father is the devil (John 8:44).
As the Canons put it, you either embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith and are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, or God's wrath remains on you.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sent the one true light into the world, so that you would have the right to become His child;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God would keep your eyes open so that you walk in His light;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 14
