God: Creator of Light

Prayer:  The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.  You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.  Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.  Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you (Psalms 89:11-14), Amen.

Main Scripture: Read 1 John 1:1-10.

That which was from the beginning (1 John 1a).

Associated Scriptures:

God made two great lights — the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. (Genesis 1:16-18).

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5).

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Correlative Quotes:

That glorious personage, Jesus Christ the Lord, who was from eternity; him, being manifested in the flesh, we have heard proclaim the doctrine of eternal life; with our own eyes have we seen him, not transiently, for we have looked upon him frequently; and our hands have handled-frequently touched, his person; and we have had every proof of the identity and reality of this glorious being that our senses of hearing …seeing …feeling …could possibly require.[1] – Adam Clark

There can be no doubt that the reference here is to the Lord Jesus Christ, or the "Word" that was made flesh.[2] – Albert Barnes

He is the great subject of the gospel, the foundation and object of our faith and hope, the bond and cement that unite us unto God.[3] – Matthew Henry

Study:

Not all things have a beginning.  The existence of the Trinity has no beginning or end.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have always existed.  Since physical light is a manifestation of God’s energy and Spiritual light is the truth of God, light, both in a physical and spiritual sense, have always existed. 

1. God is the creator of the light: “Let there be light”: Even though the light has always existed since God is Light, it was new to the creation of the universe (Genesis 1:3), “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’  And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”  God shared His energy with us in the form of light.  Ephesians 5:13-14, “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.”

Nothing can hide from God, nothing.  He has given us His light so that we can see.  We can see physically because of the light He has given us.  However, we can see spiritually since God has given us the light natural, warming light from the Sun and spiritual light in the form of His truth the Word of God. 

2. Jesus is the light of the world: “That which was from the beginning” (vs.1a). In John 8:12 Jesus, Himself, explains His relationship to the light, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

The coming of Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, and final ascension were all very personal to John.  As well as having the Savior/God to human being relationship, they were close friends (John 13:23).  At the cross, when every other disciple had abandoned Him, there was John.  Jesus looked down and, in His agony, He said, “Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home (John 19:26-27).

So, it is not at all surprising that John would use the phrase, “That which was,” indicating that Jesus was more than a man, He was God-Man.  John had seen all the miracles that Jesus had performed, had listened to Him speak in words that John could not comprehend, and yet he saw a loving, gentle man, a man who felt sorrow and pain.  This was more than a mere man and John describes all that Jesus was in these three simple but powerful words.  Then John continues to delineate his experience with Jesus in the rest of the book.[4] 

3. The Holy Spirit is the disseminator of the light: So that we would not be left alone after the ascension, Jesus sent us the light to live inside us (John 16:7-8). That light is the Holy Spirit; the Spirit of God.  God’s Spirit lives in us (1 Corinthians 13:6) so that we might see the light and understand the light that we see.  Jesus has filled us with His truth and it is ours for the taking. 
4. Believers are to spread the light: God is light, Jesus manifested the light, The Holy Spirit internalizes the light, we must spread the light: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” (Luke 11:33-34). The light of God in us demands that we show it off. Let others know you are of God and not of this world.  It should be seen in our actions and in our attitude toward life and toward others.  The gospel message must be spread to further the cause of Christianity.  It is only through evangelism that the church will survive.  That’s God plan.

Summary Statement:

Jesus became flesh (John 1:14) so that He could share the light; truth.  Jesus came so that we could become alive spiritually (John 3:1-8).  He came that we might not only see the light, but that we would understand what we see.  Jesus is the physical representation of the light.  In Jesus, we see the light of truth.  Jesus not only spoke the truth, but He is also the Truth.

We see God’s glory all around us because we have light, physical light.  It is physical light that allows us to enjoy life itself with all its many facets.  We see incredible sunrises and sunsets; we move around by using light, and we bask in its life-giving warmth.  We could not exist without physical light. 

The same is true of spiritual light.  It is through the light of the Spirit that we can enjoy the fruits of the Spirit, understand our relationship with God, and interpret His word to help us be obedient and therefore enjoy our lives to the fullest.  Both physical light and spiritual light are necessary for our existence now and will be for eternity. 

Lesson within the Lesson:

Even if we had heat, what would life be like without light?

Explain how Jesus used the light to influence mankind.

Explain how the Holy Spirit uses God’s light in us.

How should we use God’s the light to influence others?

[1] Adam Clark, Adam Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary on Revelation, Volume 6, Public Domain, © 1836, Thomas Tegg and Son, 73 Cheapside, London. godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkegen1.htm

[2] Albert Barnes, Notes Explanatory and Practical, Public Domain, Ibid, 1829

[3] Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (Unabridged), Volume VI, (Acts to Revelation), Public Domain, bitimage.dyndns.org/, 1706.

[4] Albert Barns, Notes Explanatory and Practical, Public Domain, Ibid.