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John Chapter
One
I. Content of the Chapter
I.The Son of God the Savior------Introduction
of the Word
A. Relations of the Word with God (1-2)
B. Relations of the
Word with all things (3)
C. Relations of the
Word with men (4-5)
D. Relations of the
Word with the forerunner John the Baptist (6-8)
E. Relations of the
Word with the world as well as with the Israelites (9-11)
F. Relations of the
Word with believers (12-18)
II.The Testimony of the
Son of God the Savior
A. the Testimony of John the Baptist :
1. John admitted he was not the Christ (19-25)
2. Christ is more noble----John was not worthy to unloose His scandal (26-28)
3. Christ is the Lamb of God----He takes away
the sin of the world (29-31)
4. Christ is the Son of God (32-34)
5. Christ is the Lamb of God----He walks
(35-39)
B. the Testimony of Andrew---- Christ is the
Lamb of God the Messiah (40-42)
C. the Testimony of Philip---- Christ is the
one who was the Old Testament
pointed to (43-45)
D. the Testimony of Nathanael---- Christ is the Son of God
and the King
of Israel (46-50)
E. the Testimony of the Lord Himself---- Christ
is the ladder from heaven connecting God and men (51)
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.”
YLT: “In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God;”
Meaning of
Words: “In the beginning”:
the original; “Word”: utterance, language (employed to express one’s thoughts,
conceptions and wisdom; “with”: accompany in, toward, before, face to face)
Literal Meaning: “In the beginning was the Word”, the same phrase “in the beginning” is
used both in Genesis (1:1) and John (1:1), but the two occurrences carry
different meanings; In Genesis, it means the beginning of God’s creation, i.e.
the beginning of time; In John, it indicates the past eternity before the beginning
of time---- He is the self-existing one.
“Was”, the past imperfect tense, means the continuous
existence not limited by time. In other words, “the Word” will exist endlessly
for ever.
“The Word (logos)”: “utterance” or “speech” is
different from “the transient word (rhema)” we normally use, but means “the
abiding word”. Words, voice of one’s mind, are the expression of one’s heart
and mind. The “Word” here explains, manifests and represents the being of God
(see v.18).
Jesus Christ, “the
Word”, existing before the foundation of the world, is the explanation and
manifestation of God. He is the one who declares God (see v. 18). The
expression “the Word was with God” has at least the following four meanings:
(1) It means “the Word”, like God, is a person. (2) It means that “the Word”
and God are in the same position without differences as to the degree of
excellence. (3) It means that “the Word” and God exist simultaneously. (4) It
means that “the Word” and God are face to face, enjoy mutual communion and
conceal no secrets toward each other.
Jesus Christ,
existing with God the Father, is equal with God (Phil. 2:6) and has entire
knowledge of God’s mind.
“And the Word was God” shows that the Word and God
are one and inseparable. It suggests that God is plural in persons, but one in
Godhead.
“Was” indicates that
the divinity of “the Word” is inherent instead of later developed.
Observe that the
word “God” without article in this verse emphasizes the nature of the noun “God”.
The “Word” alone does not compose the whole substance of God, but is entirely
identical with God in essence. The “Word” is part of the divine Trinity.
Jesus Christ and God
the Father are one (see 10:30). He is God.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We must trace back to the very beginning when we
try to understand a certain matter.
2) Words are the manifestation and expression of one’s
own. A man appears to be mysterious when he keeps silent. Christ, the Word of
God, declares and manifests the mysterious God.
3) In the past, God and men were separated without
any communion. But now the coming of Christ means the coming of God. When the
Word came, God came together, and it was God Himself who came to men.
John. 1:2 “He was in the beginning with God.”
YLT: “This one was in the beginning with God;”
The Background: A prevailing heresy
at the end of the first century held that Jesus Christ was a common person
instead of God, but later became God at a certain time.
Literal Meaning: “He (emphatic in the
original)” implies and emphasizes that He is such a one as described in the
first verse.
Verse two is not only a repetition of the first
verse but also a confirmation of verse one, pointing out that Jesus Christ was
God in the past eternity without beginning and was not suddenly transformed
from human to God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
The divinity of Christ is everlasting and
absolute. From everlasting to everlasting, He was with God, and He was God. No
wonder that there is no mention of the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of
John, for He is “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having
neither beginning of days nor end of life (Heb 7:3).”
John. 1:3 “All things were made through Him, and
without Him nothing was made that was made.”
YLT:
“All things through him did happen, and without him
happened not even one thing that hath happened.”
Meaning of
Words: “All things”: the whole, the worlds; “made”:
became; “was made”: began to exist
Literal Meaning: “All things were
made through Him” means ““All things through Him existed” in the original, implying
that He “calls
those things which do not exist as though they did (Rom 4:17)”.
“And without Him nothing was made that was made”
denotes that all creation created by Him was good originally with each one of
it being positive and acceptable. But many filthy and disgraceful conditions at
present stem from the fall of men and the destruction of sin thereafter.
This verse states clearly that Jesus Christ is not
a created one by God. On the contrary, God created all things by Him (see
Col1:16-17; Heb1:2). Without Him, there is no creation.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The
creation comes into being through “the Word”, without whom there will be nothing
existing. That is to say, nothing will exist without Him.
2) God created by the Word instead of by labor. For
he spoke, and it was done (see Gen1). It is unnecessary to labor in the new
creation. When the words of God ---- Christ---- comes upon men, the old
creation is exchanged by the new creation, and that which was not comes into
being.
3) The God that we believe is a God who calls
the things that be not as being (Rom 4:1,
4) In this verse, it mentions the creation before
life (see v.4), showing us that the creation came into being for the purpose of
life, for there should be vessels to receive the life. God creates the heavens
for the earth, creates the earth for men, and creates the man that has a spirit
within to be filled with God’s divine life.
5) Cullman said: The first revelation that God gives
to men is the revelation of His creation.
John. 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light
of men.”
YLT: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
Literal Meaning: “In Him was life”, “life” here does not mean the natural
life of man, but the life of God, which is typified by the tree of life in
Genesis chapter two (see Gen 2:9).
“And the life was the light
of men”: the life of God
in men will touch the inner part of them, so that they can understand the way
of God. This is the enlightenment of life.
This verse testifies that Jesus Christ is the
origin of both life and light (see Ps. 36:9).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In Him (i.e. the Word) was life. Life is the
content of the Word, and the Word is the manifestation of life. We can only
understand the life in the revelation of God.
2) In Him was life----
He is life (see 11:25; 14:6), so He has come that people may receive life (see
10:10).
3) The Lord Jesus creates all things (see v.3), but
the life of God still remains in Himself instead of entering into all things.
His life, however, came into us who receive the Lord as our Savior. Hallelujah! We possess a most valuable treasure that
all creation has not---- the eternal life of God.
4) The natural life of men is not true life. The
true life is divine life, and that is Christ Himself. Before we received
Christ, we had but a transient life. In a sense,
there was no life in us before we were saved.
5) Life in Christ is everlasting, changeless and
abiding. All the human beings need this divine and uncreated life, namely, life
in Christ. This life is for men, and men are the receivers of this life.
6) Once the life of God comes into us, it will
become “the light of men”. In this light, we perceive the great glory, honor,
majesty and riches of the Lord Jesus on the one hand, and see the filth,
lowness, insignificance and destitution of us on the other.
7) God, who “gives life to the dead and calls those
things which do not exist as though they did”, has two great works: (1) the creation (2) the life.
Both the two works are in Christ, and through Christ. Oh! God has none work
outside Christ.
8) Light shines out of life. One should obtain life
first, and light will follow. No life, no light. If we want to seek the light
we should obtain the life and be filled with the life.
9) When we received Christ, He came into us with
the divine life. Instantly, we felt the enlightenment upon out heart, and this
was the light of life enlightening us inside.
10) The principle of God’s work is always that “there
was light (cf: Gen1:3)”. To be men’s life, Christ must firstly be men’s light.
11) The natural light is for the need of the old
creation (see Gen 1:3-5, 14-18); and the light of life is for the need of the
new creation. It is in light only that we can see the works of God.
12) Without life and light, everything is waste and
void; without Christ, our life is vain, dark and deadening.
John. 1:5 “And the light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not comprehend it.”
YLT: “And the light in the
darkness did shine, and the darkness did not perceive it.”
Meaning of Words: “comprehend”: possess, seize, obtain, overtake,
apprehend;
Literal Meaning: “And the light shines in the
darkness,”---- “shines”:
light shines continually. Light shines in darkness to reveal the evil and
vileness of people in the darkness.
“And
the darkness did not comprehend it.”----
“darkness” is the opposite side of “light”. Since light refers to Christ,
darkness should refer to the power against Christ, as well as the men and
systems under the power.
“Comprehend” has two meanings in this verse: “to
deal with through mind” or “to conquer by force”, which indicates that the
darkness can neither apprehend the light nor conquer the light.
This verse can be regarded as the summary of the Gospel
of John. The further development of this book focuses on the conflict between
the light (Jesus Christ) and the darkness (the king of the world).
Spiritual Meaning: Light typifies
kindness, life, joy and salvation while darkness typifies evil, death, sorrow
and perdition.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The darkness cannot overcome the light,
when the light enlightens us in our heart. Moreover light can disperse darkness.
2) Light has the ability to disperse darkness,
but it is possible to be rejected (not be received) by men. If we fell into the
darkness, it proved our false attitude towards the light.
3) If we
want to be enlightened, we should: (1) keep awake in His life rather than
indulging our spirit in sleeping (see Eph 5:14). (2) turn to the Lord and the
veil shall be taken away (see 2Cor 3:16-18).
John. 1: 6 “There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”
YLT: “There came a man -- having been
sent from God -- whose name John,”
Meaning of Words: “send”: send out; execute a mission, as an
authorized delegate;
Literal Meaning: “There was a man” refers to a man who appeared in the
historical stage.
“Sent from God”, “sent” refers to the messengers
sent by others with special missions.
“Whose
name was John.”---- This book has
never mentioned the name of the Apostle John, so the mere name John is an
evident reference to John the Baptist. In other three books John is called John
the Baptist in order to differentiate from the Apostle John.
John. 1: 7 “This
man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all through him might
believe.”
YLT: “This one came for testimony, that he might testify about the Light,
that all might believe through him;”
Meaning of Words: “witness”: evidence, testimony;
Literal Meaning: “that all through him might
believe”, “through him”
means “for the sake of John”. John is the very first one who witnessed to
others that Jesus is the Light. Therefore, in broad sense s, all the believers
in the New Testament should believe into the Lord Jesus in the guidance of John
the Baptist.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whoever has been sent from God (v.6) must
“bear witness of the Light”, and of the Light only. It means that:
a) There
is only one testimony of God---- His Son, the Christ.
b) To
judge whether someone is really from God, we need to see whether he bears
witness of Christ only.
2) John the Baptist instructed others to turn
their eyes onto Christ rather than drawing their attention to himself. Faithful
servants of Lord always lead men to fix their eyes on Christ.
John. 1: 8 “He was
not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”
YLT: “That one was not the Light, but
-- that he might testify about the Light.”
Meaning of Words: John, only a burning and shining light (see5:35),
pointed out the light of the world (see 9:5), but John himself is not that
light.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) John was only a witness of the light, but
men at that time was falsely regarded that John is that light. Today it is
still a crisis that many people mistake the witnesses of the Christ for the
Christ Himself.
2) Admittedly, ministers of God should be
counted worthy of double honor by believers (see 1Tim5:17), but it is still
necessary to take heed of keeping one’s own position, for fear of following the
same disastrous way of Satan---- exalting himself above all and esteeming him to be equal with God.
John. 1: 9 “That
was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”
YLT: “He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the
world;”
Literal Translation: He was the true Light, which does enlighten every man,
coming to the world.
Meaning of
Words: “true”: truthful (opposite to “false”);
“light”: illuminate, enlighten, bring to light; the world: kosmos (in the
original)
Literal Meaning: “gives light to every man
coming into the world”, “the world”:
originally means the earth inhabited by human beings, but John often employed
this word to refer to the people who had fallen away from God and lived in the
power of the Devil (see 7:7; 15:18-19; 17:14). “Gives light to every man” means to illuminate all things, for God makes His sun rise on evil and
good (Matt 5:45).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It clearly can be seen that there are true
light and false light. There is truth, and there must be falsehood in the world.
In the assemblies, there’re true Christians, true words and true prophets as
well as false Christians, false words (heresies) and false prophets. So
believers should discern the above-mentioned conditions.
2) The light illuminates all the people, from which
some profit, but some do not, for they react differently to the light (see
8:12).
John. 1: 10 “He was
in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know
Him.”
YLT: “In the world he was, and the
world through him was made, and the world did not know him:”
Meaning of Words: “know”: not only rational knowledge, but also in
the right relationship with others
Literal Meaning: “the world did not know Him.”---- “the world” has the distinct meaning
in John’s epistles, i.e. the disordered and corrupted world. “Did not know”
means indistinguishable and ignorant. The god of this world has so blinded the minds of men that they can not know the Christ (see
2Cor4:4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men in the world have but a vague knowledge
of the true God. They feel God in the darkness only by imagination, lacking
absolute assurance, thus mistaking false gods for true God (see Acts17:22-24;
Rom1:21-25).
2) Christians should know the Christ, but many
believers have only superficial knowledge about the Lord.
John. 1: 11 “He
came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
YLT: “To his own things he came, and his own people did not receive him;”
Meaning of Words: “His own (the second one)”: pertaining to self, one's own, private;
Literal Meaning: “His own (the first
one)”, a neuter noun in the original, means “one’s own house”. In broad senses,
it refers to the whole world. In narrow senses, it refers to the
“His own (the second one)”
is a masculine noun in the original. In broad senses, it means people in the
whole world. In narrow senses, it means the Jews (God’s elect).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) It is reasonable that Christianity and Christian
both belong to the sphere of “His own”. But some “organized Christianities” and
“nominal Christians” do not receive Christ. What a sorrow!
2) The Lord Jesus was put in a manger after
His birth, because
there was no room for Him in the inn (see Luke2:7). Is there any room for Him in
the hearts of His believers today?
3) Foxes
have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to
lay His head (Matt 8:20). The
world rejected and did not leave Him any room, but we believers should receive
Him and leave Him ample room in our hearts (see Eph 3:17).
John. 1: 12 “But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name:”
YLT: “But as many as did receive him to them he gave authority to become sons
of God -- to those believing in his name,”
Meaning of Words: “gave”
Literal Meaning: “But as many as received and believed
in His name”---- “believe into”
in this verse means receive. “His name” represents Himself (see Amos 5:8, 27;
Is. 48:9; Ps. 113:1; John15:21; 17:26; Acts 4:12), so “to believe in His name” means to receive Jesus Christ.
“To
them He gave the right”---- “right” refers
to the special grace which is reliable and dependable
“To become children of God”: to take part in the life and disposition
of God. We are not children
of God by nature. Only by
receiving Christ, we can obtain the right of children of God.
John. 1: 13 “Who
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.”
YLT: “Who -- not of blood nor of a
will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten.”
Meaning of Words: “of”: out of;
Literal Meaning: “not of blood”: “blood”: the physical body (see 3:6)
“Of the will of the flesh”: “the will of the flesh” means the corrupted will in one’s natural
life.
“Of the will of man”: “the will of man” means the good will in one’s natural life.
Some Bible exegetes believe that “the will of man”
means help from men (Gal1:11-12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians’ life is entirely spiritual, and
is absolutely independent of one’s flesh and natural life.
2) One cannot enter into brightness and
goodness through his natural capability, intelligence or competence, unless he
has been reborn of God.
3) “Not born of blood”, one cannot be saved through the
relationship by consanguinity. We should not say that one must be a
natural-born Christian if his parents are Christians.
4) “Not born of the will of the flesh”, one cannot be saved through
the will of the flesh. Although confession is needed for one to be saved,
confession without real repentance and believing cannot save him.
5) “Not born of the will of the men”, one cannot be saved with the
help of the ministers only. Although that we heard the gospel is a kind of help
from others, we could not be truly saved without the enlightenment of the Holy
Ghost.
John. 1: 14 “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
YLT: “And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his
glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.”
Meaning of Words: “dwelt”: tent, reside; “truth”: reality, verity;
“beheld”: to
look closely at, see, perceive;
“glory”: something is worthy of honor and praise.
The
Background: The Gnostics at that
time held that the divine God can never be united with evil flesh which is part
of the evil substance. According to the doctrines of Gnostics, Docetists denied
that Jesus
Christ came in flesh (see: 1John 4:2)
Literal Meaning: “the Word became flesh”---- the words of God became the flesh,
i.e. God is closed in the life and disposition of man. “The Word” was once
abstract, intangible, invisible and untouchable, but now becomes concrete,
tangible, visible and touchable in flesh. This is the explanation of that “God has been manifested in
flesh (1Tim 3:16)”.
Christ became flesh in likeness of flesh of sin (see Rom 8:3), but had not the character of
sin (see 2Cor 5:21).
“Dwelt
among us”: “dwelt” means
“tent” in the original. As the tent of God, Christ is the dwelling of God on
earth. Where he was, there God would be. Christ----the Word became
flesh----brings God to men, so His name is “Emmanuel”, which means, God with us
(see Matt 1:23).
“Full
of grace and truth”: “grace” means to
obtain graciousness and gift freely without any cost; “truth” does
not mean illusory imagination, but a kind of concrete and real knowledge.
“Grace” refers particularly to
that God becomes our enjoyment in Christ; and “truth” refers
particularly to that God becomes
our practical experience in Christ. For in him dwells
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (
One will find more than sufficient enjoyment and experience
of God in Christ. If someone failed to enjoy or experience God, it was not
ascribable to Christ, but to himself.
In the Book of John, “grace” is presented by
“love”, especially in the actions of the Lord Jesus; and “truth” is
particularly presented by the words of the Lord Jesus.
“And
we beheld His glory”---- it refers to
the transfiguration of Christ on the Mount (see Matt 17:1-2, 5; Luke 9:32; 2Pet
1:16-18). “Glory” is used to describe and presence of God (see Ex 24:16;
40:34-35).
“The
glory as of the only begotten of the Father”: the word “para” in the original has not been translated in “the
only begotten of the Father”. “Para” means “of”
and “with”, so there are two meanings of “the only begotten of the Father”: (1) the only begotten Son is out of the
Father. (2) He is always with the Father.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus came on earth to abide with
us, and brought us full of grace and truth. We needn’t seek any other grace and
truth, for the Lord Himself is grace and truth, and was bestowed to us
abundantly.
2) The description of Christ---- the only begotten of the
Father: (His being----
“the Word became flesh”); (2) the content----“full of grace and truth”; (3) the manifestation----“glory”
3) Christ revealed God not by arguments or
teachings, but by making Himself our enjoyment and everything, thus leading us
to appreciate the fullness of God.
4) God is not a God of teachings, reasoning,
customs, laws or gifts, but a God who can be enjoyed. God becomes our enjoyment
in Christ.
5) Grace is not to give anything physical or
spiritual, but is that God Himself becomes our enjoyment in Christ. Therefore,
the more we enjoy Christ, the more we experience His grace.
6) Grace is none other than Christ Himself. He is
of the most excellence, and all things besides Him are counted to be filth
(Phil 3:8).
7) Christ is truth (see 14:6). Once we obtain Him,
we obtain the truth. All things without Christ are vanities (Eccl 1:2). Only
Christ is the reality (truth) and verity.
8) If someone feels vanity, he has definitely not
been filled with Christ inside. A life full of Christ is a fullest and truest
life.
John. 1: 15 “John
bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, "He
who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me."'”
YLT: “John doth testify concerning him, and hath cried, saying, `This was he of
whom I said, He who after me is coming, hath come before me, for he was before
me;'”
Meaning of Words: “preferred before”: in front of; “before (the
second one)”: first (of all), foremost
Literal Meaning: “John bore witness of Him”---- “bore witness” is a legislative term.
“He
who comes after me”---- Jesus was manifested
before men after John the Baptist.
“Is
preferred before me, for He was before me”---- “before” concerns both time
and position. Here John the Baptist admitted that Jesus existed from
everlasting in respect of time, and that He is exceedingly honorable and
incomparable in respect of position.
John. 1: 16 “And of
His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.”
YLT: “And out of his fullness did we
all receive, and grace over-against grace;”
Meaning of Words: “of”: out of; “fullness”: what is put in to fill up, what is filled; “for”: instead, contrast
(denoting accumulation and superposition)
Literal Meaning: “we have all received”: the word “we” indicates all the
Christians, including those who have not seen Jesus in the body.
“And
grace for grace”: does not mean
“grace rewarding grace”, but “grace adding to grace”, i.e. “there is abundant
grace to meet our every need (2Cor 12:9)”.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse shows the abundant fullness of
Jesus. We can not receive from Him only once, but also enjoy the inexhaustible
grace of “grace
for grace”.
2) The more grace of Christ we enjoy, the more
the boundless fullness of His grace we will find. No one can enjoy all the
grace of Christ completely.
3) The extent that we enjoy the fullness of
Christ’s grace depends on our spiritual capacities. If we have immeasurable
capacities, God will give us immeasurable grace, so we should supplicate God to
enlarge our capacities.
4) Every blessing to us will become the basis of
another greater blessing. Every grace that men obtain and enjoy will be more
enriched again to us.
5) We should not be granted favor in vain, but give
thanks to God (see Luke 17:17-18). One who gives more thanks to God will obtain
more grace, i.e. “grace
for grace”.
John. 1: 17 “For
the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “For the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through
Jesus Christ did come;”
Meaning of Words: “was given”: was bestowed; “came”: became, fulfilled, came to pass, and
befell
Literal Meaning: “the law was given through
Moses”---- God bestowed
“the law” to men through Moses on the Mount of Sinai (see Ex 24:12). “The law” functions as the
testimony of God’s righteousness, and sets standard for men according to the
being of God.
“But
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”---- “grace and truth”,
the provision and revelation of God to us, enable us to enjoy and experience
God, thus meeting the demands of God. Only through believing into Jesus Christ,
we could obtain grace and truth.
In this verse, we can see three contrasts listed
below: (1) the law versus grace and truth; (2) Moses versus Christ; (3) through
Moses (which is given, the medium is separable) versus through Jesus Christ
(which come from the source, inseparable from the source)
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The law, given for a certain purpose of
God, can be separated with Moses who put forth the law. Both grace and truth are
in Christ and hence inseparable.
2) With Jesus Christ, there are grace and
truth; without Jesus Christ, there are none grace and truth
3) The law
only witnesses the being of God (see Ex 25:21), but grace and truth witness the
full provision of God.
4) None of
us can take part in God though the law, but grace and truth enable us to enjoy
God.
5) Grace
and truth are inseparable. If grace is over emphasized, one may run
to an extreme; if truth is over emphasized, one may fall into drought.
John. 1: 18 “No one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has declared Him.”
YLT: “God no one hath ever seen; the
only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father -- he did declare.”
Meaning of Words: “declare”: explain, tell, and rehearse
Literal Meaning: “No one has seen God at any
time.”---- (1) No one has seen the essence of God with his physical eyes. (2) No one has ever known God truly.
“The
only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father”---- “in the bosom of the Father” is “into the bosom of the Father” in the original. “Bosom”, a Hebrew idiom,
expresses the intimate relations of men. It indicated that the Son is the closest
one to the Father and has
an exceedingly honorable position.
“He has declared Him”---- the only
begotten Son has declared God through the Word, life, light, grace and truth.
The Word is the manifestation of God; life is the gift of God, light is the
enlightenment of God; grace is God coming to be enjoyed by men; and truth is
God being substantiated to be known by men. From the five aspects, God is thoroughly
manifested in His Son.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The bosom of the Father” speaks that Christ is the most beloved of the
Father. “The
only begotten Son” testifies that
only the Son can inherit all things of the Father. Whoever unites to the Lord
will obtain the right and become the children of God (see v.12). Besides, he shall
become the beloved of the Father with the Lord Jesus together and inherit all
the fullness of the Father.
2) We should know God through Jesus Christ.
The more that we experience the Lord,
the clearer we will know God.
John. 1: 19 “Now
this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from
YLT: “And this is the testimony of
John, when the Jews sent out of
Literal Meaning: the use of the word
“the Jews” appears more than seventy times (5 times
in Matthew, 6 times in Mark and 5 times in Luke) in the Book of John, and here
is the first time. “The Jews” refers generally to the Jewish nations, but in
this book it refers specifically to the Jewish religious leaders who oppose the
witnesses of Christ.
John. 1: 20 “He
confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."”
YLT: “And he confessed and did not
deny, and confessed -- `I am not the Christ.'”
Meaning of Words: “confessed”: assented, acknowledge,
John. 1: 21 “And
they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am
not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No."”
YLT: “And they questioned him, `What then? Elijah art thou?' and he saith, `I
am not.' -- `The prophet art thou?' and he answered, `No.'”
Literal Meaning: “Are you Elijah?”---- the Jews believed that according to
the Old Testament Elijah will come again before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the LORD (Mal 4:5).
“He
said, ‘I am not.’”---- John the Baptist denied that he was
Elijah, but the Lord Jesus testified that John was Elijah from John’s ministry
(see John 17:12-13).
“‘Are
you the Prophet?’”---- “the Prophet”
with the article indicates the prophet had been known by others and it may also
indicate the promised prophet like God in the Book of Deuteronomy (18:15).
John. 1: 22 “Then
they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who
sent us? What do you say about yourself?"”
YLT:
“They said
then to him, `Who art thou, that we may give an answer to those sending us? What dost thou say concerning
thyself?'”
Literal Meaning: “that we may give an answer
to those who sent us”: the manipulators
are Pharisees (v.24) who represent the council.
John. 1: 23 “He said: "I am
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of
the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."”
YLT: “He said, `I a voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the
way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet”
Literal Meaning: “as the prophet Isaiah said”: the Scripture here is quoted from the Book of Isaiah
(40:3), with only slightly inconsistencies in wording.
“’Make straight the way of
the LORD’”---- the mission of John the
Baptist is to pave the way for the Lord---- making one’s heart turn to the Lord
and paving the way for the Lord who will enter into one’s heart and reign in
one’s life. Note that “the way of the LORD” here does not refer to “the paths of righteousness (Ps 23:3)”, in which we will walk after
we receive the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Voice often disappears instantly. John the Baptist, the messenger of the
Lord, left nothing for himself. We should always bear witness of The Lord
instead of ourselves.
2) A ministry of the Lord should do his utmost
to bring people into God. He should not focus on his own gain and loss, status,
fame and wealth, and should not even attempt to turn others to follow him.
3) “Crying” shows that the
burden in John was so heavy that he could not help crying. The real burden is
the prerequisite for us to serve the Lord, and then we should endeavor to pour
out the burden within.
4) Our hearts were once crooked and rough, and it
should be made straight and brought low. Then the Lord will enter without
obstructions.
John. 1: 24 “Now
those who were sent were from the Pharisees. Or “And those sent were of the
Pharisees””
YLT: “And those sent were of the Pharisees,”
Literal Meaning: there are two
different translations of this verse: (1) “Now those who were sent were from the
Pharisees.”----The Pharisees
were the real manipulators. (2) “And those sent were of the Pharisees”---- The on-the-spot men who asked
questions were all Pharisees
John. 1: 25 “And
they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the
Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?""
YLT: “And they questioned him and said to him, `Why, then, dost thou baptize,
if thou art not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?'”
Literal Meaning: “Why then do you baptize?”----It means that “then, you are not
qualified to baptize others.”
John. 1: 26 “John
answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among
you whom you do not know.”
YLT: “John answered them, saying, `I baptize with water, but in midst of you he
hath stood whom ye have not known, this one it is who is coming after me, who
hath been before me,”
Meaning of Words: “know”: see; perceive (not the same “know” in verse
10)
Literal Meaning: John meant: “I do
not baptize with water causelessly, for I pave the way for the One (the Messiah) whom you are waiting for. He has already
been among you, but unfortunately you do not know Him.
John. 1: 27 “It is
He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to loose."”
YLT: “Of whom I am not worthy that I may loose the cord of his sandal.'”
The
Background: “whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to loose”: the Jews put on
sandals without uppers when they go out, and take off the sandals when they
enter into their houses. One of the works of the lowest bondmen was to loose
the sandal straps, take off and carry the sandals for their hosts and the
guests, and then pour
water into a basin to wash their feet.
Literal Meaning: “whose sandal strap I am not
worthy to loose”: John confessed
that he was not worthy to be His bondman.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) John the Baptist is the Lord’s forerunner,
whose mission is to preach
the baptism of repentance (see 26) and to
bring men to know Christ. We should also present men before the Lord in this
way.
2) Ministries of the Lord should seek the
humble and meek attitude like John the Baptist (“whose sandal strap I am not worthy to
loose”).
John. 1: 28 “These
things were done in
YLT: “These things came to pass in Bethabara, beyond the
Literal Meaning: “
John. 1: 29 “The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world!”
YLT: “On the morrow John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, `Lo, the Lamb
of God, who is taking away the sin of the world;”
Meaning of Words: “takes
away”: lift up, take away, carry, lift up;
Literal Meaning: “The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world! (See Isaiah 53:7-10)
”---- it refers to that Jesus Christ the Passover is sacrificed for us (Ex 12:3)
---- being crucified in the cross and shedding His blood for redemption.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus is the Savior of the Jews,
and not for the Jews only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1John
2:2).
2) The Israelite offered sacrifices for their sins, but only covered their sins temporarily. However,
God prepare us the Lamb now ---- Jesus Christ, who does
once for all having offered up himself
(see Heb 7:27). Henceforth, our sins have been completely taken away.
John. 1: 30 “This
is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred before me,
for He was before me.'”
YLT: “This is he concerning whom I said, After me doth come a man, who hath
come before me, because he was before me:”
Please see the commentary of verse 15.
John. 1: 31 “I did
not know Him; but that He should be revealed to
YLT: “And I knew
him not, but, that he might be manifested to
Meaning of
Words: “reveal”: manifestly declare, render
apparent;
Literal Meaning: “I did not know Him;”---- John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus were relatives in light of the kindred (see Luke 1:36), so John
was most likely to know the Lord. Here John said he did not know Him,
indicating that he did not know Jesus was the Messiah (Christ).
“But
that He should be revealed to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The baptism of John purposed to reveal Christ to men. The baptism of Christians is not a ritual of becoming a
member of Christianity, but an access into the spiritual fellowship of Christ.
2) The real baptism of repentance will open our minds and bring us more knowledge of Jesus Christ.
John. 1: 32 “And John bore
witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
He remained upon Him.”
YLT: “And John testified, saying -- `I have seen the
Spirit coming down, as a dove, out of heaven, and it remained on him;”
Meaning of
Words: “remain”: stay, endure, abide; “upon”:
above;
Spiritual Meaning: “the Spirit like a dove”,
“dove”, the typification of the Holy Spirit, typifies the gentleness, meekness
and singleness of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of
God descended upon Jesus, indicating that Jesus was the
Christ (which means “the anointed”), who was anointed by the Holy Spirit of
God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord was baptized by the Holy Spirit
before the church, so the spiritual realities of the church are all hid in the
head firstly. The fullness of Christ is the source of all the spiritual
fullness.
2) We should supplicate the Lord to pour out the Holy Spirit on us richly
(Titus3:6), then we will obtain spiritual
power to bear good witness of the Lord (Acts 1:8; 2:18-21).
3) A man, full of the Holy Spirit, must be gentle
to others like the gentleness of a dove, and single as well as sincere to God.
4) The anointed oil represents the ownership of God
(Lev8:12, 30). If we want to be possessed by God, we should have the experience
of the resurrection
from the dead.
John. 1: 33 “I
did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me,
"Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He
who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'”
YLT: “And I did not know him, but he who
sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, On whomsoever thou mayst see the
Spirit coming down, and remaining on him, this is he who is baptizing with the
Holy Spirit;”
Literal
Meaning: there are two different baptisms in this
verse: baptism with water and baptism with the Holy Spirit. The former is to
baptize with water in regard to those who have repented, through which their
corrupted life and dead works in the past are buried. The latter is to baptize
with the Holy Spirit in regard to those who have repented and believed into the
Lord, though which they receive the divine life of God, partake in the body of
Christ (see 1Cor12:13), and obtain power from on high (see Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8; 2:2-4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) John the Baptist, a relative of the Lord (see
Luke 1:36), must be familiar with the physical appearance of the Lord, but he
said: “I did
not know Him.” It is thus clear that we should not know Christ according to flesh (see 2Cor 5:16).
2) Actually, John did not know the Lord was
“the Son of God” until he saw the Holy Spirit descending upon the Lord (see
v.39). Therefore: (1) no one can know Christ without the revelation of the Holy
Spirit; (2) the Holy Spirit descent for the purpose of manifesting Christ and
glorifying Christ (see 16:14).
3) John the Baptist revealed Christ to the
John. 1: 34 “And
I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."”
YLT: “And I have seen, and have testified, that this is
the Son of God.'”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Seeing” is a prerequisite for “testifying”. We must
have seen in the Holy Spirit and then we can bear witness of the Lord.
2) If we want to testify to the world that we
are children of God, we must render the works of the Holy Spirit be manifested in
us.
John. 1: 35 “Again,
the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.”
YLT: “On the morrow, again, John was standing, and two of
his disciples,”
Meaning of Words: “Again, the next day”:
the third day (see v.29 “the next day”)
John. 1: 36 “And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said,
"Behold the Lamb of God!"”
YLT: “And having
looked on Jesus walking, he saith, `Lo, the Lamb of God;”
Meaning of Words: “Behold”: see (to gaze with an earnest mood)
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus
the second time, he only said “Behold
the Lamb of God!” without mentioning
“who takes
away the sin of the world” in the first time
(v.29). This indicates that one will be increasingly enlightened after he has
been saved. When someone saw the Lord for the first time, he thought about the
Lord and himself---- the Lord, the Lamb of God, took away his sins. When he
beheld the Lord the second time, he saw only the Lord and forgot himself.
2) If a believer only appreciates the grace of
the Lord, he still remains in the primary stage of his spiritual life. But if
he draws near to the Lord because of the Lord Himself, he has already
progressed.
John. 1: 37 “The two disciples heard him
speak, and they followed Jesus.”
YLT: “And the two disciples
heard him speaking, and they followed Jesus.”
Meaning of Words: “follow”: to be in the same way with; to
accompany (specially, as a disciple)
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Whoever beholds “the Lamb of God (see v.36)”,
he cannot help being drawn to follow Him (see Rev 14:4).
2) To be a disciple of the Lord, one must
follow Him. A Christian who only believes but does not follow the Lord can not
be called a true disciple of the Lord.
John. 1: 38 “Then Jesus turned, and
seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to
Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where
are You staying?"”
YLT: “And Jesus having turned,
and having beheld them following, saith to them, `What seek ye?' and they said
to them, `Rabbi, (which is, being interpreted, Teacher,) where remainest thou?'”
Meaning of Words: "Rabbi”: Teacher, my Master;
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord Jesus asked those who followed
Him: “What do
you seek?” Today, He also asks
every follower among us the same question: do you seek the Lord Himself only or
something besides Him?
2) The two disciples presented good answers: “where are You staying?”---- They only wanted to abide with the
Lord rather than anything else besides the Lord.
John. 1: 39 “He said to them, "Come
and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him
that day (now it was about the tenth hour).”
YLT: “He saith to them, `Come and see;' they came, and saw where he doth
remain, and with him they remained that day and the hour was about the tenth.”
Literal Meaning: “now it was about the tenth
hour”: “the tenth hour”, according to the Jewish
measure of time (from
The author of this
book is a Jew, but the recipients are the Gentiles, so the book may adopt the
Roman measure of time. For example, the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross
in the third time (see Mark15:25), i.e.
Enlightenment in the Word: to abide with the Lord and have fellowship
with Him personally are the mysteries of knowing that Jesus is the Christ (see
4:42).
John. 1: 40 “One of the two who heard
John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.”
YLT: “Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard
from John, and followed him;”
Literal Meaning: “One of the two who followed Him”:
one of them is Andrew, and it is generally acknowledged by the Bible scholars that the other unnamed one
is the author John.
John. 1: 41 “He first found his own
brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is
translated, the Christ).”
YLT: “This one doth first find his own brother Simon, and saith to him,
`We have found the Messiah,' (which is, being interpreted, The Anointed,)”
Literal Meaning: “He
first found his own brother Simon,”----
we can understand this verse from at least three aspects: (1) “First”, as an
adverb, means he found his brother firstly, and then found others; (2) “First”,
as an adjective,
means that the first thing he then did was to find his brother; (3) “First”, also regarded as the comparative degree of an adjective, means Andrew found his
brother earlier than the other disciple, from which we can infer that the
Apostle John also brought his brother James to the Lord Jesus.
“We have found the Messiah.”---- “Messiah”, a Hebrew word, is translated in Greek as “the
Christ”, which means the anointed one who was commissioned by God to fulfill the determinate counsel of God, i.e. the eternal will of
God.
John. 1: 42 “And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.
You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).”
YLT: “And he brought him unto Jesus: and having looked upon him, Jesus
saith, `Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas, thou shalt be called Cephas,' (which
is interpreted, A rock.)”
Meaning of Words: “Cephas”:
stone (Syrian);
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Andrew brought his brother to the Lord the
moment he found the Lord Jesus. Although we knew superficially about the Lord once
we believed, it was still possible to bring our families and friends to the
Lord.
2) When a believer had truly found the Lord,
he would definitely preach the Lord to others, especially their beloved family
members.
John. 1: 43 “The following day Jesus
wanted to go to
YLT: “On the morrow, he willed to go forth to
Meaning of Words: “want to”: desire, to
be disposed (forward), intend;
Literal Meaning: “The following day” is the fourth day (see v.29, 35).
John. 1: 44 “Now Philip was from
YLT: “And Philip was from
Meaning of Words: “Philip was from
John. 1: 45 “Philip found Nathanael and said to him,
"We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets,
wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."”
YLT: “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him, `Him of whom Moses wrote
in the Law, and the prophets, we have found, Jesus the son of Joseph, who from
Literal Meaning: “Philip found Nathanael”: Philip is often mentioned with Bartholomew together in the first three gospels (Matt
10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14), so some Bible exegetes believe that Nathanael is Bartholomew. Bartholomew means “son of Tolmai”
“Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”, the expression “the son of Joseph” confirms that Jesus was brought forth by the virgin. Joseph was not the Lord’s father physically,
but His father legislatively.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) To bring others to the Lord individually is
an essential duty for believers. Sometimes to talk with others personally is
more efficient than to preach before many people.
2) The testimony by Philip to Nathanael shows that: (1) Christ is the center of the
whole Old Testament of Bible. (2) Christ is the hope of all the people in the
whole Old Testament of Bible
John. 1: 46 “And Nathanael said to him, "Can
anything good come out of
YLT: “And Nathanael said to him, `Out of Nazareth is any good thing able
to be?' Philip said to him, `Come and see.'”
Literal Meaning: “Can anything good come out
of
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) "Come and see."---- It is the mystery when you preach gospels.
When you announce the gospels to others, it is unnecessary to argue with others
if you are despised and misunderstood by others. Instead, you can simply show
them the facts in Bible and your personal experiences in the Lord Jesus.
2) For those doubt and unfaithful men---- "Can anything good
come out of Nazareth?” the best way is to
bear witness of Christ to them, and to bring them to Christ---- "Come and see." Then, the antiquated ideas break up, and
the flesh revelation comes in---- “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (v.49)
John. 1: 47 “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and
said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"”
YLT: “Jesus saw Nathanael coming unto him, and he saith concerning him,
`Lo, truly an Israelite, in whom guile is not;'”
Meaning of
Words: “indeed”: truly, verily; “deceit”: craft, guile
Literal
Meaning:
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The Lord is the on who searches reins and
hearts (Rev 2:23), so He knows my intentions.
2) A righteous heart and guileless intention
are accepted to The Lord.
John. 1: 48 “Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know
me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when
you were under the fig tree, I saw you."”
YLT: “Nathanael saith to him, `Whence me dost thou know?' Jesus answered
and said to him, `Before Philip's calling thee -- thou being under the fig-tree
-- I saw thee.'”
The
Background:
the Jewish rabbis often sit under the fig
trees to rest, meditate, learn and teach the disciples.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Remember that even though people do not see
us when we are alone, the Lord is still looking upon us.
2) Our Lord attaches great importance to our intentions and actions in private,
especially our prayers and fasts in secret (see Matt6:4, 6, and 18).
John. 1: 49 “Nathanael answered and said to Him,
"Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"”
YLT: “Nathanael answered and saith to him, `Rabbi, thou art the Son of
God, thou art the king of
Literal Meaning: “You are the King of Israel!”---- It means you are the Messiah.
John. 1: 50 “Jesus answered and said to
him, "Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree,' do you
believe? You will see greater things than these."”
YLT: “Jesus answered and said to him, `Because I said to thee, I saw thee
under the fig-tree, thou dost believe; greater things than these thou shalt
see;'”
Literal Meaning: “You will see greater things
than these.”---- It means you
will obtain greater proofs to prove that I am the Son of God.
John. 1: 51 “And
He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see
heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
Man."”
YLT: “And he saith to him,
`Verily, verily, I say to you, henceforth ye shall see the heaven opened, and
the messengers of God going up and coming down upon the Son of Man.'”
The
Background: Jacob dreamed that he beheld a ladder set up on the earth and the
top of it reached to the heavens,
and beheld angels of God ascending and descending upon it (see Gen 28:12).
Literal Meaning: “"Most assuredly, I say
to you,”---- in the
original: I verily (amen), verily (amen) say to you.
“The
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” indicating that the Son of Man is the
ladder in Jacob’s dream. Christ is the only way to the heaven and the Father
(John14:6), He is the only mediator
of God and men (1Tim 2:5).
“The
angels of God”: angels are ministering spirits sent
out for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation (Heb1:14). Angels mainly minister to the
duty of conveying messages between God and believers so as to keep the
fellowship between men and God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) On one hand, the Lord
Jesus reached earth---- he lives up to the standard of man and represents man;
on the other hand, He reaches the heaven---- he lives up to the standard of God
and represents God. Only the Lord Jesus is the perfect God and perfect man. He
is both God and man.
2) God can draw near to men
only through the mediator Jesus Christ. Men can come to the Father
only through the mediator Jesus Christ as well.
3) The communication on earth can be interrupted, but the fellowship
from the heaven is always easy
and smooth.
4) “Ascending” is the first, and “descending” is the second. How could a man draw
God’s blessing without prayers to God? We should tell Him our need on earth,
the provision of the heaven will descend.
5) Christ Himself initiates the union of the heaven
and the earth, and is the focus of the fellowship between God and men. He is
truly the core of the earth, God and the men.
III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
I. The Surpassing
Excellence of the Word
A. From the view of time---- He was “in the
beginning” (v.1), before the beginning of time.
B.
From the view of space---- He was “with God” (v.1), beyond the regional
extension.
C.
From the view of essence---- He “was God Himself” (v.1).
D.
From the view of content---- He is the “fullness” (v.14)
E. From the view of position---- He is “the only begotten Son in
the bosom of the Father (v.18)”, and exceedingly honorable.
II.
The Names of Christ
A. The Word (v.1-2, 14)
B. The true Light (v.5, 9)
C. The Lamb of God (v.29, 36)
D. The Son of God (v.34, 49)
E. The Christ (v.41)
F. The
King of Israel (v.49)
G. The Son of Man (v.51)
III.
He came to His own
A. Who is He?
1. He is the Word (v.1).
2. He is God (v.1).
3. He is the true Light (v.9).
4. He is the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father (v.18).
B. What does He do?
1. He came
into the world and lightened every man
(v.9).
2. He gave the right to men
to be children
of God (v.12).
3. He came and
dwelt among us (v.14).
C. How should we react to Him?
1. To receive Him, i.e. to believe into his name (v.12).
2. To receive Him
(v.16)
3. To bear witness of
Him (v.15)
IV.
Relations of the Word with the Creation
A. The origin of the creation---- originated from the fellowship of the
Trinity (v.2).
B. The process of the creation:
1. Through Him (v.3)
---- the Word is the way and means of the creation
2. Without Him nothing
was made (v.3) ---- the Word took part in the creation personally
V.
How to obtain life?
A. The creation and life (v.3-4)
1. All things are
created to be filled with life
2. Life was not in the
creation, but in Him.
B. Life and light (v.4)
1. There was no life
in men before, so men were in darkness without light.
2. When life comes,
light comes after.
C. The conflict between light the darkness (v.5-11)
1. The light shines in darkness, but the people did not apprehend it.
2. People does not
receive the light for they did not comprehend the light
3. God sent people for witness that all might
believe through him.
D. The way to obtain life (v.12-13)
1. One does not obtain
life by blood, or by flesh, or by man’s will.
2. He should be born
of God and obtain the right
to be children of God
3. Only by believing into the Lord’s name and receiving Christ, a man
can be born
again.
E. The steps of God’s granting us His life
(v.14-18)
1. The
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, thus declaring God.
2. Jesus Christ is full
of grace and truth.
3. Grace
and truth subsists through Jesus Christ, so men should receive grace and truth through Him.
VI.
The exemplification of John the
Baptist
A. He was sent by God (v.6).
B. His commission was to bear witness of the light (v.7-8).
C. He did
not pretend
to be Christ (v.19-20).
D. He did not pretend
to be famous characters
either (v.21).
E. He declared his commission (v.22-26)
F. He testified Christ humbly (v.26-34)
G. He did not keep followers for himself (v.35-37)
VII. The
Building of Life is indicated in This Chapter
A. “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us (v.14).”---- God’s intention is to build up
His dwelling on earth.
B. “Jesus Christ is the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (v.29).”---- Men are the
material for God to build His dwelling, so the redemption must be accomplished
to take away the sin of men.
C. “The
Holy Spirit descended
as a dove from heaven, and abode upon Jesus (v.32).”---- The Holy Spirit played a positive role to bestow God’ life
upon those who believed.
D. “Simon
was renamed Cephas (Peter) by Jesus. (v.42)”---- A man will be built into stones (the
original meaning of both the names Cephas and Peter) by God’ divine life, and become good
material of building.
E. “Hereafter
ye shall see heaven open (v.51)”---- Jacob set a stone up a pillar and poured oil on the top
of it in the place where
he saw the opening gate of heaven, and he called that place
VIII.
The Lord Jesus is the Centre of Our Life
A. Beholding Jesus (v.29, 36) ----He is the one we look upon.
B. Following Jesus (v.37, 43) ----He is the one we follow.
C. Abiding with Jesus (v.39) ----He is the one we focus upon.
D. Preaching Jesus ---- He is the one we preach to others:
1. Teachers to
students (v.35)
2. Family members to family
members (v.41)
3. One passerby to another passerby (v.43)
4. Friends to friends
(v.45)
E. Believing into and experiencing Jesus (v.50-51) ---- Who is the
center of our spiritual experience.
IX.
The Progressive Growth
of the Disciples
A. From hearing the Word to admiring the Word (v.35-37)
B. From admiring the Word to seeking the Word (v.38)
C. From seeking the Word to obtaining the Word (v.39)
D. From obtaining the Word to keeping the Word---- bringing others to
the Lord (v.40-46)
E. From keeping the Word to knowing the Word (v.47-51)
X.
The Several Kinds of Disciples Who Came to Draw Near the Lord
A. John and Andrew---- Who came to seek the Lord themselves (37-39).
B. Peter---- Who was brought to the Lord by others (40-42).
C. Philip---- Who was called by the Lord Himself (43-44).
D. Nathanael---- Who came to see the Lord with doubts in
his heart (45-47).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou