Lesson for February 9, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 2
John 1:6-13
Verses 6-9
“A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.”
The man sent from God was John the Baptist, the son of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Elizabeth’s cousin was Mary, the mother of Jesus. He came as a witness means that John the Baptist was the “forerunner” of Jesus, announcing Him as the Messiah to the nation of Israel. To testify about the Light. His message was to believe in Jesus as the Savior (Light) of the world.
He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. Since the true Light, Jesus Christ, lights every person who is born into the world, it means that every person who has ever lived has had the opportunity to be saved. The Bible tells us that God has revealed Himself in several different ways, so that mankind is without excuse when it comes to knowing that God exists. God has designed humans with a conscience with which to reach God-consciousness. There are several ways for a person to reach God-consciousness and everyone, except for infants and the mentally impaired, will reach a point at which they are aware that there is a God. Here are five ways that a person can reach God-consciousness:
- Religious Approach – Mankind, regardless of how “uncivilized,” uneducated, or remote geographically they may be, normally worships something. They may worship the sun, the moon, the trees, a rock, an animal, etc. This tells us that it is instinctive for mankind to worship a “higher” power than himself. This is obviously recognition of God on some level.
- Anthropological Approach – Mankind has a conscience with an innate urge to choose between right and wrong. If there is no God, then there is no good and evil, no right or wrong. Mankind innately knows that there is a higher standard for behavior, which logically demands a “standard maker” – God.
- Cosmological Approach – When a person looks at the universe and reasons that there must be a cause and an effect to its design and operation, the conclusion must be reached, it had a designer – God.
- Ontological Approach – The human mind possesses the concept of the perfect, the absolute, and should therefore conclude that there must be an absolute being – God.
- Teleological Approach – Man looks at the structure of things; a snowflake, a fingerprint, the universe, etc. and can only reach the logical conclusion that some intelligence, a master planner accomplished this – God.
Upon reaching God-consciousness, what is the responsibility of a person and what is the responsibility of God? We must always remember that God does not want anyone to perish. However, He will neverviolate our freewill. With that in mind, let’s discuss man’s responsibility. It is clear from Scripture that there is a certain group of people that will refuse the “light” they are given, regardless of which “approach” is used to bring them the “light.”
If a person, after reaching God-consciousness, does not desire further truth, God is no longer obligated to get the truth to that person. This, however, does not mean that God gives up on that person, though that person may give up on God. (II Peter 3:9; I Timothy 2:4; Romans 1:18-32; Isaiah 40:17-22; John 1:3-9; 9:41)
When a person reaches God-consciousness and makes a positive decision that they want to know God, He then obligates Himself to get truth to that person. God is always faithful to bring the truth to a person who desires to know Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalms 9:10, 10:4; Jeremiah 29:13; John 7:17; Acts 17:22-31)
God is revealed in nature according to Psalms 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20. An organized design indicates a designer. The universe with its stars, sun, and moon is evidence of an intelligent creator. The trees and plants, the changing seasons, the science involved in growth, etc. all point to an intelligent designer and creator – God.
Verses 10-11
“He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.”
He was in the world is a reference to the Hypostatic Union of Christ. Even though Jesus was the Creator of the world and became a human being at the Virgin Birth, the world, generally speaking, rejected Him as the Savior (Messiah). Satan has been hard at work since the Garden of Eden confusing, deceiving, seducing, and blinding the human race.
The first way Satan confuses people is through religion. Religion reduces a relationship with Christ to a system of works, a system of ethics, and/or a system of morality, which it is not. (Titus 3:5) Christianity is a relationship whereby we are in union with Christ and His life becomes our life. It is a relationship whereby the Holy Spirit, when He is allowed to control our life, produces something inside our soul which is far superior to any system of human works, ethics, or morality. II Corinthians 11:13-14 shows how Satan uses religion to confuse people.
A second way Satan confuses people is by blinding them to the truth of the Gospel with mankind’s philosophy/wisdom, according to I Corinthians 1:20-21, 2:6-8; II Corinthians 4:3-4. A third way Satan confuses people is by deceit (convincing them to believe a lie), according to II Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9; 20:3.
A fourth way Satan confuses people is through the use of supernatural phenomena like healing, speaking in tongues, and miracles, according to II Thessalonians 2:8-12. A fifth way Satan confuses people is by seduction, according to Ephesians 4:27; II Corinthians 2:11; I Timothy 3:7; II Timothy 2:26. Satan has a tremendous number of systems which he uses to confuse, deceive, distract, and seduce people. We must learn his devious ways and stay clear of them all.
He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. Jesus presented Himself to Israel as their Messiah, and generally speaking, they rejected Him. They rejected Jesus because they were blinded by Satan. The Jewish religious leaders were blinded by their arrogance and Satan used his “ace trump,” religion, to keep them blinded. Jesus came to Israel as the Messiah, the Anointed One, as the Son of David, the Savior, Who would reign forever and they failed to recognize and receive Him as such.
Verses 12-13
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God.”
Not all of Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Thousands came to know Him as their Savior as a result of His preaching, while He was here on earth. Receiving Christ means to receive the truth by believing that Christ made the payment for your sin.
Becoming a child of God is simply a matter of believing in Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross. Everyone who makes that decision is born into the family of God – the Royal Family of God. To those who believe in His name emphasizes the fact that salvation is by a simple act of faith in Christ and has nothing to do with human works or human merit.
Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God. Once you have been born into the family of God by faith in Christ, you are always in the family of God. A person does not become a Christian because their parents or grandparents were Christians (not of blood). Salvation is a spiritual birth which is a spiritual heritage, with a spiritual inheritance from God.
It is impossible to “work your way” to Heaven (nor of the will of the flesh). All the necessary work for salvation was done on the Cross by Jesus Christ. Jesus became sin for us as God the Father placed the sin of the entire human race upon Him and judged it. Therefore, we go to Heaven because we possess the righteousness of God, freely given to us when we believe in Christ. (II Corinthians 5:21) There is no place for human good or human works in salvation (nor of the will of a man). Salvation is a gift from God to those who believe in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
I Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”