John 1:3-9 NLT
[3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
[4] “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. [6] God sent a man, John the Baptist, [7] to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. [8] John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. [9] The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
Genesis begins with “In the beginning…”, describing, in verse 2, the condition of the earth before God began to work on it… darkness! Then in verse 3, He speaks light into the darkness without disclosing its source. The Bible only introduces the source of visible light in verse 14.
Genesis 1:4-5 NIV
[4] “God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. [5] God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”
Genesis 1:14-18 NIV
[14] And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, [15] and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. [16] 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. [17] God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, [18] to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.”
So, what was the light that lit up the dark earth? John fills us in. It was Jesus, the Aleph and Tov of Genesis, who was both Creator and the source of light (illumination) before the physical lights began to expose what the darkness of the corrupted earth had hidden, and to function on the earth to sustain life.
There is a correlation between physical and spiritual darkness. Just as physical darkness conceals the objects in a dark room, so spiritual darkness is the condition of humans that hides the corruption in the heart. No one can understand how evil the human heart is until the light of Jesus reveals what is inside.
So, John endorses Jesus’ signature in Genesis 1, the identity of the Aleph Tov, the One who was not only present but is both active in the preparation of earth for its human inhabitants, and gives and sustains the life He has given us. We need physical light to see our environment and spiritual illumination to understand our connection with and disconnection from our Creator.
However, light is not only the source of illumination but also the source of life. Without light, nothing can continue to exist. Light is the energy that powers the earth, all plant, animal, and human life dependant on its life-giving properties.
The second person of the Trinity, who became the Jesus of history, was God’s agent in creation. God spoke and the Word acted. John identified Him as the personification of God’s words, and the subject of all Scripture.
Psalms 33:6 NIV
[6] “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
John 1:3 NIV
[3] “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
As mysterious as this may seem to us, this is the declaration of the infallible Word of God. Among the many official titles given to the Son of God, this one emerges as the title of His functions, wisdom clothed in words.
The Word was God’s wisdom, present at creation…working with the Father.
Proverbs 8:27-30 NIV
[27] “I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, [28] when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, [29] when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. [30] Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence”…
The Word created the universe and restored the corrupted earth.
John 1:3 NIV
[3] “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
The Word is at work in His creation…
Hebrews 1:3 NIV
[3] “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…”
Through the Word, we are saved.
Romans 10:17 NIV
[17] “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Through the Word, we are born from above.
1 Peter 1:23 NIV
[23] “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
The Word will judge all people at the end of time…
John 5:22 NIV
[22] “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son…”
…who will judge by His words…
John 12:47-49 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”
The Word will conquer and destroy all evil.
Revelation 19:11, 13, 15-16 NIV
[11] “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war…
[13] He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God…
[15] Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. [16] On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.”
Jesus is the light that reveals all of God’s work… His plans for creation, redemption, and restoration, all centred in Him…
He enlightens us concerning our condition…
John 3:19-20 NIV
[19] “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. [20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
… our plight…
John 3:18 NIV
[18] “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
… and His solution…
John 8:12 NIV
[12] “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.”
Let this be our story…
John 3:21 NIV
[21]” But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
The outcome is out of this world…
1 John 1:7 NIV
[7] “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
John, therefore, connects and explains both the story of Genesis and the story of Jesus by his statement, “In the beginning…” From this starting point, he moves into the unfolding of his theme, Jesus, the Word of God in eternity and in time.