Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sunday Bible Study:

The Gospel According to John

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Footnote 1:4
Since v. 3 refers to the creation in Gen. 1, Life here should refer to the life signified by the tree of life in Gen. 2. This is confirmed by the fact that in Rev. 22 John mentions the tree of life. Since life is in Him, He is life (11:25; 14:6). and He came that man might have life (10:10b), The introduction to this Gospel is composed of this entire chapter; it begins with life (v.4) and ends with building (vv. 42, 51), that is, with the house of God, (see notes 42:1, 51:3 Hence, it is an introduction to life and building.

Footnote 1:4.2 The light for the old creation was physical light (Gen.1:3-5, 14-18). The light for the new creation is the Light of Life mentioned here.

John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

No footnotes verse 5.

I hope you enjoy these verses and consider picking up this bible. The footnotes alone are so enlightening and enjoyable. Nancy

Verse and Footnotes taken from:
Recovery Version Bible
Living Stream Ministry

4 comments:

Mason Canyon said...

Very inspiring post and a wonderful reminder, especially this time of year.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

N. R. Williams said...

Thank you Mason.
NR

Dominic de Mattos said...

Arriving a bit later than usual today! (I have just got back from the cinema.)

These verses are particularly challenging, because they are wrapped in layers of mystery.

It is important to remember how important light is to us. In darkness we are ignorant - we cannot know where we are, we cannot perceive ourselves, let alone anyone else, and we cannot know the right path to take. Jesus is our light - his light shows us clearly where we stand, who we are and where we should be going. Whether we choose to follow that light or to turn aside back into the darkness, it is a free choice. However if we choose to follow the light, to take the right path, it will lead us to him, to life.
No matter how dark the world seems to us, it cannot quench the light of Christ. If we look we will always see which way the light of Christ is leading us.
One last little fact for you. If you removed the light pollution, and you were somewhere high where the curvature of the earth would not get in the way, you could see a single, solitary candle from 40 miles away. That is the power of light - may it shine in your heart and in your life, this day and always.

N. R. Williams said...

Well said Dominic, thank you.
NR