The True Light

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
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 man, but of God.
[John 1:6-13 NKJV]

John — in speaking of his namesake John, the Baptist — twice says that he came to ‘bear witness to the/that light’. This works on two levels; for emphasis of John the Baptist’s role as a witness, and that ‘two’ is the number used in Scripture to denote ‘witness’, or ‘agreement’.* John is also making a clear distinction between John the Baptist’s purpose and that of the Light that he came to announce.

Furthermore, these verses speak of two people, ‘The Baptist’ and ‘The Light’, who was Jesus, who was to become ‘the Christ’. In the beginning was one, ‘The Word’, and now we have two. Now we have the embryo of a movement; a seed planted which will grow and bear fruit, which is shown in the third part of these verses — that those who follow, as many as received Him ... who believe in His name, is given the right to become children of God. This was no advertising gimmick or foolish promise, as we know. This seed has grown to become still — despite the decline of Christianity in Western society — the largest religion in the World today, by far. What began as ‘the true light’ has become an incandescent flame illuminating the whole earth, if only many more had a heart to perceive and eyes to see, and ears to hear. [Deuteronomy 29:4 NKJV].

And if each of us who have ‘seen The Light’, bear witness to The Light, we shall be helping keep that flame alive.

* Two. Denotes difference. If two different persons agree in testimony it is conclusive. Otherwise two implies opposition, enmity, and division, as was the work of the Second day. Compare the use of the word “double” applied to “heart”, “tongue”, “mind”, &c. [E W Bullinger ‘The Companion Bible’, Appendix 10: “The Spiritual Significance of Numbers”]

The Apostle James will have nothing to do with pious talk that is not backed by the life. Pious words without works are so much wind.

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