GOD IS LIGHT

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)

Devotion 4 of 22

THE DECLARATION

The message declared by John is virtually unknown in our day. This proclamation was made in the eventide of John's life, when the truth had accomplished much within Him. Here is a summary-view of the Father. It is not intended to tantalize the intellect, but to enlist the heart, soul, mind, and strength in the love of God. "And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).

God is not "the light," or "a light," but "LIGHT" itself; i.e., that is His nature. Here we have a summation of Divine essence on the intellectual side, while "God is love" is a synopsis of its moral side. Mark it well, "light" and "love" are not attributes or qualities of God, but God Himself. John states that this is the "message we have heard from Him and announce to you" (NASB). We do not have a record of these precise words (i.e., "God is light") being given to John, and I do not believe it is his intention to provide a quotation of Christ. Rather, this is an overview of the Divine message; a statement that sums up the revelation given to the Apostles. Note that it was not a revelation of duty, but of a Person; not a delineation of routine, but the proclamation of God Himself. The rarity of such a message in our time is staggering!

The message

There is a current prevalence of religion with NO message! I am more and more astounded at this condition. Whole bodies of theological thought exist that have no basic message to proclaim. Some of them are systems of problem resolution. Others are mere promotional tactics, designed to build human institutions. Those embracing these approaches have no message to proclaim, and therefore major on what the Bible does NOT mean. They can tell you what the "gift of the Holy Spirit" is NOT. They provide profound disquisitions on what "the grace of God" is NOT. They are experts in delineating things that were ONLY for generations that preceded this one. They are adept at identifying the heretics of the day, but have nothing to offer in their place. They have no message-- nothing to affirm!

However, this was not the case with the Apostles. They had a message, and it is quite unlike what is common in our day. It was a message proclaimed to them by the Lord Jesus Himself. It was not a message that could be catechized or systematized. It did not consist of a number of poignant affirmations that could be placed in a creed, or organized sequentially. This was a message woven into the fabric of everything the Lord Jesus declared. It is entwined in every aspect of "the Apostles' doctrine." "GOD IS LIGHT" is the supporting foundation for every pillar of the faith. It is the cornerstone of all "sound doctrine."

If men do not ultimately come to the conclusion that "GOD IS LIGHT," they have either not heard the message, or have not comprehended it. Our thoughts must end in this sacred vestibule, and until they do, we are deficient in our view of the Lord. The bottom line of sound theology is God, not man! It is Who God is, not who we are! It is what He has said, not what we think He has said--or worse yet, what men have said! It is what He has done, not what we should do! The very thought is revolutionary, let it do its work in your heart!

The source of the message

This was not a second hand message--one handed down by the fathers, so to speak. It was the message they heard "FROM HIM," Who Himself was the "Light of the world."

Jesus is primarily the Expositor of God! He was not sent to the world to delineate the duties of men--although He made those known. He did not come to correct social and domestic disorders--although He has the solution for those conditions. He came to unveil God to us because that is our basic deficiency. The Divine assessment of our race was, "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom 3:11).

Jesus did not come to show us the way to institutional prominence, but the way "to the Father" (John 14:6). Although fully man, it was primarily the "fulness of the Godhead" that was found in Him. He was the "express Image of God," not of Adam (Col 1:19; 2:9; Heb 1:3). He "declared the Father," unveiling His matchless Person to those who had "sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). As Jesus Himself proclaimed, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18).

As great as the Sermon on the Mount was, that was not the core of Christ's teaching. He came primarily to "reveal" the Father -- that was His mandate. As it is written "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matt 11:27). If you miss the Father in Christ's teaching, you have missed His teaching--altogether!

John sums up the teaching of Jesus, compressing it into a single statement: "God is Light!" That is the message that got through to their hearts from the words of Jesus. They "heard" it from Him, i.e., that is the true understanding of His message! This was not a creed, it was the message! It was not a position, it was the message!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to detect and avoid any influence or teaching that tends to obscure Your Person.

-- Tomorrow: DWELLS IN THE LIGHT --