Light, Word, Knowledge, and the Glory of God

"For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" ~2 Cor 4:5-6

By encouragement of a Grace to You podcast, I've been reading a book or 6 chapters through everyday for a month. I started with Philipians, since I was attempting to memorize it at the time, then Colossians, 1 John, and this month I am reading the gospel John 1-6 everyday. Sort of. I read 1-4 for the first half of the month, and 5-6 this half. They're pretty action-packed chapters!

A friend of mine once told me that her husband (before they were married, let's call him Bob, since I haven't asked his permission) went on a wilderness survival-type adventure for a week or weekend, and he carried his pocket-Bible with him. A fellow survivor, let's call him Frank who was not a Christian asked him about it, and Bob told the guy to read John and tell him what he thought. After reading the gospel, Frank told Bob, "This Jesus-guy is bad-a**"

I think that's a pretty good assessment! :) What I've noticed about John so far is how little time John spends on the actions and miracles of Jesus versus his discourse. Right from the start, you can tell it is going to be a more philisophical-type write, and John seems to focus more on what He says, with his actions being more of a backdrop for validity purposes. Now don't get me wrong, his miracles prove His sovereignty over nature, time, distance, physical needs, and even death, but these works of wonder and awe are not what made the Jews pick up stones or nail Him to the cross. Chapter 6 of John (and chps 8 &10, but I haven't gotten there yet) are so hard core, because Jesus outrightly declares the most earth-shaking words of history: "I AM" (Yahweh, the Lord of the Old Testament). He very (ahem) Frankly claimed to be GOD, which if He were lying about it, He completely deserved the worst kind of death possible for blasphemy. But in chp 5 He backs up His claim with the words of John the Baptist, the last and greatest OT prophet, His miracles, the witness of the Father, and the witness of the scriptural prophesy. Oh yes, He's the real deal.

In chp 6 Jesus also exposes much of what I think ties the words John and Paul alike use: light, word, knowledge, and glory. All having very significant meanings, both for Greeks and Hebrews at the time, these words reflect ideas of creation, enlightenment, life, and God. In Genesis, God speaks all creation into existance, and it is with that regard that in John chp 1, he calls Jesus the Word who was "in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him...In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (vs. 2-5). The darkness (we, people) could not comprehend it - why? because "There is no one righteous, no not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seek God" (Ps 14, Rom 3). Understand = Comprehend; we can do neither... which makes sense when Jesus says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (Jn6:44). DanG! If that's not a nice little plug for predestination by the Man Himself! :)

Now I point to 2 Cor. 4:5-6 (at the top), in the same way that God spoke (Word/Jesus) the light to shine out of darkness (ex nihilo), so He speaks the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. IE, GOD CREATES OUR SALVATION just like He created light. In other words, even though we have nothing within us with which one could create salvation (sorry Pelagius, Armenius, Wesley and all you others), He did it just because, Frank-ly, He's "bad-a**".

His ridiculous plan of syncing it all together so perfectly, powerfully, and beautifully, is nothing short of ineffibly amazing. As my hubs would say, "He's just plain showing off." And we're all just fortuitous beneficiaries and witnesses of His glory that deserves eternal glorifying! Thank you!!!