The world was about to see the arrival of the genuine light, which illuminates everything. He lived in the world and the world existed because of him, yet he was unknown to the world. When he arrived, his own people did not accept him. (John 1:9–11)
A sinful world
It is necessary to comprehend the condition of this creation, in which we exist, in order to appreciate the blessings of the new creation. Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world (Genesis 3). Relationships between God and humanity, between men and women, and between humans and the natural world were all destroyed as a result.
Still, God was not surprised by sin. All was in His hands, according to [His special design] to exalt Himself in Christ by freeing His people from their sins. This scheme existed long before the fall of sin. The Trinity itself created it in the distant past (1 Peter 1:20). God created the earth in an unorganized, empty, and dark state at first, but he later brought it into order, filled it, and gave it light (Genesis 1:2). This is paralleled in Genesis 3, where God reached out to the sinner by promising him a Savior in a chaotic, empty, and gloomy world of sin (Genesis 3:15).
A promise fulfilled
It was so promised that a world overcome by the darkness of sin would see the arrival of a Savior. The first person to declare the fulfillment of this promise is John the Baptist, who appears in the Gospel of John 1:7, saying, “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light.” God sent him to testify that the coming of the promised Messiah had come to pass and that Jesus, the genuine light, was now in the world.
A rejection
But sin had cast a shadow of darkness over the world. Consequently, the people of Israel “did not receive Him,” and the rest of the world “did not know Him” (John 1:10–11). Here, the terms “know” and “receive” imply something extremely deep. They declined to build a close relationship with the person they were unwilling to learn about or accept. Sin was the cause of this.
God and man had a fractured relationship as a result of sin. As a result, it is impossible for a human being to desire or be able to “know” or “receive” the actual Light, which is Jesus, in his sinful state. Because of their evil activities, men prefer darkness to light, and they avoid Jesus because they do not want to face consequences for their wrongdoings (John 3:19–20).
Sin is the transgression of God’s law or the failure to abide by it. Adam therefore sinned against God when he broke God’s commandment. Furthermore, as he stands in for us, we all sinned in Adam (Romans 5:12; 5:18). As sinners by nature, we are all guilty in God’s eyes (Romans 1:21; 3:10; 7:14–15). For this reason, no one is able or desires to “know” or “receive” Jesus. We have sinned.
A hope
We are aware, however, that despite its best efforts, the darkness will be unable to overcome the Light. There is HOPE and ASSURANCE that the Light will triumph even though the world was in the darkness of sin and it appeared unthinkable that the Light would illuminate them (John 1:4-5). Because he was aware of this, John the Baptist testified about the Light amid a hostile and sin-filled world.
We have been invited to bear witness of the genuine light, which is Christ, with the same assurance and conviction as John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit of God will undoubtedly lead those who sin to turn from their ways, just as He did when He called us from the darkness into His amazing light (1 Peter 2:9).
