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Bible Study – John Chapter 1 Verses 7-12

John 1:7 – The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all men through Him might believe. 

To bear witness means “to testify” or to declare. Believe means “to trust”. John was to declare that Jesus was the Messiah the One they had read about in the Old Testament that was to come. John uses the word trust almost one hundred times in his gospel to express what must take place for a person to receive the gift of eternal life. John was the God-appointed messenger to announce the arrival of Jesus. He was a fearless confronter, he was known for his remarkable life-style, and his uncompromising.

We as Christians sometimes compromise with people’s sin rather than praying for God to give us an opportunity to witness to the person the Word of God. When we witness, we should do it with love,compassion, humbleness and the Word of God. Give the person the scripture and verse where they can find it for themselves or as we witness allow them to see the scripture from our Bibles. We have to be a witness to the unbeliever by our lifestyle, as well as witness when God gives us the opportunity to witness giving them the word of God (In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them – 2nd Corinthians 4:4). Satan’s work is to deceive, and he has blinded those who don’t believe in Christ as well as those that profess to be Christians, but their lifestyle is opposite of what the Word of God describes as a Christian. When we live according to the instructions that God has given us as Christians, we will have an effect on the unbeliever even if don’t manifest as quick as we wish it would. When we live according to the Word of God, His Word will not return to Him void, it will accomplish what it was meant to do to the believer as well as the unbeliever.

John 1:8 – He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  

He was not the Messiah, but he was to confirm that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah. We, like John the Baptist, are not the source of God’s light; we merely reflect that light. Jesus Christ is the true light; He helps us see our way to God and shows us how to walk along that way, but Christ has chosen to reflect His light from His followers to an unbelieving world. The word witness indicates our role as reflectors of Christ’s light. We are never to present ourselves as the light to others, but are always to point them to Christ, the Light.

John 1:9 – That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 

There are many false lights, but Jesus is the only True Light. Jesus became man in order to revel the truth to all people. This could be rephrased “That was the true Light coming into the world which enlightens every man”. Jesus became man in order to reveal the truth to all people, the human system opposed to God. Through all the men God used as messengers, priest and prophets no one had the qualification of being a true example of God, but the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Light gives illumination, illuminations gives instructions, teaching, education. It’s something used to ignite something, this is what Jesus did. He started a fire burning in the hearts of the people to want to know God and to serve Him.

John 1:10 – He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. 

The world did not acknowledge or recognize Him, as the True Light. His light brought light to a dark world. Although Jesus created the world, the people He created didn’t recognize Him. Although the Old Testament pointed to His coming. The Pharisees nor the Sadducees didn’t believe He was who He said He was, they wanted a sign and they were the ones who studied the Law. They should have recognized and accepted Him through their study of the coming Messiah. Society today, believe in a “higher power” or Jesus just being a prophet, many haven’t, nor will they accept Him as the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

John 1:11 – He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 

He came into the world, to His people, the Jews and they would not receive Him as the Son of God, the Messiah. Receive here means ” to receive with favor” and implies “welcome”. Instead of a welcome, Jesus received rejection, and hatred. He wasn’t received as the Son of God, but one that was a blasphemer. The Jews did not receive His position as the Son of God and for that reason is how we as Christians came into the adoption into the family of God (Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will – Ephesians 1:5).  Although the Jews were God’s chosen people because they didn’t accept His Son, He gave us the opportunity through His Son to become His sons and daughters.

John 1:12 – But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. 

Those that receive Jesus as the Son of God, He empowers them to be sons of God, in other words in the family of God. Faith in Christ, believing in His birth, death and resurrection and what He did when He died on the Cross will make one a believer and a child of God. All who welcome Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives are reborn spiritually, receiving new life from God. Through faith in Christ. This new birth changes us from the inside out, rearranging our attitudes, desires, and motives (Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new – 2nd Corinthians 5:17). As new creatures in Christ Jesus, our desires what we use to have for the world should be diminishing daily, as we continue in the faith and the Word of God. The phrases believe in His name refers to the term by which He is called but to what His name stands for, “The Lord is salvation”. By believing, undeserving sinners can become full members of God’s family. There is no other way or name we can receive kingdom citizenship, but through accepting Jesus as our Savior and making Him our Lord.

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