Hello again everyone, let’s just pick up where we left off.
I asked you to look at the scriptures at the bottom of the last post and sure hope you took that opportunity to do so. I always love to dig into the meanings of words used to help enhance my understanding about what is being said. We will look at a couple of those scriptures a bit now and possibly add some scriptures to help us enlarge our understanding.
As I began this study I had a strong sense that the Lord was going to take us into some very familiar scriptures that He would indeed open to our understanding so that we would be able to be powerful “watchmen” in our generation. I have been amazed and excited by the different ways the Lord has spoken to me and some of the words whispered to my spirit that are in the “seed” stage. I fully believe the Lord wants to and will reveal Himself to us in a way that will set our hearts on fire.
There are many aspects to the word “light” that I feel we should try to understand as we continue. To that end I will give you some definitions but I do strongly encourage you to begin to study this subject further. Please don’t let reading this blog be your only time to dig into this subject.
1 JN. 1:5 — God is light.
Strongs definitions for #5457 includes:
1) light
1) emitted by a lamp
2) a heavenly light such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth
b) anything emitting light
2) fire because it is light and sheds light
3) a lamp or torch
c) light, i.e brightness
1) of a lamp
2) metaph.
a) God is light because light has the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality
b) of truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it
c) that which is exposed to the view of all, openly, publicly
d) reason, mind
1) the power of understanding esp. moral and spiritual truth
Thayers Lexicon:
the extremely delicate,subtile, pure, brilliant quality of light has let to the use as an appellation of God, i.e.as by nature incorporeal, spotless, holy; he is said in a state of supreme sanctity. 1 Jn. 1:7 describing His nature as alike of consummate majesty and inaccessible to human comprehension, 1 Tim. 6:16 used of that heavenly state, consummate and free from every imperfection, to which the true disciples of Christ will be exalted — the kingdom of light, Col. 1:12
Jamieson, Faussett & Brown
God is light–What light is in the natural world, that God, the source of even material light, is in the spiritual, the fountain of wisdom, purity, beauty, joy, and glory. As all material life and growth depends on light, so all spiritual life and growth depends on GOD. As God here, so Christ, in 1Jo 2:8 , is called “the true light.” 1 John 2:8…strongs 1) that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true genuine
a) opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended
b) it contrasts realities with their semblances
c) opposite to what is imperfect defective, frail, uncertain
2) true, veracious, sincere
In 1 Jn. 1:1-5 the Apostle says that he is sharing all of this because life was manifested and they had seen it and want to shew unto you eternal life, that you may have fellowship with us–with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
Think about this, the Divine Life, or Word incarnate, presented and evidenced Himself to the very senses of the apostles. Their ears, eyes (including the eyes of their mind), and touch were all senses they experienced.
It was a very personal experience. And we were eye-witnesses of his majesty, 2 Pt. 1:16.
To their ears:
That which we have heard, v. 1, The apostles not only heard of Him, but they heard His audible voice personally.
To their eyes:
That which we have seen with our eyes, vs’s. 1-3. The Word would become visible, would not only be heard, but seen, seen publicly, privately, at a distance and up close, which may be intimated in the expression, with our eyes—with all the use and exercise that we could make of our eyes.
We saw Him in his life and ministry,
Saw Him hanging, bleeding, dying, and dead, upon the cross,
Saw Him after His return from the grave and resurrection from the dead.
Saw Him in His transfiguration on the mount and they His apostles must be eye-witnesses as well as ear-witnesses of Him for us.
Acts. 21:21,22. Wherefore, of these men that have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection,
To their internal sense, the eyes of their mind;
And we beheld—etheasametha, His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father. Not only did they witness His ascension and the declaration by God the Father. “What we have well discerned, contemplated, and viewed, what we have well known of this Word of life, we report to you.’’
To their hands and sense of feeling:
And our hands have handled (touched and felt) of the Word of life. He knew of Thomas’s unbelief that would not change until he had found and felt the places of the wounds by which He died.
Our senses are to be the informers of the mind. Remember the story about my sister and her brain being re-newed by her visual focus.
Light is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
Faith then is both
(1) stimulated by the light of His Word and the testimony of the evidence of that light and
(2) quickens our senses in the same way that the eyewitness experiences of the Apostles quickened their spiritual senses and filled them with light and caused them to desire that we should know and experience what they knew and experienced.
That our joy might be full as He fills us with light as we become one with Him.
Faith realizes what we have not seen as spiritually visible; it is not until by faith we see, that we really know all the excellency of our Wonderful Lord.
Sense must minister to reason and judgment; and reason and judgment must minister to the reception of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel.
Consider this statement in the book of Mark. The rejection of the Christian revelation is at last resolved into the rejection of sense itself. He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not those who had seen Him after he had risen, Mk. 16:14. In 1 Jn the Apostle said, “We bear witness, and show unto you, v. 2. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.”
Bible in Basic English
1 Pet. 1:8,9 To whom your love is given, though you have not seen Him; and the faith which you have in Him, though you do not see Him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory: 9 For so you have the true end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
King James Version
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Our senses have been quickened because of the testimony of those who were there up close and personal and that causes our joy to be deeper, higher and greater as we become eye and ear witnesses in our hearts, minds and spirits. What a mighty God we serve. He died for us and left a sure witness through the lives of others for us as well.
He Himself is ours. He in us and we in Him. We are “partakers of the divine nature.”
We know God only by having fellowship with Him. We are sons and daughters of light.
We will continue to investigate light according to the scripture and my prayer is that each of us will be challenged to desire to press into the “light” of His presence.