We are simply witnesses, we are not the light

God sent a man, John the Baptist, 1:6 NLT

to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 1:7

John himself was not the light; but he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 1:8

God sent a man - it is a man that God uses to tell about the light. God is sending men today to tell people about the light.

The men are not the light themselves - God uses us to tell others, He uses us sometimes in miraculous ways. Our place is not to glory in this, it is to glory in the light. We are not to be puffed up thinking that their is any life in us or anything that has come from us to make this happen. It is the life that is in Him that we draw on that enables miracles, that enable signs, that enables us to have a testimony.

We are simply a witness - we are light reflectors, we are branches in the vine. We are messengers but not the King himself. It is a simple thing that we are witnesses.

Giving life

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. John 1:4 NLT

Life and light were both a part of creation and new creation. The Word was involved in the first creation and continues his work in the new creation.

John uses the word life 36 times. No other NT book uses this term more than 17 times. Rev has 17 mentions, Romans 14 and 1 John 13, so John has more than 1/4 of the mentions of life. It is a key concept in John's gospel. 1

John gives a preview in this verse of a theme seen throughout this gospel, Jesus if the life giver and light imparter.


Sources:
1 The Gospel according to John, Leon Morris p 73

1:6

1:6-8 There came a man , sent from God, whose name was John. He came for the purpose of witness, to bear witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but (came) to bear witness concerning the light.

Verse 6 begins the many witnesses in the gospel of John to the true light (Jesus).

1:4

1:4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

This life is the light of human beings (ton anthropon). This life gives natural illumination to reason and spiritual illumination to the human heart. It is this supernatural illumination (light) that dispels the darkness of sin and unbelief.

Sources: The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce

1:5

1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

In the first creation, darkness was upon the face of the deep (Gen. 1:2) until God called light into being, so with the new creation there is spiritual darkness on the face of the human heart until the the light of men which is the life in Jesus shines upon it.

Apart from the light in Christ the world is encompassed by darkness. The Greek word katelaben is translated overcome in the RSV. According to Bruce mastered would be another good translation for katelaben. We know that light and darkness are opposites, but they are not opposites of equal power. Light is always stronger than darkness and darkness can not overcome light or master it. One small candle can illuminate a dark room and not be dimmed by the darkness there.

We often here darkness and light taught in an equal type of dualism. The Bible dispels this by showing us that the true light Jesus has come into the world and darkness is being overtaken.

Sources: The Gospel of John, F.F. Bruce