[Sunday, September 14, 2025] Jesus Who Came as Life and Light | John 1:4-13
Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch)
2025. 9. 14. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 02
본문: 요한복음 1:4-13
제목: 생명과 빛으로 오신 예수님
설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)
In the Gospel of John, there are three important key words: life, light, and love. In today’s passage, two of these—life and light—appear. We call Jesus, whom we believe in, life and light. This indicates that our lives are actually affected and transformed by believing in Jesus. Beloved believers, through today’s message, I hope you listen with faith and expectation, believing that your life can be influenced and transformed by God’s grace.
1. Jesus Came as Life
[John 1:4] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. Verse 4 says that life was in him. Where is this “in him”? What is the source of this life? The Word of God, who existed in the beginning, that is, Jesus, is the source of life. When living things were created on this earth, they were given life, and its source was the Word of God. In Genesis, how did living beings receive life? [Genesis 2:7] Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Not only humans, but all living creatures on earth were made from the dust. God breathed into them the breath, the spirit of life, and they became living things. The breath from God’s mouth is life.
However, the life in John 1:4 differs from the life that living creatures made from dust possess. That life is called Bios in Greek. As mentioned last Sunday, “Biology” comes from Bios + logos. But the life in John 1:4 is not Bios, it is Zoe. Zoe refers to eternal life. This is life in the presence of God. Whoever has Zoe has their broken relationship with God restored through sin and comes to know God. Believers who have faith in Jesus, have received forgiveness, and have been saved, possess eternal life, Zoe.
[John 5:24] Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Here, both the terms “eternal life” and “life” are used, and both are Zoe. It refers not to physical life, Bios, but to spiritual life.
When you receive Jesus, you receive Zoe. Life is in Jesus, and Jesus is life. [John 14:6] Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ Here, too, life is Zoe. [1 John 5:12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Both instances use Zoe. Life is in Jesus, and Jesus is life. Therefore, those who believe and receive Jesus have eternal life, Zoe. Even when we grow old and die, or die due to illness or accident, our physical life, Bios, will end, but the eternal life, Zoe, given to believers will never disappear. We will be with God forever.
I have officiated and preached at funerals about four times. Once, I thought: how many funerals did Jesus attend? How many do you think? Not once. So how many funerals did he attend? The Bible mentions three occasions where Jesus encountered or visited the dead. What did he do there? He raised them from the dead: the widow’s son in Nain, Jairus’s daughter, Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary—all were dead, but Jesus brought them back to life. Reflecting on this, I confessed: “In Jesus, there is life that swallows up death.” Shall we confess together? “In Jesus, there is life that swallows up death.”
[Application] Do you believe that you, as a believer in Jesus, have eternal life, Zoe? When you think about death, does this faith change your perspective?
2. Jesus Came as Light
[John 1:4-5] In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Here, the Lord is described as light. What was the state of the earth before it was created?
[Genesis 1:2] Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep…
What did God first give to this dark and formless earth? He gave light to illuminate the darkness.
Where does that light come from? It comes from the Word of God.
[Genesis 1:3] And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Through His Word, that light was given to the world to illuminate the darkness. This is the grace of God. Yet it is said that the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
What does this light mean? That light shining in our lives means that hope arises and a path is revealed. Saying that life is dark means that we do not know what to do or which way to go. When light shines on such a life, hope arises, and we understand what to do and which way to go. Light is hope, a path, and the goal of life.
[Psalm 119:105] Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Believe that God’s Word is the light illuminating the path we walk in life.
The opposite of light is darkness. Darkness represents sin and death. When light shines on a life living in ignorance of God’s will and in sin, it enables the person to know God’s will, turn away from the path of sin and death, and live the life God desires.
But do you understand what it means that the light shines, yet the darkness has not understood it? If light shines, shouldn’t the darkness naturally disappear? Yet today’s passage seems to suggest otherwise. Why is that?
The light has come to our lives trapped in darkness, and it shines, but there exists a presence that constantly hides that light and prevents us from understanding it. Who is that? It is Satan. Satan is the father of lies. Through lies, he tempts humans to disobey the Word of God, who is the truth, bringing sin into our lives and covering our lives with darkness.
The same is true today. God continually raises up His people to proclaim the Word of truth in this world. Does everyone hear, understand, turn, and change their lives accordingly? No. That is why we must pray like this. Let us read together in faith: “Lord, defeat the spirit of lies that prevents us from hearing the Word of truth.” “Cleanse our hearts, which have been deceived by compromising with worldly values and not regarding sin as sin, and let us live holy lives again.”
[Application] Even though I believe in Jesus, who came as light, what deeds of darkness am I still practicing? If I cannot see the path in the current darkness, what should I do first?
3. The Authority to Become Children of God Has Been Given
In John, Jesus existed in the beginning, created the earth, and also created humans, His possession and His people. Yet they did not receive Him as Lord.
[John 1:10-11] He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. They were already under the control of the evil spirit holding the power of the air. But not all. Some people receive and accept Jesus, who came to the world as life and light.
[John 1:12] Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Have you received Jesus? Have you accepted Him? How do we receive Him? By acknowledging Jesus as the Word of God, who existed with God in the beginning, as your Lord who made you, and by receiving Him as your Savior, who came as Christ to pay for your sins and rose again, victorious over death.
When we speak of Jesus, what do we say? We say, “Lord Jesus Christ.” Here, “Lord” expresses the relationship between you and Jesus. Who is Jesus to me? He is my Lord, my Master. “Lord” means God and Master. I hope this confession becomes our confession: “Jesus is my Lord.” “Jesus is my God.” “Jesus is my Master.” “Jesus is my Christ, my Savior.”
It is said that those who have received Jesus in this way are given authority. What is authority? Once, a small female police officer gestured with her finger for a recklessly driving dump truck to pull over to the side of the road. The large dump truck stopped abruptly, and the big male driver got out (illustration). By force alone, a small woman could not have overpowered the large male driver. Yet, with just a gesture to stop, he obeyed—that is authority. Where does that authority come from? It comes from the police uniform she was wearing, which signifies her official position. If she had been wearing a tracksuit instead of her uniform, would the truck have stopped? Authority comes from the clothing one wears.
Likewise, the authority of a believer, a child of God, comes from the “clothing” we wear. What is that clothing? [Romans 13:14] Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. We are saved and become God’s children because we are clothed in Christ. God does not send us to eternal judgment because of the clothing we wear—Christ. Though we are still sinners and imperfect, God sees us as righteous because of the perfect Christ covering us. This is the authority of God’s children.
Thus, our authority is Jesus’ authority. That authority comes from the clothing we wear. How do we wear it? [Galatians 3:27] For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Belief in Jesus applies this clothing. Believing in Jesus means confessing union with Him in His death and resurrection, which is symbolized in baptism.
Some people ask, “Isn’t it enough just to believe in Jesus? Do we really have to be baptized?” “Baptism isn’t a requirement for salvation, right?” That is correct—there are people who are saved without being baptized. Who is an example? The thief who was next to Jesus on the cross. He said to Jesus, [Luke 23:42] Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. What did Jesus say to him? [Luke 23:43] Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” This thief spoke of Jesus’ kingdom, the kingdom of God, acknowledging Jesus as God. Regarding that faith, Jesus declared that he was saved. Did he receive baptism? Not that he refused—it was impossible; he could not come down from the cross. There are cases among believers like this. Some may come to faith in Jesus while dying, some may receive Him in prison, or in a hospital right before death. Therefore, salvation is received through faith.
Then, is baptism unnecessary? If it were unnecessary, Jesus would not have included the command to baptize in His final instruction to the disciples before His ascension. [Matthew 28:19-20] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Making disciples of all nations means preaching the gospel so that people come to believe in Jesus. When they believe, they are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In other words, if someone believes in Jesus, they are to be baptized. Baptism is a command of Jesus.
The same instruction appears in the last chapter of Mark. [Mark 16:15-16] He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’
Verse 16 is interesting. It first says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” and then, “Whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Isn’t that a bit strange? To match the first part, it could have said, “Whoever does not believe and has not been baptized will be condemned.” But it only says, “Whoever does not believe.” What does that mean? If one does not believe, there is no baptism. In other words, faith already includes the baptism that unites one with Jesus. Baptism is the first act of obedience for someone who believes in Jesus as their Lord. Therefore, baptism carries the meaning of obedience.
Have you believed in Jesus but not yet been baptized? I encourage you to obey Jesus’ command and receive baptism.
Finally, in today’s passage, verse 13 explains cases in which a person cannot become a child of God. [John 1:13] Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. It clarifies three situations in which one cannot become a child of God.
The first is by blood (bloodline). Being Jewish does not automatically make someone God’s people. Some say, “When my wife goes to heaven, I will cling to her skirt and go too.” That is not possible. Having a father who is a pastor, a mother who is a church officer… one does not become a child of God through family lineage. Even if someone says, “I was born into a Christian family,” that only means their mother believed while they were in the womb. Becoming a child of God depends on personal faith. It is not the faith of your parents or spouse that matters, but your own relationship with Jesus.
The second is by the will of the flesh (human effort). This refers to one’s own striving, strict obedience to the law, or religious practice. Attending church diligently, serving others, and helping those in need are all commendable, but salvation does not come through these acts.
The third is by the will of man (human decision). This means doing something because others require it. For example, the Jews thought circumcision was necessary for salvation. Infant baptism or baptism given without faith falls into this category. If someone who does not believe is baptized and told they will be saved, that is incorrect. As mentioned earlier, baptism is included in faith—it is received with a heart of obedience to the Lord. Similarly, indulgences distributed by a corrupt church in the Middle Ages also fall into this category.
Ultimately, the authority to become a child of God and to be saved comes entirely by God’s grace. Faith itself is a gift from the Lord, a result of His grace. Remember that we have no merit in becoming God’s children. Accept this truth, be thankful and moved by the grace you have received, and daily proclaim the light and life that dwell in you, overcoming darkness and death, and being disciples who bring life to your family, church, and neighbors. May all of us become such believers in the name of the Lord.
[Application] Who is Jesus in your life? How are you using the authority you have as a child of God?
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.