The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-01-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR JANUARY ..

mentary.
TNIE.-A. D. 95. PLACE.-Eph'
esus
EXPOSTTION.-I. The Eternal
Word, 1-5. The deepest and richest
book in the Bible is Johns gospel
Any exposition of these words seems
SO tame and so inadequate. John
carries us back to the dawn, not Of
mans history, but the history of the
universe, and way back there we be.
hold Being who then, not began to
be, but was" (cf. Gen. I'D, the
Word was" And why is this One
who then was, called "the Word?'
The word is that in which the speaker
reveals himself, and Jesus Christ is
the perfect revelation of Gods inmost
being (Heb. 1:3; 1 Jno. 1:2; Jno,
liza; 14:9).., But that in which God
reveals Himself is person, This per-
son here called "the Word" twas with
God" in His presence, in close init
macy with Him. And this person
"was God" From all eternity that
person who became flesh in Jesus of
Nazareth was God (cf. Phil. 2:6).
There could not be a more definite
and explicit statement Of the true
deity of Him who tabernacled among
us in the person of Jesus Christ. He
3was God" Comp. lisa. 9:6; Rom.
9:5; Titus 2:13, R. "; Pet. IL, R.
"; Heb. 1:6, g; Jno. $500. The
entire gospel of John is given to a
proof of this statement. Everything
in the gospel revolves about this cen
tire (Jno. 20:31). This, verse brings
out the fact that there are at least
two persons in the God-hea1. "The
Word was with God," there Is one
divine person in company with whom
the Word was; but the Word was
Himself also divine person, "was
God" Having learned His eternal
divine nature, we next turn to His
divine work. He is the one through
whom all things became to be. God
has executed all His creative plans
through Him. He who by His incar-
nation became our brother, and our
Saviour was first our creator anG the
creator of all things. Apart from
Him came not one thing into exist
'ence Comp. Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16;
Heb. 1:2; Ps. 1876; Heb. 11:3.
There was life in Him before His in
carnation. He is the eternal source Of
life. All life has come forth from
Him. Eternal life is in Him Il Jno.
Sid. The only way to get eternal
life is by taking Him in whom 1t is
Il Jno. SID. Not only was, life in
Him, but He was Himself the life Il
Jno. 1:2). And He who was the Life
was also "the light or men" (Jno.
S:12; 9:5; 1895, 36). THE Word"
did not become 1.-The light of men" by
His incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth.
He ever was "the light of men," No
ray of light has ever shone upon man
except from Him. The light hat
shone in Old Testament times s.one
from Him. yes, even the glimpses of
light the heather have had are from
Him. When sin came, night came.
The condition of the whole world
since the fall has been one Of moral,
spiritual, intellectual darkness. But
In the midst of this universal dark
ness there has ever been light shin
ing. No matter how deep the dark
ness, He has shone. The light shone,
but the world did not, indeed, would
not, lay hold of it Il Cor. 2:14; Jno.
3:19, 20). That is why the world
continues in darkness still. The
world would not lay hold of the light
in His unincarnate form, so God gives
the Word in a form more easily ap-
prehensible, an incarnate form. ~.
III. John the Witness, go. But
Gods condescension to mans infrm-
ity does not stop even at that, He
sends witness to this incarnate
light. To men who can see, light
needs no witness but itself, but men
are blind and so need one who can
see to bear witness to light. God sent
such a witness in John the Baptist.
"A man sent from God" That is
glorious title. No earthly patent to
nobility so glorious as that. But
mark the clear line of demarcation
between John and Jesus. John is "a
man sent. from Cod" John was a
wonderful man, man whom God
delighted to honor, but he was "a
man." Jesus was God become flesh.
John came to be witness and the
purpose of his testimony was that all
men might believe through him. Men
are not asked to believe blindly, but
upon sufficient and abundant testi-
mony.
III. The Word Becomes Flesh, 10.
18. Here the hostility of man to the
light and to God appears in still
darker aspect. Not only did the dark
ness not apprehend the light ". So,
not only did the world which He was
IN and uhich wps mpde nv Him not
know Him ". 10O. but His own home
and people Cor household servants).
even they received Him not" to
themselves. How completes is the
alienation Of man from Sod and
light! While the world. and even His
own, as O whole. rejected. there were
an elect few who received Him."
And who are they who thus receive
Him? Those (which were born. not
of blood, nor OF the will of the flesh.
nor Of the will Of man. but Of God"
It Is not Of mans natural heart to re-
ceive Jesus Christ. What Is natural
to man is seen IN verses s, 10 and II.
But God by His grace begets men
anew, and those who are thus begot-
ten receive Jesus Christ and thus be-
come children Of God" (Jno. 3:S-15;
Jas. 1:1S; Pet. 1:23; Cor, $40.
The Eternal Word became Il real hu-
man being. Deity clothed itself with
real humanity. His divine glory be-
came a matter Of sensible perception
(cf. / Jno. 1:1-S). OF the divine full
ness that Is in the incarnate God
every believer receives.