The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 120

life nnd the light of the world, becnuse both the Life and Light of God. He was ever- more coming like light into the darkness of humanity, like life into the soul of man. He came in many ways to his own. He gave power (l!auafa) to those who believed on his Name "to become sons of God." Although the Father sent him, commissioned the Son for these lofty purposes, yet it was as " beam" proceeds from " light," as " Word " follows "Spirit." He dwells, like Wisdom, in the midst of the throne, and in the bosom of the Almighty, He ls one with the Father in being, essence, and will. This blending and unity of the Father and Son, of Theos and Logos, was the metaphysical basis of the entire Johannine superstructure. 'We see that it is not peculiar to John. The O,d Testament was built on the same synthetic representation. Jehovah, and the Anael of Jehovah, the unapproachable self-existent, eternal One, yet came into pe1·sonal a~d anthropomorphic, visible and audible, relations with men. The true Wisdom in foe heart of man, found and cherished by those who love her, is the eternal effulgence of God's glory and co-possessor of his throne (seep. Ii.). The conception interprets the phenomena of both providence and prophecy, of conscience and theophany. The Lord is always coming to his own, and even giving them power to receive him, and authority to become sons of the ever-blessed a.nd Almighty Father. Before he came in the flesh, human nature was fashioned in his image and likeness, and his most appropriate manifestation assumed freely the appear- ance of an august and Divine humanity. 'l'he Word or Angel of the Lord was con- cerned with the fortunes and perils of individuals whose career would affect the whole subsequent history of the people of the covenant. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Hagar, Joshua, G'.·\eon, Manoah, received these open visions tmtil the rise of the prophetic order, whos.. function was "to bear witness to the true Lh:ht which lighteth every man." The Christ of the Fourth Gospel recognizes those who are " of the truth," and. come to the Light of the world, and who hear his voice. This "Light" and this "voice" must have been available a.part from the special revelation and effulgence of his glory in the Son of man. One peculiarity of the Johannine conception was that in the Word there was life, and instead of ma.king this liie the consequence of the light, the process is reversed-the life was the light. "Life" is more than being, and in its fulness of manifestation could appertain on earth to man only. The reason or tile motive cf the manifestation of life was communication of blessedness and kinship to the Source of all blessedness to the human race. From the Divino life produced in man, from the new creation wrought in human nature, light has been evermore gleam- ing. In proportion to the reality and extent of the life is the brilliancy of the light. But while he ea.me to his own, even to those best prepared to receive him, they "received him not." The darkness of humanity did not apprehend the light of Deity, so that a method of approach for the life and the light, more explicit and efficacious than any which had preceded, became necessary to satbfy the irrepressible and unutter- able love of God. (5) The Word made flesh. The great proof-text, the motto of theJoha.nnine Gospel, is that "the Word became flesh" (eh. i.14), i.e. became man in his weakness and dependence, and in his composite and mysterious nature. "Flesh" (<Td/JE) does not mean the bare physical nature, nor the physical and psychical natures combined. " Flesh ' in numerous pasrnges connotes the whole of human nature without grace, and therefore the ,rveiiµc, as well. Abundant evidence is forthcoming to show that Jesus possessed both soul and spirit (eh. xi. 33; xii. 27; xiii. 21; xix. 30), and therefore the Fourth Gospel must be supposeJ. to include under the <Td.pE which the Aoy<G became, the whole interior manhood, inclusive of " will,'' " spirit," "soul ; " but the term is used in preference to /£v8ponros, in order to mark especially the visibility, the corporeity, the sensuous and phenomenal aspect of this his last and greatest self-communication to man. Great conflict has prevailed in later years over the nature of the "becoming" which St. John here attributes to the Logos, The kenotic speculations of Thomasius, Gess, Godet, and others press the force of St. Paul's statement that he who was in the form (µop~) of God emptied ( i,dvw<Tev a.Irr&,,) himself, forewent his glory; and that therefore the expression before us must imply such a depotentintion of the Logos thnt he was no longer Logos, ~ut that .temporarily he we.s <T&.p(, and u&.pE only, without any of the consciousness of his own D1vme perfec- tions, not even of Divine love nnd righteousness. This theory has insuperable difficulties of its own. The consciousuess by Christ of his own pre-e:i.isteuce lifts him above merfl  cx:uil INTRODUOTION TO