John 1:6-13 - A Witness To The Light - The Mysteries of God's Word

The Gospel of John doesn’t start with self-help, it starts with a witness stepping into the courtroom of history. We slow down in John 1:6–13 and look at why John the Baptist matters so much: he’s “sent from God,” foretold in Scripture, and tasked with one job, bearing witness to the light so that people can believe. Along the way, we connect the dots from Malachi’s Elijah promise to the New Testament fulfillment, and we talk about why the word witness carries a legal, truth-establishing weight.

Then we turn to one of the sharpest claims in the Bible: the true light comes into the world, the world is made through Him, and yet the world does not know Him. We unpack what spiritual darkness looks like in real life, why rejection can happen even when the truth is right in front of us, and what John means when he says Jesus comes to “his own” and is refused. It’s sobering, but it also sets up the hope that follows.

John doesn’t leave us with rejection. He offers an invitation: to all who receive Christ and believe in His name, God gives the right to become children of God. We talk about salvation by grace, the free gift of righteousness, what “receive” really implies, and why the new birth is not achieved by family background, religious effort, or human authority, but comes from God Himself. If you’re wrestling with faith, assurance, or what it means to be “born again,” this is a grounded place to start. Subscribe for more teaching through John, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question from John 1:6–13.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

pring Walk And Scripture Reading

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Grace and peace to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today it is getting to be spring in Wisconsin, USA. There have been some beautiful days for me to get out and take a walk. The early spring flowers are starting to pop up through the lawn. I see some tulips starting to show their tops, some hyacinths and some daffodils. I'm excited today to continue the gospel of John with you, and we will continue in John chapter one, starting at verse six. There was a man sent

ohn The Baptist Introduced

SPEAKER_00 1:01

from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to bear witness about the light. In our first three verses today, we learned that there was a man sent from God, and his name was John. This was none other than John the Baptist. It is significant to note that he was sent from God. John's birth was not your normal birth. The Old Testament prophesied about John's

lijah Prophecy And The Forerunner

SPEAKER_00 1:49

birth. Malachi four, five and six read. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes, and he will turn the hearts of the father to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy in Malachi. He was Elijah sent ahead of the Messiah by God. The angel Gabriel prophesied of John the Baptist that he would go before the Messiah in the spirit and the power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. You can read that in Luke chapter one verse seventeen. Now, while John the Baptist himself would at one point deny that he was Elijah when he was questioned by the Jews and the Levites, Jesus told his disciples that if they could accept it, John the Baptist was Elijah who was to come. And you can read that in Matthew eleven, fourteen. John the Baptist is the forerunner sent by God to prepare the way for the Christ. In verse seven we read that John came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. The Greek word for witness

itness Language And True Testimony

SPEAKER_00 3:41

in verse seven is a legal term. That means to be a legal witness. Under the old covenant, two or three witnesses were required to establish the truth of a matter. John the Baptist was not the only legal witness of Jesus being the Christ. The Samaritan woman gave testimony to Jesus being the Christ. Jesus' disciples would give testimony to Jesus being the Christ. Crowds of people would give testimony to Jesus being the Christ. And the Father himself would speak from heaven, saying, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. Furthermore, the scriptures testify about the truth and validity of Jesus being the Christ, and Jesus' own works and miracles testify about how he was and is the Christ. But John the Baptist was the first to be the witness that Jesus was the Christ. This is the beginning of the gospel. In verse eight, we're reminded that John was not the light, but he came to bear witness about the light. John would point to Jesus and say, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. While John considered himself unworthy to even touch the sandals of the Messiah, Jesus himself said that John's ministry was so important that there was no prophet on earth that was greater than he. And Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist as an example to us of how Christ identifies with his people, and how we, when we believe on Jesus Christ, should be baptized to identify with him. Picking up in verse nine. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him,

he True Light Rejected

SPEAKER_00 6:17

yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. I want to touch briefly on this concept that Jesus is the true light that gives light to everyone. On the day of judgment, no one will have an excuse before God. Scripture declares that God has revealed Himself to all men. Consider this parallel in Romans chapter ten about the light. Paul, when describing the proclamation of the gospel and faith in Jesus, speaks to this very issue. Starting in verse fifteen he says, How are they to preach unless they're sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news? But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what they've heard from us? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the words of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed, they have, for their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. This last verse that Paul quotes is actually from Psalm nineteen through four. It reads The heavens declare the glory of God, the sky above proclaims his handiwork, day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, there are no words where voice is not heard. Their voice goes out throughout all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. John's statement that the true light, which gives light to everyone was coming into the world, is something that people would be familiar with from Psalm nineteen. Since the beginning of creation, God's invisible attributes, his divine nature has been seen. And now the creator, the light of all creation is coming into the world. The Word of God, the true light, the Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer of nations was in the world. The Creator came to his creation. God took upon human flesh, and he dwelt among us. Emanuel, God with us. And although the world was made through him, the world did not know him. What an incredible statement of mankind's depravity, the knowledge and wisdom of this world, it's twisted, it's distorted into darkness by the prince of lies himself. He blinds the minds of unbelievers. Even when the very light of the world was in the world, the world could not see it. The very systems of this world did not know him. In fact, they hated him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. Here in verse eleven I see two distinct groupings. He came to his own. The sense of the Greek phrase here his own means his own things, his own domain, or it could mean

His Own” Creation And Israel

SPEAKER_00 10:27

his own people. All of this is true for Jesus Christ. I see that the first occurrence of his own here describes Christ coming into his own universe, into his own creation. And then we see the second group, his own people. This second occurrence, his own people, recognizes that Jesus came to the nation of Israel, the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus came through the lineage of David. And unlike what the previous verse had been telling us, more generally about the world rejecting Jesus, this verse implies his own people are rejecting him, the very people who had been given his word, his covenants, and his commands. Picking up in verse twelve, but to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born

eceiving Christ And Becoming God’s Children

SPEAKER_00 11:40

not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Verses twelve and thirteen are packed with gospel truth to all who receive him. The word receive here could be rendered accepted, welcomed, caught, or taken. It refers to a deliberate or self prompted reception of that which has been offered freely. Romans five, sixteen and seventeen speak to us about this free gift. It reads And the free gift is not like the result of one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if by one man's trespass death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. You see, the righteous acts of Christ are final. He has reconciled all things with God, including Adam's transgression. While Christ is the only and final sacrifice that is acceptable to God for sin, we must receive this free gift of God's grace. We must receive Christ's righteousness as sufficient. To them who believe in the name of Jesus Christ, they will reign in eternal life. As John continued to tell us, but to those who received him who believed in his name. When we receive this free gift, we will believe on the person of Jesus Christ, the living and risen Savior. This is not simply describing having head knowledge or mental assent about Jesus. It's not describing being able to recite a creed. This belief is both with our mind but also in our hearts, knowing that Jesus has been raised from the dead. It is only through the living God that you can personally be reconciled with the Father. It's a surrender of your will to the truth, to the one who is truth, Jesus Christ at the right hand of God the Father. God gives us the right to be children of God. It is God Himself that declares us his child. It is He who calls us through the message about Christ. It is He who justifies us through the blood of Christ, and it is He who makes us His own family. It's God that gives us the rights to our birth, our life, and our inheritance through Jesus Christ. Jesus once had a conversation with a very religious man named Nicodemus, and in that conversation Jesus said, Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born again,

orn Again By God’s Will

SPEAKER_00 15:43

he cannot see the kingdom of God. That Greek word for born again could also be understood as born from above. Just as John was telling us we must be born of God. This religious man Nicodemus that Jesus was talking to, his greatest need was to be born spiritually, born of the Holy Spirit, to be transformed and taken out of the sphere of the kingdom of darkness and put into the kingdom of God. This is outside of man's control. Man cannot by the law or his own flesh be saved. Jesus, when he talks to Nicodemus, puts salvation squarely in the hands of God. It is by the sovereign will of God that man is saved. Colossians one hundred thirteen says He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son. Salvation is all of God, but we must receive what God is doing. My mentor once told me, It is not by man's will that we are saved, but we must be willing to be saved. Let me elaborate even further on this. In verse thirteen, we're told we're not born of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Being born of God does not come through human genealogy or national heritage. No people are saved simply because they come from a believing family. You can't go to heaven and say, Well, my mom and dad believed in you, and so let me in. Nor of the will of the flesh. Being born of God does not come through human effort, human planning, or human passion. We cannot through religious acts be saved. We can't work enough to be saved. We can't be baptized to be saved. We can't have to speak in tongues to be saved. We don't have to say a certain prayer to be saved. There is no specific religious act that is required for salvation. It is not an act of the flesh, nor of the will of man. This is actually a description of man's authority, or because authority demanded it. Being God's child has nothing to do with your parent demanding that you believe in God, nor because a priest told you to do it, nor because a government demands you to believe. Being a child of God is personal. The new birth is from God Himself, through the Holy Spirit. We must deliberately yield our will to the will of Christ. It is He that saves us. It is He that seals us. And under the new covenant by His Holy Spirit, we are made a new creation when God makes our spirit new again. And just as we are born into an earthly family with a mother and a father, so we are born into an eternal family with God. It is permanent. Although the examples of earthly families can be flawed, especially today, because of sin, because of divorce, because of abandonment. God's family is a permanent status, because God is always faithful, and God seals the believer when they believe. One of God's names means faithful one. I'll leave you with the words of John the Baptist and Jesus today. Repent and believe the good news. God bless you this week.