John 1:3b-4
What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
There is, John says, a point to the universe. That is a debatable conclusion these days. Theories about the beginning of the cosmos, evidence of an expanding universe, the discovery of dark matter, and so on – all of this and more raise questions about whether there is anything or anyone behind the creation of the world and the point – or lack thereof – of our existence.
The typical – or at least culturally dominant – Christian response has been to argue backwards from the complexity of our present world to the existence of an intelligent designer. This assumes, of course, that chaos cannot ever result in something complex and useful. And it often leads to an embrace of a pre- if not un-scientific view of the world that is difficult for most of us to accept.
So is that our only choice – random meaninglessness or uncritical biblicism? I don’t think so, as John offers another model.
John doesn’t seek to prove the existence of a creator, you see, he confesses it. In fact, he sings it. When you read these first eighteen verses of John’s Gospel, what we often call the Prologue, you realize quite quickly that it is as much poetry as narrative, filled not with equations but metaphors, and therefore is far closer to a song than a scientific essay. John makes a confession, not seeking to prove but persuade the way all art persuades, through beauty.
And so John confesses that at the heart of all we do and are, and at the core of all that is, lives God’s Word, not merely existing but giving life, and not life in general but life with meaning and purpose. Life, that is, that gives light.
Skeptics on both the most liberal and most conservative ends of the spectrum may scoff at confession, seeking instead some kind of proof, whether scientific or scriptural. But John simply confesses with poetry, metaphor, and song that at the very core of the universe is the heart beat of God, the Word that gives life, and the Word that thereby also enlightens our life.
Faith, like love, can be understood only from the inside. And so the question isn’t simply whether you assent to this confession, but rather, when you sing John’s song, do you feel the light of the world pulsing through your voice?
Prayer: Dear God, at some point this day, catch us up in the light and wonder of your universe that we might sense our connection to you and all living things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
‘John makes a confession, not seeking to prove but persuade the way all art persuades, through beauty.’
This is really beautiful because it’s true. Often it seems to me God’s love and our faith in Him comes into your soul and touches you; illuminates your heart and mind like a beautiful vista or candle light in darkness or awe and wonder at the miracle of new life, it isn’t so much an argument as a display of the creator’s design and his message that He is the author of life and He loves us too. I agree that is how John’s theology works for me. Science then is a fascinating study of His creation and faith is firm.