Christ Is The Light.

25. Christ Is The Light.

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (4) "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (9) - John 1:4; John 1:9 The doctrine of election is contrary to God's will as seen in these verses. The light of the Lord Jesus Christ lights every man that is born into the world. Notice in John 1:7 :

"The same come for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.

"All men."  This is God's will.  Every man born possesses the illumination that there is a Divine Creator.  This corresponds perfectly with other portions of the Word of God such as Romans 1:19-20 :

"Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (19) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (20)

Man has a God-given sense when he is born to know there is a Creator, so that no man can claim an excuse.  John 1:20 tells us that man has the knowledge of a Divine Creator by the things he can see--the stars, the sky, the moon, and the things that no man could create or set in order.  This is attested to also by Isaiah 45:6...

"That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else."

Why would God instill this knowledge in everyone if it was not God's will for everyone to acknowledge Him, and be saved?

A. Those Who Have A Desire To Know Christ. An example of this was a man by the name of Cornelius. We find his story recorded in Acts 10:1-48. Cornelius was a man who had a desire to know God but did not know Christ. He was a lost man, yet he had a desire to know the Creator. No one had told him about the Lord Jesus Christ. Where did he get the knowledge that there was a God? Acts 10:1 tells us that:

"There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band. He was a devout man, and one that feared God with all of his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway."

If you were a neighbor to Cornelius at that time, you would have concluded that he was saved, but he was not.  Cornelius was sincere in his worshipping of God but he did not have the truth concerning Christ for eternal life.  We find in Acts 11:14, that God had arranged for Peter to meet with Cornelius and tell him how to be saved:

"Who shall tell thee (Cornelius) words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." This was God's responsibility and He fulfilled it by sending Peter. When any person has a desire to know the will of God, it then becomes God's responsibility to see that that person hears the Gospel. Cornelius is proof that Romans 1:18-19 are true.

B. Many Do Not Desire To Know Christ.

There are also many who do not have a desire to know the truth.  It then becomes our responsibility to take the Gospel to them, even when they are not interested in God.  We are to persuade them and compel them to come in.  Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogues many times on his missionary journeys.

Many people do not have a desire to be saved because of a misconception that salvation has to be worked for.  Many have come to know Christ as Savior after they have heard the truth of the Gospel that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).  You see, it is God's will that all would be saved.  Romans 1:19-20 remind us that God has manifested in every person the knowledge that there is a God.  In John 1:9, this light is in every man that is born in the world.  Notice again in Ephesians 2:7 :

"The same come for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe."

These Scriptures reveal to us God's perfect will. The man-made doctrine of election for salvation is in sharp contrast--not in harmony with the will of God and man's free will.