Commentary on the Gospel of John

                                Chapter One

                                                                                                                                            Verses 3-5 continued

God puts the light of His image in every human whom He creates. This light may shine bright in righteous persons, and it may be very dim in evil humans, but it can never be put out. For six thousand years, the Devil has tried to put that light out completely in at least one human, but he has always failed, and he cannot understand why. Satan rightly reasons that if the image of God in humans is external to God; that is, an object to God's Consciousness, then God cannot have full control over it. Since the light has freedom to go its own way, then it would seem that it can be made subject to spiritual death and darkness which will put that light out completely, and separate living humans from God's Love forever. John 1:3-5. The Devil cannot understand to this day why spiritual darkness cannot put out the light of the image of God in humans.

The Devil cannot understand because he does not comprehend the Almighty Power of God's Love. God must allow the Devil to do his worst to humanity to prove that His Love cannot fail under any circumstances. I Corinthians 13:8. God's Love cannot allow Him to ever lose anything He has ever created and loves. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 21:5. The Devil cannot put that light out no matter what he does. At this time, God does not have complete control over humanity. The spiritual death and darkness within every human causes every human to choose to sin and even rebel against God. But God's Love knows exactly how to cause that same free will in every human who ever lived to choose to return to the faith and repentance that He put into His image in every one of them. John 5:24; Revelation 5:11-14; Isaiah 45:20-25; Psalm 107:10-15; Psalm 36:6; John 5:28-29; John 11:25.

God demonstrated the Almighty Power of His Love when He put Himself between a lost humanity and the Devil. In effect, God said to the Devil that if he seeks to completely destroy the faith and light that He puts into His image in all humans, then the Devil must first go through Him. Genesis 3:15. Self-sacrifice is the greatest expression of love. John 15:13; Matthew 26:50. God told the Devil that He would allow all the forces of evil to injure Him, but the permanent effects of evil which would be the eternal deaths of all living humans, He would suffer for all living humans and take it away from all living humans. God would allow the Devil and all the forces of evil to cause unimaginable pain and suffering to Him on a cruel cross, but because He happens to be completely innocent and cannot deserve permanent death, then He would rise from the dead victorious over all sin and evil and able to crush the Devil's head. Christ's willingness to subject Himself to permanent death for all living humans became that permanent death. Hebrews 2:9-15. Proverbs 10:12 clearly teaches that "love covereth all sins," not just some sins.

Humans must suffer for their sins, but always only temporarily. Genesis 3:16-19. The Almighty Power of Christ's Love and self-sacrifice has rescued all living humans from permanent spiritual death and separation from fellowship with God. Genesis 3:20-21; Genesis 8:20-21; Luke 20:38; I Timothy 6:13; I Corinthians 15:22; John 11:25; John 5:28-29; John 5:24; Revelation 5:11-14. The Old Testament sin offerings symbolized salvation by grace, and the Old Testament burnt offerings symbolized the salvation of the rest of humanity.

Lucifer's rebellion against God caused doubt about the Almighty Power of God's Love to enter into His creations. But through the Almighty Power of His self-sacrificial Love, God proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that His Love can and will rescue His entire creations from the permanent effects of all sin and evil. Thomas did not just doubt Christ's resurrection. He also doubted that Christ's self-sacrifice had overcome sin and evil. Thomas displayed that doubt that pervades all of God's creations. Just as Christ brought Thomas back to faith in Him, so He will bring His entire creations back to faith in Him. John 20:24-29; Romans 8:18-23; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-21; Revelation 21:5; Revelation 5:11-14; Revelation 4:11; Revelation 22:11-12.