The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St. John, Vol. IDods, Marcus
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Gospel of St. John, Vol. I
Dods, Marcus
Bible. John; Bible. John -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Persons whose opinion is not to be lightly esteemed say that if we
honestly seek God’s guidance in any matter we cannot err, and have no
business to reflect afterwards on our conduct as if we had made a wrong
choice. I cannot think that is so. Sincere people who ask God’s
guidance, it seems to me, frequently make mistakes. In fact, our past
mistakes are a great part of our education. Unless we are _habitually_
in sympathy with God we are not infallible even in matters where a moral
judgment is all that is required; and sometimes more is required of us
than to say what is right and what is wrong. Other points have to be
considered—points which call for a knowledge of life, of places, and
professions, of the trustworthiness of other men, and a thousand matters
in which we are liable to err. It is of course a great satisfaction to
know that we wished to do right, even if we discover we have blundered;
and it is also a satisfaction to know that God can use us for good in
any position, even in that we have blundered into, although meanwhile we
have lost some present good.
The light which Christ brought to the world was the light “of life.”
This additional description “of life” He commonly appended to
distinguish the real and eternal good He bestowed from the figure by
which it had been hinted at. He calls Himself the Bread _of life_, the
Water _of life_, to point out that He is really and eternally what these
material things are in the present physical world. All this present
constitution of things may pass away, and the time may come when men
shall no longer need to be sustained by bread, but the time shall never
come when they shall not need life; and this fundamental gift Christ
pledges Himself evermore to give. And when He names Himself the light
_of life_ He indicates that it is on the true, eternal life of man He
sheds light.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account