John 1:9
John 1:4-11
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
Matthew 4:16: “The people who were sitting
in darkness saw a Great Light, and those who
were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
upon them a light dawned.”
Luke 2:32: “A Light of revelation to the
Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
Question: Why did John the Baptist testify about Jesus?
Answer: In order that “all” indiscriminately might believe.
Question: Why did Jesus enlighten “every man”?
Answer: In order that indiscriminately “all” might believe.
John Calvin: “Some limit the universal phrase every man to those who, born again by the Spirit of God, are made to share in the life-giving light. ...I prefer the other meaning, which is that beams from this light are shed over all mankind, as I said before.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.20, emphasis mine)
Instead of compromising the scope of the Light of Christ, Calvin limits its effect to merely mean the “common light of nature” or the “light of reason”:
John Calvin: “But since fanatics eagerly seize on this verse and twist it into saying that the grace of illumination is offered equally to everyone, let us remember that it is only referring to the common light of nature, which is far inferior to faith. No man will penetrate into the kingdom of God through the cleverness and perspicuity of his own mind. Only the Spirit of God opens heaven to his elect. We must also remember that the light of reason which God imparted to men has been so darkened by sin that scarcely a few meager sparks still shine unquenched in this thick darkness or rather dreadful ignorance and abyss of errors.” (John: Calvin, The Crossway Classic Commentaries, p.21, emphasis mine)
When the Light of Christ shines, the “few meager sparks” that Calvin speaks of, turns into a wild fire: “Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (John 4:41-42)
Illumination: It is Prevenient Grace. The Light of the Gospel is the means through which the Holy Spirit gives Sight to the spiritually blind who are lost in Adam.
Regeneration: It is reserved for those who are sealed in Christ through faith in the Gospel. (Ephesians 1:13) Titus 3:5 describes it as the “washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” It is the new birth of receiving the new heart and the new spirit of being made a Born Again, new creature in Christ. (Ezekiel 36:26; 2nd Corinthians 5:17)
In terms of Illumination, Adrian Rogers: “Spiritual blindness makes beggars of us all. ... The blind need more than light in order to see. ... I used to think, as a young preacher, that what you had to do to get people saved is just to tell them how to be saved. Just turn on the light. But it doesn’t matter how much light there is, or the person is blind because he cannot see it. It takes more than light, it takes sight. And a person who is blind cannot see the light, no matter how strong the light is or how pure the light is. It takes more than preaching to get people saved. That’s the reason I frequently say to you, I can preach truth, but only the Holy Spirit can impart truth. That is the reason why we must be a praying church. That’s the reason you must be a spirit filled soul winner. That is the reason that we must have the anointing, because we are dependent upon God to open blinded eyes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes more than light, it takes takes sight. We need to understand that nobody can be argued into the kingdom of heaven. Nobody can be educated into the kingdom of heaven. I’m not against letting the light shine. You must let the let shine. You must preach. But remember, there is another dimension.” (Jesus is God’s Answer to Man’s Darkness: John 20:30, emphasis mine)
That other dimension, to which Adrian Rogers refers, is the dimension of Sight, being the work of the Holy Spirit, as a companion to the dimension of Light, being the Gospel. This exemplifies Arminian, Prevenient Grace in terms of God preparing people’s hearts, in preparation to hearing the Gospel. It’s about opening hearts, rather than exchanging hearts, which Calvinism requires for Irresistible Grace.
