The light of the world is found in communication; indeed, many of the world’s problems arise from improperly applied communication. Marriages are held together by proper communication, just as nations are solidified by it. A clear distinction exists among the tools of communication—speaking, arguing, provoking, and others—and while these are often misapplied, the communicator must never lose sight of the systematic principle of communication, whose objective is to enlighten.
Jesus is called the light of the world precisely because He introduced this principle of communication. Any message is conveyed through a concatenation of words arranged in a systematic pattern. Yet quite often, words are misrepresented or erroneously understood, giving room to mislead. Marital problems and wars generally emanate from incoherent communication. The same applies to understanding God’s word. It is impossible to understand God’s word without divine revelation.
The limitations of language are a serious handicap that has confounded even the most renowned theologians of our time. God’s word cannot be readily understood without revelation from the Chief Communicator, Jesus Christ. The New Testament was written in Greek, but it is not necessary to learn Greek to fully appreciate the Bible. In fact, once a person receives the Holy Spirit, the biblical texts cease to be a necessity, having linked up with the source. This is what Jesus conveyed to His disciples before He left:
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:15-18, NIV)
This passage suggests that it is unnecessary to focus on the written word after receiving the Holy Spirit. The purpose of communication is to lead us to the source, with the objective of understanding, which then grants us freedom. The written word is necessary only for those still searching to understand the fundamentals of Christianity. Those still engrossed in the search for truth are like the Corinthian Christians Paul addressed:
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4, NIV)
The apostle Paul was highlighting the difference between those not yet grounded in faith and those who have become fully grounded. Those not yet grounded were mere infants, unaware of the Spirit that guides God’s children—a guidance achieved through sound communication. Their behaviour was characterized by following personalities rather than being convicted in the Spirit. This, I suppose, is typical of denominationalism in today’s Christian world.
The first chapter of John’s Gospel confuses many, more than it enlightens them, for it is from this chapter that the doctrine of the Trinity is often galvanized. The error lies in contravening the truth that God cannot be likened to anything physical, as stated in Exodus 20:4. Christians ought to be aware that Christianity is not entirely divorced from the Old Testament. This is exactly as Jesus clearly stated: He came to fulfil what was foreshadowed in the Old Testament. It is a theological error to fail to appreciate that reality.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5, KJV)
This Scripture has confused even the most renowned theologians of our time, a result of the inability to comprehend that God cannot be likened to anything physical. The light being projected here is not physical light as we know it, but the condition of understanding made possible by proper communication. The author is not projecting some mysterious prophecy requiring exegetical theology.
He was revealing Jesus, who had already appeared through His physical birth. He could have plainly stated that Jesus was God if the Trinity carried any significance. But the moment one mentions the “Son of God,” one refers to what was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). God’s image should not be confused with Adam’s physical formation, whose descendants we are—except for Jesus Christ. John clearly reveals the identity of Jesus in verse 14:
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, KJV)
The Word becoming flesh points to God’s communication coming through the physical Jesus. That same communication, as conveyed through Jesus, is now transmitted through those whom Jesus calls His brothers. In Jesus, God dwelt in this world. Similarly, among those who have the Holy Spirit, God dwells among humanity. The greatest challenge with humans is assuming to know what is unknown. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to help a person stuck in the assumption that they already know something.
The specific reason for Jesus’ crucifixion was the Pharisees’ assumption that they knew the Scriptures better than Jesus. The starting point is John’s use of “beginning.” This does not refer to creation; it refers to the beginning of God’s communication with humanity after the fall from God’s grace. The method of communication with humanity is conveyed in words. Humanity needs God’s Word to be able to understand God’s purpose and His plan of redemption.
After Jesus, God’s Word would no longer come through miraculous means alone. God uses humans, just as He used Jesus. There is nothing complicated about what is presented in this submission. The only reason for rejecting it might be the consideration of the author’s credentials. Admittedly, the author holds no meaningful credentials according to the standards of this world to convince scholars. But the same author is certain, writing from the viewpoint of understanding accessed through the application of the principle of communication.
Scholars may assume they have good reason for dismissing the author. But the author also carries good reason for dismissing those scholars, based on their reliance on esteemed credentials. This is a juxtaposed condition—one that requires open minds, willing to examine data without prejudice. The rejection of this submission is not surprising, though; history may be littered with similar submissions that were thrown out the window. The world tends to consider credentials more than the merits of the information offered.
Mortal humans focus on credentials before examining the workability of information. But God’s word does not come from humans. This is what those whom Paul called “infants” could not understand. They were still sustained by milk, rather than solid food. After Adam’s sin, direct communication with God was closed to humanity (Genesis 3:23-24). God’s Word caused the creation of all things as they appear in our physical universe, yet humanity was left without communication with the Creator.
Moses recorded God’s prophesied messages through the stories of Noah, leading to Abraham, and the emergence of the Israelite nation. Many prophets did the same. But no one could transmit God’s Word in clearer terms than Jesus. God’s communication had remained enigmatic until it was highlighted in flesh (John 1:14), manifested in Jesus, whose appearance had everything to do with God’s communication. This does not suggest that the flesh had always been God, as Trinitarian advocates assume. Rather, the flesh through which God’s communication was effected was the Only Begotten Son.
Why mention the Only Begotten Son? All humanity had fallen from God’s grace. But through this Only Begotten Son, humanity could reconnect with the Father. This should be as clear as sunrise to objective readers. Condemned at the Garden of Eden, humanity had broken communication with God, and reconnection is made possible by Jesus Christ—coming as a lamb without blemish, sacrificed for sinful humanity.
The sacrifice obliterated sin, the wage standing between God and humanity. “This sacrifice—offered by God Himself—stands unparalleled among all others ever brought before Him, paying a debt that no mortal flesh could ever satisfy.” Jesus was born to be a King, yet He lived as a servant of humanity, sacrificing His own humanity on the cross for our redemption. But what could be so special about humanity that God would grant His Only Begotten Son to die for their sins?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17, KJV)
God is said to be all-knowing, including knowing the poor choices we make, but Scripture suggests otherwise when it comes to humanity’s role: “that the world through him might be saved.” Unlike other species, humanity is equipped with the gift of self-determination. The Only Begotten Son is the original model for humanity. Through Him, all might be saved, to become God’s children once again. The condemnation of anyone would not be by God’s choice, but by the individual’s choice. Truth is the only thing that leads to freedom.
Falsehood, a product of assumption, leads astray. Nevertheless, falsehood can be as appealing to some as truth is to others. When Jesus asked His disciples how the crowds identified Him, the disciples revealed that those people relied on assumptions (Matthew 16:13-16). God’s love does not force people into His Kingdom, nor does it proselytize them into it. The choice rests with each person exercising their will without prejudice. The only observable stumbling block to God’s Kingdom is pride, which can be described as a form of spiritual stupidity—the very thing Jesus came to destroy. Symbolically, pride is Satan.
All of us have been besieged by pride in one way or another. The great tragedy of this curse is that a person becomes affected by pride precisely when they assume they are avoiding it. The more a person becomes educated in theological knowledge without the Spirit, the more foolish they become. This is a matter of fact to those who have attained understanding that is connected with God, as also affirmed by Jesus Himself (John 9:41). I would forgive those who take this as an insult to scholars, but it is as truthful as God’s word is truthful. A person with unquestionable knowledge, yet without approved credentials, cannot convince the “respected” scholars, because of the practice of categorizing personalities out of pride.
When one is awarded a PhD in theology, one is granted the license of being considered an authority among peers, unaware of the need to be disabused of misinformation. Yet the truth remains that no human is inherently an authority over divine matters. From that angle, one sees the source of the infiltration of false data. The assumption of becoming an authority is an automatic departure from the true authority, and from the teachings of Jesus.
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, KJV)
Jesus transmitted this data to His disciples, who were expected to be conduits of His knowledge. Human as they were, the disciples always assumed that some people were more knowledgeable than others. Yet that is a clear falsehood that Jesus sought to correct through that communication. If any human were inherently more knowledgeable about divine matters, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come. Therefore, in Jesus we have the Word—God’s communication—deserving to be listened to. This is not a hard teaching; it is more a matter of common sense.
Wisdom comes from appreciating that true information comes from the Source, not from assumptions. Those who assumed Jesus was merely one of the prophets held their viewpoint as factual (Matthew 16:13-16). But they could have received the truth by directly asking Jesus to reveal His origin. Apparently, they relied on assumption rather than truth. Why do people seem to prefer avoiding the truth at all times? And this is the case throughout the world.
There seems to be an obsession with generalities, rather than facts, among most people. During the war of liberation in Zimbabwe, many innocent people lost their lives because the wicked guerrillas listened to gossipers more than to truthful informants. Truth-tellers were mercilessly killed, leaving the gossipers to continue as if everything were normal. All of this is characteristic of fallen humanity, whose behaviour derives from Satan, the father of deception.
Truth-tellers are endangered, while liars appear to be protected. Falsehood is the opposite of the principle of communication, representing the darkness that opposes the Word John speaks of. At the centre of communication is God, the cause of everything. Communication is designed to dispel all falsehood, for falsehood is not communication. Any person who refuses genuine communication does so while standing on falsehood.
“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:9-13, NIV)
Those willing to accept the truth—referred to as God’s children—are not different from Jesus, in whom truthful information is found. There is indeed comfort in falsehood, but that does not mean falsehood has any basis. This assertion, however, cannot be appreciated by those who prefer to uphold the doctrine of the Trinity. Such people are unwilling to confront the truth, reminiscent of those who crucified our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ. The greatest tragedy is that they drag along the unsuspecting public, hoodwinked by their egotistic credentials.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilisation, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, relieving those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions, leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book to be a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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