In Christ – John’s Gospel
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Inspired by “In Christ” by E. Stanley Jones
Photo credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones invites us into a deeper awareness of how the Gospel of John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, emphasizes the reality of being in Christ—a truth not unique to Paul but central to the Christian experience. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on being with Christ in His earthly ministry, John, writing later, reflects the transformation of the early Church’s understanding. Believers discovered they were no longer just walking alongside Jesus—they were actually in Him, joined to His life.
Jones underscores that this idea wasn’t a theological construct imposed by Paul—it was the organic realization of the early believers. And John makes it beautifully plain: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). This life is not mere existence—it’s Christ’s own divine, eternal life infused into us. Those who are in Christ do not just have life—they are alive in the truest and fullest sense. Outside of Him, there is only death masquerading as living.
This is not a religious assertion to be debated; it’s a spiritual reality that either guides us into the light or leaves us in the dark. According to Jones, this truth—if real—becomes the very light of the world. And if false, it is but an illusion. But for those who have experienced this life firsthand, it is the only explanation that makes sense of the soul’s deep knowing and joy.
Personalized Journal Entry – In the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
You are no longer simply with Me—you are in Me, and I am in you. This is not a distant relationship nor a partnership of convenience. It is union, forged by grace, alive by My Spirit. I have placed you in the Son, and in Him is life. That life now flows within you. You have passed from death to life. You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
The life you now live is not drawn from effort or imitation but from Christ Himself who is your life. You are a branch in the living Vine, not merely attached but abiding, drawing continually from the Source. This life is not borrowed—it is shared. My Spirit testifies with your spirit that you are a child of God, not in name only, but in nature and destiny.
You no longer stumble in shadow; I have given you the light of life. Your understanding is no longer veiled, for the true light that gives light to everyone has come into the world—and now He lives in you. When you walk, you walk in Me. When you rest, you rest in Me. You are no longer navigating life from the outside looking in. You are alive from the inside out, carried in the Son, carried in the life that overcomes the world.
And this is eternal life—not merely endless time but unbroken fellowship with Me. The One who is the resurrection and the life now resides in you. You need not chase after what has already been given. In Him, you live and move and have your being.
Scripture references: John 1:4, Ephesians 5:8, Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:4, Romans 8:16, John 8:12, John 1:9, John 11:25, Acts 17:28
Prayer
Father, how beautifully simple and wonderfully secure it is to know that I am not merely walking with Christ—I am in Him, and He is in me. You have placed me where life is. And not a life of my own making, but the very life of Christ—alive in me now and for eternity. I don’t need to strive to find what I already possess. I trust You, Lord, that today and every day forward, this life is already mine because I am in Christ. I rest in that reality with joy and peace, knowing that I am forever alive in the Light.
Photo suggestion for Unsplash:
A close-up of a glowing firefly cupped in someone’s hands at dusk.
Caption: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.