John 1:4 (GNV)

Passage

In it was life, and that life was the light of men.

Nearby Context

John 1:2 This same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:3 All things were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made.

John 1:4 In it was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 1:5 And that light shineth in the darkenesse, and the darkenesse comprehended it not.

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was Iohn.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light" and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "life", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "All things were made by it and..." into verse 5's "And that light shineth in the darkenesse...", so "light" and "life" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "life" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.