John 1:4 (WEB)

Passage

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Nearby Context

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

John 1:3 All things were made through him. Without him was not anything made that has been made.

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

John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.

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

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 through him Without..." into verse 5's "The light shines in the darkness and...", 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.