Excerpts from the CNT:

Chapter eleven presents Christ as the light of the world and the resurrection and the life.

a. The Light of the World

The Lord Jesus is the light of the world for us to walk in that we might not stumble (vv. 9-10). When the Lord wanted to go into Judea (v. 7), He encountered the frustration caused by man’s opinion, which is a sign of walking in darkness. Whereas in other chapters of this Gospel the frustration came from those in the Jewish religion, in this chapter the frustration came from human opinion expressed first by the disciples (vv. 8, 11-16). The disciples said to the Lord that the Jews were seeking to stone Him and therefore He should not go into Judea. The Lord’s word to His disciples in verses 9 and 10 indicates that their opinion was a sign that they were walking in darkness. “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of the world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” This indicates that all opinionated persons are in darkness. Opinions are a sign of darkness because to utter an opinion is to speak nonsense. The reason a person speaks nonsense is that he is in the darkness. But the Lord Jesus is fully in the light, and He Himself is the light. Furthermore, whenever Christ is present, there is day. In other words, as long as Christ is present, we are not in darkness; if Christ as the light of the world is present, it is daytime.

Whenever we express an opinion that is contrary to the Lord’s will, that opinion signifies that we are not walking in the day but in the darkness. If we are following the Lord, we should say “amen” to whatever He says and not express any opinion. As long as we express an opinion of any kind, that opinion will be a sign that we are in darkness and that we do not know what we are saying. Only the Lord knows what to say. When He says, “Let us go,” that is something in the day, in the light. The Lord’s guidance is always light. If we follow our opinion, we shall be in darkness. But if we follow His guidance, we shall be in the day and we shall walk in the light. This is the experience and enjoyment of Christ as the light of the world.

b. The Resurrection and the Life

In verses 25 and 26 we see that Christ is the resurrection and the life. In verse 25a the Lord Jesus said of Himself, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Christ as the resurrection has been tested by death and has conquered death, and Christ as the life remains unchangeable and lasts forever. This is indicated by Paul’s word in 2 Timothy 1:10b that says, “Our Savior Christ Jesus...nullified death and brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel.” Christ nullified death, making it of none effect, through His devil-destroying death (Heb. 2:14) and death-swallowing resurrection (1 Cor. 15:52-54). Life in 2 Timothy 1:10 is the eternal life of God, which is given to all believers in Christ and which is the main element of the divine grace given to us (Rom. 5:17, 21).

The Lord Jesus is not only life but also resurrection. By itself, life can only have existence, but resurrection can withstand any kind of attack, even the attack of death. Death cannot hold Him because He can conquer death (Acts 2:24). Death cannot retain Him, because He is not only life—He is also resurrection. Life is the power to exist, but resurrection is the power to conquer everything that is against life. As the resurrection, Christ can defeat every attack against life. Christ as the resurrection is mainly to overcome death and all the things belonging to death such as blindness, dumbness, deafness, and all kinds of sickness.

According to the Scriptures, death is a great power. When death comes upon a man, he cannot escape it. Only the Lord Himself as the resurrection can defeat death. Since He is the resurrection, He can break the power of death. Even Hades is unable to confine our Lord to the tomb (Rev. 1:18). Because Christ is not only life but also resurrection, He can deliver all of the dead persons from death.

After speaking of Himself as the resurrection and the life, Jesus said, “He who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live; and every one who lives and believes into Me shall by no means die forever” (John 11:25-26). This indicates that we may enjoy Christ as the resurrection and the life by believing into Him, that is, by receiving Him into us so that we may have an organic union with Him.

We must learn to apply Christ as the resurrection life day by day. We must not only live by the Lord as life, but we must also conquer by the Lord as resurrection. Many times our circumstances affect us like death. But all matters which contain the touch of death are a test because these matters prove whether or not the Lord is the resurrection. Nothing can confine us, for we have the Lord as our resurrection life. Regardless of the pressure or trouble we are bearing, we can stand it because we have resurrection life. According to 11:25, the Lord did not say that we will not die, but that we will prove to the whole universe that the Lord into whom we believe is the resurrection! Satan will try his best to put us permanently into death. One day, though we all may die, we will all be resurrected. Throughout the whole universe this will be the greatest victory, the victory that will testify that the Lord is the resurrection. However, even in our daily life we may have the foretaste of the ultimate victory of that  resurrection. This is why the apostle Paul said, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

Today with His believers everything that the Lord accomplishes is the exercise of Himself as the resurrection. Regenerating, sanctifying, renewing, transforming, conforming, and even glorifying are the exercise of Christ as the resurrection who is life eternal. Every aspect of God’s salvation involves resurrection. After resurrecting us through regeneration, the Lord is now continuing this process of resurrection by sanctifying and transforming us. Eventually, Christ will glorify us. That glorification will be the consummation of resurrection. God’s salvation, therefore, is a process of resurrection. May we experience and enjoy this Christ as the resurrection and the life day by day so that we will be no longer a natural man but a resurrected person.