John 1:4

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

My first impression when I read this verse was to think of dead bodies. It is true that when you see a corpse you are aware that the light has gone out of the eyes, but this is not what is meant here. Always (54 times) in John's writings 'life' means spiritual life. When he tells us that 'he who believes in me shall never die' he means 'die spiritually' since even Lazarus had to die again. The 'everlasting life' of John 3:16 is not physical life but spiritual life. We will all be raised on the last day, but our lives on Planet Earth will end unless the Lord first returns. All physical life does come from the Word as verse 3 tells us, but this verse deals with a different type of life. This type of life is the source of Man's illumination. It is this light from which darkness flees; this light that shines in every dark corner; this light that is the negation of everything evil.