God is Light
The apostle John wrote these words, in 1 John 1, verse 5; “This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you; That God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” God is light, He is the source of light, He is radiance, He is illumination. And that light of God is manifested in both a physical sense, and a spiritual sense.
The bible says, in Genesis 1, verses 1, 2, and 3; “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said; “Let there be light,” and there was light.” There’s the perfect example of illumination, directly from God. Right from the source.
Psalm 33, verse 9 says; “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” Verse 6 says; “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them, by the breath of His mouth.” God not only “spoke into existence” the physical heavens and earth, but even the light to illuminate that physical creation, was spoken into existence.
And that is truly a perfect illustration, of John 1, verse 1, which tells us; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word, was God!” And so we see that fact being displayed, in the story of creation.
But now listen to John 1, verses 2, 3, and 4; The bible is speaking of the Word of God; “This (the Word) was in the beginning, with God. (Many translations say “He was in the beginning with God”) “All things were made through Him, and without Him, was not any thing made, that has been made. In Him was life, (now listen to this next part) ..and that life, was the light of men.”
There is “life” in the Word of God; And the bible is talking about spiritual life here. There is spiritual life, in the Word of God. There is spiritual life, in Jesus Christ. And this “spiritual life”, is the “light” of men; It’s the “light” of all humanity. But what do you think God means, when He says that spiritual life, through Jesus, is the “light” of all humanity?
Well, listen to verse 5; John 1, verse 5; “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The meaning there is that the people of the world, those who remain in darkness, did not take hold of the light, which is Jesus Christ, because they refused to accept what Jesus taught. They didn’t “comprehend” the teachings of Jesus. They didn’t “take hold” of those teachings, and live by them, and make them their own, so to speak.
Here’s what John wrote about this in John 3:19; “And this is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their works were evil.” When a person doesn’t want to give up his own ways, and refuses to give up their won ways, it’s because they like the darkness, more than the light.
Let me read on though, with verses 20 & 21; “For everyone who does evil, hates the Light, and does not come into the Light, for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth, comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly, that what he has done, has been accomplished in God.”
When a person practices what the truth of God tells us to do, then what you have done, has been accomplished, “in God”. That reminds me of another verse that I mentioned just last week I think; It’s Philippians 2:13; And it says; “For God is the One working in you, both to will and to work, according to His good pleasure.”
Light is Spiritual Life
Now let me repeat something I said just a couple moments ago; “There is spiritual life, in the Word of God. There is spiritual life, in Jesus Christ. And the scripture says, this “spiritual life”, is the “light” of men; It’s the “light” of all humanity. But what do you think God means, when He says that spiritual life, through Jesus, is the “light” of all humanity?
And what does it mean that “the light shined in the darkness” ? That “the Light has come into the world” ?
Think about what “light” represents in the scriptures.. First of all, “light” represents “life”, right? John 1, verse 4 says; “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” So then “light” represents life itself. In this case, it represents spiritual life.
Here’s what the scriptures say in John 8, verse 12; “Again therefore Jesus spoke unto them, saying; I am the light of the world: He that followeth Me, shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” I think we could say that life and light, are pretty much synonymous.
I wonder how much physical life there would have been at the creation, if God hadn’t first said; “Let there be light’ ?
Light is Truth
In the scriptures, “light” also represents truth, right? Truth! Let’s be referred back to John 3, verse 21; “But whoever practices the truth, comes into the Light” And listen to 1 John 1, verse 6 & 7; “If we say we have fellowship with Him, while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, (If we walk according to truth) as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” “Light” represents truth!
Rejection of God’s truth, leads to spiritual death doesn’t it? Well, listen to 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4; “The god of this age (the god of this world, satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” The “light” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Is the gospel not the “truth” of God? Indeed it is. “Thy word is truth” said Jesus, as He prayed to the Father, in John 17:17.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16; “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; For it is the power of God unto salvation..” The gospel is the truth from God. And that truth is the power of salvation, which is life. “Light” represents the truth of God.
Light is Understanding
And do you know what else “light” represents in the scriptures? “Light” represents knowledge and understanding. And all we need to do is go back to 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4; Listen again; “The god of this age has blinded the minds (not the eyes, but the minds) of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ..” And of course the word “see” in that verse, refers to comprehending and understanding. It’s exactly what John wrote about Jesus Christ, in John 1, verse 5; “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” “Light” represents understanding!
Psalm 119, verse 130 says; “The unfolding of your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
In Ecclesiastes 2:13, wisdom is compared to “light”. “I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.”
The Father and the Son, are Light
“Light” represents God Himself! And it represents Jesus Christ. King David wrote in Psalm 27, verse 1; “The LORD is my light, and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?”
And of course Jesus is called “the Light of the world”. Is it any wonder, that the sky was blackened, for three hours, when Jesus did upon the cross? “The Lord is my Light and my salvation.. the stronghold of my life!”
Now consider this nest verse.. James 1, verse 17; “Every good giving.. (do you remember when we talked about “every good giving” a couple of weeks ago? It’s not the gift, but it’s the very act of giving) “Every good giving, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Have you ever wondered why the word “lights” is plural there in that verse? You’d think maybe that should be singular, as in “the Father of Light”. Meaning, the Father of everything good and righteous. But maybe that’s exactly why it’s pluralized; Because God is the Father of so many things. And all these many things are “gifts” from God.
God is the Father spiritual life; He’s the Father of truth, and the Father of understanding. He’s the Father of wisdom, and of righteousness, and of goodness and kindness, and of compassion and forgiveness. God is the Father of the living and abiding word. He’s the Father of every Christian alive; And of every faithful soul who has ever lived! And most especially, God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He’s the “Father of lights”. “Light” is used to represent so many things in the scriptures, and all of them are good and perfect gifts from above.
YOU are the light of the world!
You know what we haven’t touched upon, that the bible compares to “light’? YOU! And me, and all Christians. We are “light”, according to God. Here’s what Jesus said, in Mathew 5, verses 14 thru 16; “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp, and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
That’s encouraging. You’re not just another person in this world, but, you’re a Christian! You’re the “light of the world”. At least, you’re one of the lights of the world. We all are. We’re like a city set on a hill, for all to see. And please understand, just how desperately you are needed in this world. You know, I mentioned in last weeks lesson, that you might not see the results of all your godly efforts in this life. But there will always be those whom your life influences, and impacts.
And that’s why Jesus encourages us, to “let our light shine in such a way, that people see your good works, and glorify God”, as the result of those good works.
Let others know of the spiritual life that God has given you; Let others see the truth of God’s word; lived out in your life. Let others see the understanding and the compassion that you have for others. Let others see the commitment that you have FOR God.
Let others see Jesus, in you.
