By Kathleen Chatot
The gospel and epistles of John are loaded with scriptures on, “Jesus is the Light”.
1 John 1:5-7 (NKJV), “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” We begin our understanding of God “is light” here and in Him there is no darkness, to have darkness there is absence of light. Pure, Holy, Infinite, Unchangeable. The sun as bright as it is and powerful, has spots, great tracks of blackness on its disc. God His light is pure, unmingled, perfect. God Himself is light.
1 John 2:8 (NKJV), “Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true Light is already shining.” This passage is referring to the Gospel of Jesus and John 1:9 (NKJV), referring to Jesus, “That was the true Light…”
John 1:4 (NKJV), “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Spiritual Life exists in Christ, The Life, Jesus, is also the light of men. Jesus reveals both sin and God to us.
John 1:5 (NKJV), “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The darkness did not comprehend, understand, take hold. Stark contrast between light and darkness. Jesus is life and light. Those who accept Him are “sons of light.”
LIGHT IN THE O.T.
Genesis 1:3 (NKJV), “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God’s first creative word called forth light in the midst of darkness. Light is necessary for making God’s creative works visible and life possible. Light was before the Sun, Moon and the Stars created on day 4.
God dwells in the light.
Exodus 27:20 (NKJV), “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually.” The lamp was never to burn out. These were unripe olives that were pressed/crushed and the pulpy mass was put into a cloth basket through which the oil dripped, producing a clear pure oil/fuel that burns without smoke.
Psalm 104:2 (NKJV), “Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment…” Here light is described as the garment that enfolds His wonder and brightness. In a small way we can understand this idea of light as a garment by considering His appearance of Jesus at the transfiguration. Matthew 17:2 (NKJV), “…His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as the light.”
Psalm 119:105 (NKJV), “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. God’s word is light and brings light.
Job 12:22 (NKJV), “He uncovers the deep things of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to light.” God’s light reveals every secret evil plan, a reversal of darkness.
Job 22:28 (CSB), “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you, so light will shine on your ways.” By God’s light, you can walk through darkness when you are obedient to God’s word.
Job 29:3 (NKJV), “When His lamp shone on my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness.” Job remembers when God shone His lamp on him. How he walked through darkness by His light.
Throughout the O.T. Light is a positive concept; and darkness is negative.
Isaiah 5: 20 (NKJV), “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
LIGHT IN THE N.T.
Jesus Himself affirms that He is the Light of the world.
John 8:12 (NKJV), “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 9:5 (NKJV), “As long as I am in the world. “I am the light of the world”
John 12:46 (NKJV), “I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” Shows Jesus pre-existence and His mission.
Others using symbols of light in their teaching.
James 1:17 (NKJV), “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” Remember Genesis 1:3 (NKJV) Celestial lights that light up the sky day and night and never stops giving light. Pillar of fire that gave light to the Hebrews coming out of Egypt.
Paul stated in Philippians 2:15 (NKJV), “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”. Paul depicts believers as stars whose light penetrates the spiritually darkness of a perverted world.
In Matthew 5:14 (NKJV), Jesus said, “You are the light of the world…” We are lights as long as we reflect Christ.
Peter stated in 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV), “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,”. To be true believers your light must shine.
Jesus, James, John, Paul, and Peter affirm in their teaching that Jesus is the light.
From the beginning God made the light to shine in the darkness.
CONTRAST LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Ephesians 5:8 (NKJV), “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.
Ephesians 5: 13-14 (NKJV), ” But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV), “…And what communion has light with darkness?”
Acts 26:18 (NKJV), “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light…” Paul before Agrippa explaining he went from darkness to light.