God is Light from Creation to the End

Syndicate this post.

God is Light
The light of God is mentioned in many places throughout the Bible. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5 NIV). The following text examines a handful of the many occurrences of God’s light within scripture.

On day one of creation, God said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV). Certainly we know that this is a literal light as it also says that, “God called the light day, and the darkness he called night” (Genesis 1:5 NIV). However, God did not create the sun, the moon or the stars until the fourth day. So where did the light come from? This seems simple to some, but is not easy for all to grasp.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. ”
(John 1:1-5 NIV)

This passage from John is talking about Jesus Christ. All things were made through Christ. He, exclusively, was the light that shined for the first three days of earth’s existence. Not only that! His light is also the light of men, which is life. The first verses of the Bible tell us that life is through Christ. It was this way for Adam and Eve, and for the Israelites and for mankind today. If we want life, we obtain that one way and that is through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:4 says that, “God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness” (NIV). Remember that the light is Jesus and it is good according to God the father. In contrast the darkness is everything else, everything which is not good. God made a specific point to separate the light from the darkness, the good from the evil. It was on this first day of creation that it was established that Christ was good and everything which is not of Christ is sin.

Now it’s time to apply this.

…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
(1 John 7, 8 NIV)

We are called to walk in the light, which is Jesus, according to creation. Isaiah said, “let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isaiah 2:5). To walk is to live your life according to something. If we claim to be without sin, then we are living a lie and we walk in darkness; Christ is not in us. Hold to the teachings of Christ and you walk in the light. This is the path to life.

On a side note, does this mean that if we sin, we do not walk in the light? Certainly not. We are affected by the darkness even from the perspective of light. That is why we receive purification from the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Walking in darkness requires a deliberate act of defiance against the nature of Christ or the nature of God according for those who have experienced Christ only through general revelation.

“Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD” (Psalms 4:6 NIV). In this Psalm David pleas with God to shine his light, or his goodness down on the Israelites. This is the same light that comes from Christ. In context, he is asking for virtue to be cast onto them so that they will remember God and come to repentance of their sins.

“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.”
(Daniel 2:22 NIV)

This is another reminder from Daniel. Do not claim to be holy. There is corruption in all of man. The man who claims to be humble is the least humble. God will judge the heart and reveal the darkness within. True light comes from heartfelt commitment to Jesus Christ and none other. The light must dwell in you. If it does not, then darkness does.

What to do with the light?

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:14-16 NIV)

If we have the light within us, then all are to see it. Christ is saying, “Hey, if you have my light in you, then go shine my goodness out on others.” The goodness of Christ should pour from us like the beacon in the lighthouse so that others can see Christ in us. This is not merely evangelism, although it is that too. This is treating others as Christ would and as he has treated you, with grace, compassion and mercy. Why? So that they will praise God and so they will know Christ because of your demonstration of Christ in you.

“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.”
(Revelation 22:5 NIV)

In the end, when we go to be in heaven with the Father, there will be no need for the sun and the stars. We will live eternally, our lives lit by the glory of the Lord. Remember though that the light was separated from the darkness. Those who did not accept Christ will live eternally in darkness and eternal torment. They will be thrown “into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50 NIV).

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ”
(Luke 8:16 NIV)

The Challenge.
If you have the light in you, do not hold it in. Be a beacon of Christ’s light to the world so that they can experience the same eternity as you.

God is Light from Creation to the End