The true light

Let there be light

And God said let there be light and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Gen.1:3-5

In the original description of the waste and void of earth it is said that darkness was upon the face of the deep. Then God spoke and there was light; God spoke and it was done says the Psalmist Ps.33:4-6. In our unregenerated state we were in darkness, and Paul goes further by saying we were darkness itself!

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: Eph.5:8

Our condition was pitiful indeed, but God spoke and we became light! Paul gives us the spiritual application of Gen.1:3 in his second epistle to the Corinthians.

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us
II Cor.4:4-7

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

I Pet.2:9

Those who don’t believe have had their eyes blinded by the god of this world (the devil) so that the light of Christ could not shine in them. But when a person comes to Christ God speaks the word, and Christ, the very image of God, shines into our hearts to give the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Consequently we have the treasure of God placed into these earthen vessels, who is Christ in you the hope of Glory Col.1:27.

In the opening verses of John’s gospel we have the declaration that the true light is Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Further into the prologue John says that we beheld His glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father Jn.1:14. It was the Son’s purpose to show us the Father and it is only by Jesus we can know the Father Jn.14:6-9. we do indeed have the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

As ye received Christ

In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not (=did not overcome).
Jn.1:4-5

It is a remarkable fact that the opening of John’s gospel parallels the opening account in Genesis and in the verses following the creation we have statements on light. In Genesis we have the physical light created, in John we have the true light.

Christ is the light, in fact it says that it is His life that is the light of men. It is His life that He came to give us so that we would no longer be in darkness. In fact this is one of the main themes of this fourth gospel.

The Apostle continues that the darkness does not overcome it. The life of Christ can not be overcome by the powers of darkness! If Christ is in you then the enemy can not overcome.

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him

Col.2:6

Linking this thought in with our studies in Colossians. We have seen that we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son, Col.1:13. And in the scripture quoted above, one which we have emphasised before, exhorts us to walk in Christ as we originally received Him.

The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Lk.11:34-36

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jn.8:12

Having begun in light we must continue to walk in that light, and Jesus teaches much about this aspect of Christian living.

Jesus says that if we follow Him we shall not walk in darkness, Jn.8:12. Jesus also tells us that if our eye is single then our whole being is full of light, but if evil then full of darkness, Lk.11:34-36.

In order to walk along the correct path we need light and that means having our eye single, fixed on Christ. In the context of Colossians this would mean having our eyes turned off from other things such as Philosophy, Legalism, Mysticism etc. By turning our eyes off Jesus and onto other things means that the light we have is darkness.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto 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 the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
I Jn.1:5-7

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
I Jn.2:9-10

John in his first epistle expounds being in the light further. In God there is no darkness and so fellowship with Him is dependent on us walking in the light . This means that we are to be loving one another, by loving the brethren there is no occasion of stumbling in us. On the other hand hating our brothers means that we are in darkness.

In I Jn.3:11-16 we have the apostle using the incident of Cain and Abel to illustrate this truth. Cain murdered his brother because his deeds were evil and Abel’s righteous. If we consider this we will note that according to Heb.11:4 Abel offered his sacrifice by faith, the implication is that Cain did not, hence Cain was not accepted. This resulted in hatred and murder. Cain was in darkness his lack of faith darkened his eyes, he could not see the truth even when God pleaded with him.

Having been born anew we must continue in that life, walk as we begun. We need to continue walking in that light. By not walking in that light we do not have fellowship with Him. It is only as we walk in the light as He is, that we have fellowship and know the constant cleansing of the blood in our lives.

Summary

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear…..But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Heb.11:3-6

In the great chapter on faith the writer says that by faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, and that without faith it is impossible to please God.

It is the same in salvation, in fact in any transaction with God. It is all by faith. He speaks and we respond Rom.10:17. It is by grace through faith Eph.2:8, and not anything of ourselves. Have you reader received this salvation? if not then turn to the living God and respond to His speaking to you.

So from the account of creation we have seen that new birth, this baptism into Christ, brings forth the true light into the believer: God has shined into our hearts in the face of Jesus Christ, or in the words of Colossians:

Giving thanks unto the Father, which has made us partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son
Col.1:12-13

And as we begun so we must continue in that light.