God is Light!

Key passages for your meditation:  Genesis 1; John 1; 1 John 1; Psalm 119:105-112

In week one’s “Musings” I made the statement that the Bible is replete with verses telling us clearly who God is. Some of these statements refer specifically to God's nature and others to His mighty works.

Let’s consider a fundamental statement about God's very personhood:  God is Light (1 John 1:5). This three word statement says volumes about who God is.  As light, God exposes or reveals falsehood and truth, sin and righteousness.  As light, God warms the heart like the sun warms the body on a cool spring day.  As light, God is skillfully powerful like a laser beam used to remove cancer or correct vision loss.  Today, we can rejoice because of God’s light! “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). 

God as light reveals our dependence on Him. In the same way that we are dependent on light in our physical world, we are correspondingly dependent on God as light in the spiritual realm.  Light is necessary for life.  Absence of light equals absence of life—physically as well as spiritually.  Psalm 36:9 says, "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.”  Therefore, we are not surprised that Jesus as Immanuel (God with us ) would say, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12).    

Furthermore, we are dependent upon light for physical sight as well as spiritual sight. Jesus said,  "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." (John 12:46). I have had the privilege of knowing a blind man who cannot see physical light with his eyes because they were damaged at birth. He lives in physical darkness.  In like manner, every person is born with damaged spiritual vision. We live in spiritual darkness until God so works in our lives that we respond to His light. Paul's self-righteous eyes were opened as he responded to Christ's appearance to him as light on the Damascus road. Years later while giving testimony to a human king, he quotes Christ's commission to preach the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. He was sent "to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in [Jesus Christ]" (Acts 26:18).    

Have you seen God’s light?  Have you put your trust in the God who is light?  There is always more light for us to see. Let’s seek help for our spiritual vision by praying David’s prayer in Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."  Here is a verse to get us started: Isaiah 60:19, “The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.”  Let's keep thinking about the fact that God is our everlasting light and glory! 

With prayer, Mark       

© January, 2011