Evangelist at Sound of Heaven Church
The Bible shares many amazing characteristics of God. One way that He is described is that God is Light. Light, of course, is a vital part of our lives. As obvious as that statement sounds, you can argue that light is a gift that is easy to take for granted.
Consider the benefit of electricity. Every day we walk in and out of rooms, flipping switches to illuminate our surroundings. With it, we can better navigate our environment, find what we are looking for and better communicate with one another.
I remember Hurricane Sandy here on Long Island. My wife was in the hospital with the birth of our 3rd child. We lost power for 3 weeks. With 2 little ones at home, it was rough. Even a week into the power outage, I found myself walking into rooms and flicking the light switch over and over. Of course, nothing happened.
Just a week earlier, I went about my day not thinking about electricity at all. But, now that my access to light was gone, I missed the light from the now powerless sources set throughout our house.
When something is a constant, we expect it so much that we barely notice it. That is, until the day we have to go without and then we yearn for what we had.
God is constant in our lives and we benefit from Him whether we know He is there or not. Like my experience after Superstorm Sandy, darkness is a tough place to be. It’s no place to live. Everything is harder to accomplish when operating in the dark.
The Bible tells us that God is light. Even more so than the electricity in our houses or the rays of the sun, His Light is everything to us. The benefits extend beyond this life and bless us into eternity.
Evangelist Jason Koch D’Ambrosio delivers a powerful word on God as Light.
One Bible verse that is most clear in describing God as light can be found in 1 John, Chapter 1. Here it says,
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7
The God is Light verse is a powerful reminder of Who He is but also what He is not. Verse 5 says that there is no darkness in God whatsoever. We often equate light to good and darkness to evil. This is a worthy comparison. The statement means that God also has no evil in Him whatsoever. Because He is not evil then no evil comes from Him, only good.
That concept is hard for some to fathom. When something goes bad, we often blame God or at least attribute the circumstance to something that He orchestrated. This is not true. Nowhere did Jesus promise us a perfect life, but He did say…
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
When we face trouble, one of the hardest things to do is stay at peace. How can we keep our peace with so much evil around us? Well, it’s because we cannot come across an evil that the Goodness of God can’t destroy. Just like there is no darkness that can stand stay in the presence of the light.
Evil is often described as the absence of good. Darkness is also described as the absence of light. These are 2 statements that are widely accepted, but do they tell the whole story?
It may seem like we are switching topics here, but not so. One of the most interesting facts about light that it is always present, even in the pitch black.
Light is comprised of photons and waves. Darkness is simply when light photons are:
1. Not prominent enough
2. Obstructed
So, these photons are always present but darkness is what we experience when our eyes are unable to pick them up. There is a lack of luminance. That puts a bit of a different spin on the statement that God is Light. We know that God is in all places at all times. So is light!
But what about evil? Evil can technically be armed robbery or a seemingly innocent white lie. While it’s hard to compare the 2, both lack a visible degree virtue in what we know to be good.
Darkness is more accurately described as when light is not visible because it isn’t given prominence or it is somehow obstructed. It can be in a large, pitch-black room or the small space under your couch cushion. Both, to some degree are void of detectable light. Isn’t that reassuring?
If light were suddenly given prominence or become un-obstructed, everything would change. What was hidden would now be illuminated, visible, and dare I say exposed for the world to see. If there were something important tucked away there or something that needed to be thrown away, shedding light in that place is a very good thing.
This is exactly what happens when we open our eyes to what God has for us. His Omnipresence also means that He is always with us. Just as light is present in even the darkest places, God is with us in our lowest, most difficult times. Whether we see Him or not. It ay seem like God is hidden, but He is not. Isn’t that reassuring?
The Apostle Paul encouraged the church “all things work together for good to them that love God”. Romans 8:28
This is true because God is both present no matter what we are going through, but able to bring good out of that situation.
A common misconception about light and darkness is that they are somehow equal or polar opposite. This is not the case. Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Take a dark space, like mentioned previously, and introduce light and the darkness will be eliminated. You cannot introduce darkness to a lighted space. Only removing the light will allow darkness to exist, but only until the light comes back. Why is this significant?
In the context of the Father, He is an eternal light. Every one of the attributes of God are a perfect application. Where God is love, He is perfect love. Where God is just or faithful, He is so in the most pure sense of the word. Being the Light is no different. There is no darkness in Him. That means all darkness in His presence is elminated.
How this pertains to me and you is that sin or struggle, our personal dark situations, that are brought to God’s Light cannot remain. That is an exciting statement considering most of us struggle daily in one or more areas.
We can choose to walk in sin and essentially operate in darkness. Often, we have things we know need to go. We can hide our shortcomings away under the couch cushions of our souls, but it is only when we allow the light to expose those things that we can be free from them. I hope you catch where I am going here.
God is a Glorious, Perfect, Light that we can choose to walk in and shine on the areas of our lives that cause us to stumble. He is faithful to show us a better way.
Are you ready to let God in to those places that you’ve hidden? Is it time to let His Light guide through dark places?
The statement that God is light is not just a New Testament concept. We find it regularly referred to as an attribute to God in the Old Testament, as well. He never changes, so it only makes sense that wherever He is… God is Light!
Read More: Why do we need salvation?
1 John 1:5-7 is not the only God is light verse. Psalm 119 describes the word of God as a lamp at our feet. Consider this imagery. When your path is lit, you are less apt to stumble and get lost. Many of us feel lost at times. God, who is the Giver of all wisdom, can show us the way to a better place. Don’t wander in the darkness, God will light your path and guide you. As implied in 1 John, we decide whether or not to walk in His Light.
Consider the God is light verse in Psalm 119 and other Scriptures that reinforce this as an attribute of the Father.
Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Psalm 119:104,105When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life…
Proverbs 6:22,23
Send me your light and your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Psalm 43:3
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?
Psalm 27:1
Here is a comprehensive list of Scriptures that describe how God is Light.
Light is connected to the Divine way, truth, and life? That should sound quite familiar.
Jesus was the complete manifestation of the God in the flesh. He is described as the Light because Jesus, Himself, is God. He was an earthly human vessel that was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God, fully, but also dwelled here as a man, completely.
The full manifestation of the Light of the world is Jesus. Through Him all sins are forgiven. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is through His life, death, and resurrection that we can begin to grasp the power of God’s love and His light.
Knowing where you stand with God is so important. Your identity with God is found in Jesus. He is the Light. because God is Light. Don’t forget, however, Jesus said you also are the light. That is because you and I are created in His image.
But 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.
1 John 1:7
We all struggle with sin and darkness, but God made a way. That’s why we should all stick together and encourage one another to walk in the Light of God everyday! Maybe for you that is starting today.
At Sound of Heaven, we are here for you. All it takes is asking God to guide you and He is faithful to do that. Don’t sit in darkness any longer. God wants to dawn a new day where you are surrounded by His presence.
The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them
Isaiah 9:2
What you find out, through salvation and what it means to be born again, is that you don’t have to fight your battles alone. You can put your trust in Jesus and we are here to take that journey with you!
© Sound of Heaven Church 2011- 2024
