The True Light

1 John 2:7-11
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, March 04, 2001
Copyright © 2001, P. G. Mathew

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

1 John 2:7-11

In 1 John 2:8 John writes, “the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.” This passage speaks about the triumph of the church of Jesus Christ over the darkness of evil through the gospel. The apostle Paul said, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” As we study this passage, I hope we will gain an attitude of triumph. Evil can never triumph. The text says, “Darkness is passing away; the true light is already shining.”

Dark versus Light

In our previous discussion about assurance of salvation, we said that assurance of salvation is the experience of all true believers who keep God’s commandments, particularly the commandment to love one another. We also said this is an old command, which was fulfilled perfectly only by one person, Jesus Christ. But we who believe in Jesus Christ are also enabled to meet this ethical demand to love one another. So Jesus Christ commanded, “Love one another as I have loved you,” and in 1 John 2:8 John tells us that this commandment is fulfilled not only in Jesus, but also in us.

The Gnostics, who were the heretics of John’s day, claimed to know God, yet they hated the people of God. Their lives proved their claim to be false, as we read in 1 John 2:9: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” Hatred is the nature of all unbelievers; thus, all who are outside of Jesus Christ practice hatred. Paul refers to this in Titus 3:3, saying, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.” Paul included himself in this description, no doubt remembering the hatred he practiced by murdering Christians before his conversion.

Since the fall of man, this world has been in moral darkness, which expresses itself in man’s hatred, first and foremost, toward God and his commandments, and then towards other people. Yet since the coming of Jesus Christ, there is light now shining in this dark world. God did not abandon the world to its darkness; rather, he so loved this world of evil people that he sent his only begotten Son as its light and life. This light shone with its greatest brilliance in Jesus Christ, and now it is shining in the church, which is the people of God. That is why John makes this amazing statement, that the truth of the new commandment can be seen not only in Jesus Christ, but also in us.

Before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, there was only darkness-moral evil-in the world. But since the coming of Christ, there are two realities: first, that the darkness is passing away, and, second, that the true light is shining. Note, John is not saying that the darkness has passed away entirely or that there is no longer any moral evil in the world. But it is passing away, and the true light is already shining in the world through the church, especially in the church’s practice of loving one another.

God Is Light

The Bible declares the truth that God is light, as we read in 1 John 1:5: “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” In his commentary on the gospel of John, Dr. James Montgomery Boice quotes Dr. E. M. Blaiklock, a professor of classics at Auckland University in New Zealand, on this sentence:

God is light. The image is satisfyingly complete. Light penetrates the unimaginable depths of space, far beyond the limits of human vision. In all the vastness of the great globe of vanished millennia into which the telescope can probe, the gleaming galaxies float, or tell in light how once they floated, when the effulgence which we see today began its endless journey.

Without light, there is no vision, no view of reality, no confident journeying, no growth save of chill and evil things, no health, no life. The hand shrinks from the cold and slimy life which survives sluggishly in dark caves. When some plant of the open day strikes root in such places, it becomes a pale and flaccid thing distorted beyond recognition, as it reaches for a gleam through some chink or crevice in the rock.

But light, like God, exists by itself apart from that which it illuminates. . . . Light on earth is a medium, a means by which we see this and that object. It picks up and reveals the loveliness of shape and color. But light exists by itself and apart from that which it gilds and glorifies. It is an environment, a condition, a wonder which fills and floods the whole immensity of space. (James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985] p. 43)

God is light! We find several references in the Bible about this idea. As we examine these scriptures, note that we are not speaking about the light God created when he said, “Let there be light,” but about God himself as light.

In Psalm 104:1-2 we read, “Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment . . . .” Here we are told that light, with all its effulgence and splendor, is the nature of God.

In Psalm 36:9 we read, “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” We cannot understand reality unless we view all things in the light that God gives us. The world is in darkness and is darkness. It is moral evil and has no understanding of reality. In fact, our own perception of reality and of the meaning and purpose of life is distorted because of this darkness. If we want to know truth, then we have to seek the light that God is and gives.

In Psalm 27:1 David declared, “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear?” God is light, which means God is life. Can you imagine life without light? So God is light; God is life; God is truth; God is meaning; God is purpose; God is the way.

In Psalm 119:105 the psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” In verse 130 he says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”

When we understand the truth about the darkness of the world and the light of God, we then can understand why, when an unbeliever speaks about anything, he is fundamentally wrong. Before he opens his mouth, he is wrong; when he opens his mouth, he is wrong; and when he finishes speaking, he is wrong. No one can understand reality except in the light of God.

Jesus Christ Is Light

Not only is God light, but Jesus Christ is light. In John 1:4-5 John writes in reference to Jesus Christ, “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.” Darkness here is a metaphor for moral evil. That is one way of translating this verse. Another way is, “The darkness has not extinguished it,” meaning it tried to put it out, but was not successful. We could also say, “The darkness has not conquered it.” And in verse 9 John writes, “The true light,” which is the same phrase we find in 1 John 2:8, “that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” In other words, every other light in the world is false, but the true light, meaning Jesus Christ, has come into the world.

We find this idea also in the great “I am” saying of John 8:12, where Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world.” Notice, Jesus Christ made this statement long after Socrates and Plato and others had lived. The ancient philosophers were not the light of the world. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” and the purpose of his coming into the world is that we may have light. He continued, “Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness,” meaning in meaninglessness, misery, and purposelessness, “but shall have the light of life.” What a profound statement! All the philosophers and wise men of the world can only tell falsehood. Jesus Christ alone tells the truth.

In John 9:5 Jesus made this statement: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Jesus is not one of many lights; he is the only true light.

In John 12:35-36 Jesus spoke to his disciples of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, saying, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer.” Then he instructed them, “Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.”

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into this world as the light of the world so that we can become sons of light-people who know God, people who have eternal life in Christ.

We Are the Light of the World

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus makes a profound statement. Looking at a bunch of ordinary, unimportant human beings, he declared, “You,” meaning you alone, “are the light of the world.” We find the same idea in Ephesians 5:8 where we read, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

What a mind-boggling statement! It is easy to understand why the Bible would say God is light and his Son is light, but now we have this amazing statement of Jesus himself, telling his disciples, “You are the light of the world. You alone!”

Think about this: Jesus Christ is no longer in the world. He was born, he lived, he was crucified, he died, he was buried, and he rose again on the third day. But now he has gone back into heaven. This Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and one day he will come again to judge the living and the dead, but he is not here now. So although he was the light of the world, now he says that we are the light of the world in his place. So John says the truth of this new commandment is fulfilled in us as well as in him.

Therefore, we are the light of the world. We are not light in ourselves, but we reflect the light of Christ to the world through our lives and proclamation. In other words, it matters what we believe and how we live. Jesus Christ is in heaven, but he has left us to be light in this world.

The Darkness of the World

As Christians, we must acknowledge that this world is only deep darkness, in spite of its claim to be light. Oh, we read about the Renaissance of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. In fact, modern man will speak with great ecstasy about the Enlightenment and how people succeeded in abandoning scriptural authority and liberating reason from the shackles of the church. Such people say they are enlightened, but the Bible declares they are deep darkness. In spite of the claim of enlightenment, in spite of the claim of philosophies, in spite of all the scientific knowledge we have, our world is in moral darkness. It has no light and life. It doesn’t know how to live. It has no purpose, no direction, no meaning.

In 1 John 2:11 we read about this idea that the world is in darkness and is darkness. There John writes, “But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks about in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” Your friendly but unbelieving neighbors, relatives, professors, scientists, philosophers, politicians, corporate CEOs-they are all in darkness.

Do you believe the world is darkness? The Bible speaks about it in several places. In John 3:19 the Lord Jesus Christ himself gives his judgment: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” Jesus Christ was speaking about himself. The Son of God took upon himself human nature. But he was not received by the world of darkness.

In Ephesians 5:8 we read, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” In other words, we were once evil, morally twisted, corrupt enemies of God. In Ephesians 4:18 we read, “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Where is the darkness? In their understanding.

In 1 Peter 2:9 Peter speaks of the past and current state of believers, saying, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

In Acts 26:18 God, in speaking of his purpose in calling the apostle Paul, says, “I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light.”

All who do not believe in God are blind and in darkness. There is only one way to come out of the darkness into the light: through faith in Jesus Christ.

Creatures of Darkness

What is the nature of unbelievers? They are in darkness, they are darkness, and they love darkness. They hate the light of God and the gospel of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Many years ago when I was ministering in another place, a man invited me to visit him in his dilapidated apartment in a high-rise building in the heart of the city. We took the elevator all the way up to his floor and, after opening the door to his apartment, this man turned on the light. Immediately, I wished he had not done that. I saw before me a room filled with cockroaches who were all running away from the light.

Like cockroaches, unbelievers are nocturnal beings who hate light and run away from it. They are darkened in their minds. They are always thinking and meditating. They will write books telling everyone else what to think. They will appear on television and radio. They will be in the newspapers and magazines. They teach in the universities and colleges. But the truth is, such people are in darkness, they are darkness, they are blind, and they are aimless.

In Isaiah 29 we read something about the activities of such people. In verse 15 we read, “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?'” Such people are active, I assure you. They are hiding from God. As we said, these blind, miserable people who have no meaning and purpose in life are always telling everybody else what to do and how to live. They think to themselves, “Who does know? Who sees us?” They close their eyes to create their own darkness and say, “God doesn’t see me.”

Not only that, we are told these people do not know where they are going. Yes, they walk about and are active, but they do so aimlessly, with no purpose or destination. Remember, they are in darkness, so they walk about in darkness, not knowing where they are going. Although they are blind, they have no shame in telling others how to live. Truly, it is a case of the blind leading the blind.

In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 we read what the Holy Spirit says about the nature of the unbeliever. Paul begins, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. . . .” Every time the gospel is preached, there is a veil, a blindness, on the hearts of many unbelievers. This is the explanation: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers . . . .” Satan blinds the minds of the unbelievers for a specific purpose, “so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

We spoke last week about the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky where there is an Echo River with fish who have eye sockets but no eyes. Like the fish, these people go about in darkness, not knowing where they are going. Such people love darkness and hate the light. They are evil and they produce evil. They hate Jesus Christ and his followers.

That is what the Gnostics did in John’s time. But notice, they appeared to be very nice. One who truly preaches the gospel may not be considered to be very nice by the world. But many unbelievers can be extremely nice-until you mention the name of Jesus Christ and his claim to be the true light. When you tell people that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, the life, and the only one to whom the Father has given the right to judge, you will see “nice” people get very upset.

From Darkness to Light

We who are Christians were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord. I hope you understand that truth. Yes, once we were foolish, in darkness, and blind. Even though we were blind, we told everyone what to do. We were haters of God who rebelled against him.

But praise be to God, something happened to us. In 2 Corinthians 4:5 we read, “For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

What do most people preach? Themselves. After all, we worship people, do we not? But preaching ourselves will help no one. We must stop talking about ourselves and talk about the true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ.

All of this harks back to Genesis 1:3, where we read, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” In the same way, Almighty God looked upon us sinners and said, “Let there be light!” When he spoke that into our hearts, our eyes were opened and our hearts flooded with light. We now see the reality of God, creation, and ourselves as sinners. We now recognize that the work of salvation is serious business. So we are told, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone; the new is come” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

This is speaking about regeneration. When we become Christians, we become sons of light and lovers of light. We begin to look toward light, like the sunflowers. We become interested in light, in Christ Jesus, in the Bible, in God’s truth, because we have been translated from the dominion of darkness and placed in the kingdom of God’s dear Son, which is the kingdom of light.

The Responsibilities of the Children of Light

What are the responsibilities of those who have been placed in God’s kingdom of light? We are to shine like stars in the world, Paul says, holding forth the word of life to the world of darkness. In 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5 we read “But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

When God said to us, “Let there be light,” he brought light into our mind, will, and emotions. He made us children of light and now we love light and move toward it, rather than away from it. If God had not done that mighty work in us, we would run away from the light because we and our deeds are evil. We would not want to come to him lest our deeds be exposed for what they are. But Paul says, “You are all sons of the light and sons of the day.” I hope we can say that we are all sons of the light and of the day. If you are not a son of the light, I pray that you call upon the name of the Lord that you may be saved.

Having been saved, the children of light are to shine as light in the world. Jesus told his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” They were a bunch of very ordinary people, yet Jesus Christ told them, “You and you alone are the light of the world.” A bunch of people in Jerusalem-the light of the world. If we are his disciples, this proclamation is true of us as well. We may have no advanced degrees, we may never have gone to the university, we may never have read a book. But the Holy Spirit of God came into our lives and made us light, and now we know more than any unbeliever in the world. So Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, “We alone are competent to tell others how to live.” We alone are competent because we alone know God.

We are the light of the world because of the new creation, because of our vital link with Jesus Christ. As light, we will do a number of things. First, by our sheer existence in the world and in the community, we will expose sin. That is the function of light. To do this, we don’t have to say anything. Our mere existence is sufficient. People begin to realize that what they are doing is evil. We just have to be there.

Second, we will explain the cause of the problems of this world as sin. We speak not about the ascent and evolution of man but about the descent and fall of man. Through Christ we alone have been given the key to explain the cause of all the problems of this world, which is sin and enmity with God. So because we are light of the world, we expose evil deeds and explain the problem of this world.

But not only do we expose sin and explain it as sin, we will also do something else: we will give an exit plan to the world. There is a way out of this dark world, and that is why God called the apostle Paul and commissioned him to open the eyes of sinners and deliver them from darkness and bring them into God’s kingdom of light. In 1 Peter 1:9 we read that we are “called out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

There is only one way to get out of darkness: Through the preaching of the gospel. So we expose darkness and explain it, but then we give the exit plan by boldly declaring, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” I must warn you, though, that this exit plan works only if people come to him acknowledging that they are sinners. No one can come to Christ in self-righteousness and expect to be saved.

In carrying out this responsibility to expose sin, to explain sin, and to give the world God’s exit plan from sin, we fulfill the new commandment to love the world. There are some Christians who want to be like the world. As a student of the Bible, I cannot understand how Christian people can be so fascinated with the things of the world. In fact, we must conclude that such people may not even be Christians. If we want to expose the world’s darkness, explain the cause of it, and give the exit plan from it, we must be the light. We can only help the world, not by our conformity to it, but by our conformity to the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, only by our separation and difference from the world we can be helpful to it. This is why Jesus said we must let our light shine, not cover it with the bushel of worldliness and sin.

Shining Boldly for Christ

As Christians we are called to live as light in the world. Some may say, “Don’t you know that darkness is increasing and secularism is reigning? Shouldn’t we find a cave to run and hide in?” Oh, no! As we said before, when we see God’s plan, we will recognize that darkness, not light, is on the retreat. The analogy is that of David and Goliath. Before David showed up, the entire Israelite army trembled before Goliath. But after David killed Goliath, the Philistines ran. If you are a Christian, never think that you are on the retreat. The One greater than David has come and destroyed Goliath on the cross by his death. He destroyed evil. “His truth is marching on.”

I pray we will not be ashamed of the gospel. In Romans 1:16 Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” The people of the world are in darkness and walking about in darkness. Their eyes are blind and they don’t know where they are going. We alone are the light, and the light shines and advances as we share the gospel in this dark world.

If you are a Christian, I hope you will stand tall and walk about with confidence. God has made you a new creation so that you can function as the light of the world. Not only do you know where you are going, but now you can lead others out of the darkness into God’s marvelous light.

Shining Through Our Deeds

esus said, “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.” And in verse 16 he concluded, “In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds, and praise your Father in heaven.”

In 1 John 2:8 we read, “Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you. . . .” What is this new command? To love one another. “Its truth is seen in him,” means in Jesus Christ, “and in you,” meaning Christ’s disciples, “because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.”

Jesus Christ declared he was the Light of the world. He died, was buried, was raised from the dead, ascended into the heavens. PGM Yet the true light still shines through the church. So Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men,” meaning in the world, “so that they can see your good deeds, and praise your Father in heaven.”

In other words, God uses our good deeds to evangelize others. It is true that unbelievers who are not chosen of God will not necessarily praise the heavenly Father when they see our good deeds. But people in the world who are chosen of God from all eternity unto salvation will also see our light, and when they do, they will be drawn to God. They shall be made light and shall join us in praising God.

Our responsibility as Christians is to shine as light, not to cover ourselves with the bushel of worldliness. In Ephesians 5:8 we read, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” In Romans 12:2 we read, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This renewal comes only through the gospel.

In belief and behavior, therefore, we must be different from the world. In our personal lives, in our married lives, in our work and church lives, if we profess to be Christians and claim to know God who is light, in whom there is no darkness, we must walk in the light, as he is in the light. And if we do not shine as lights, our profession will be proven false.

What does it mean to let our light shine? It means to live a life that is in accordance with the gospel. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which are works of obedience to God’s will. Simply put, we must obey God. So, for example, if you are a child, the good work you must do is to obey your parents. When you do that, you are shining. And when unbelieving people observe that you are obedient to your parents, they will be fascinated by it. They will see your good works and praise God.

Shining simply means doing the will of God. There is nothing mysterious about it. But where do we find the will of God? In the Bible. There are the Ten Commandments, which are our moral guide and which are still applicable today. Additionally, the Ten Commandments were given depth and breadth by the Lord Jesus Christ, who interpreted them for us by always doing the will of God.

Now, then, as children of light, we love God’s law. We enjoy it and express our love for God by eagerly and zealously doing it.

This is what it means to shine in the world. God’s will must rule our belief and behavior. As we glorify God by doing God’s will, others who are ordained to salvation will be attracted by it. They want to know about it, and when you tell them about Jesus Christ and him crucified, they will believe in Jesus Christ and join with us in praising God.

We find the same idea in John 15:5 where Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Why are we connected to Christ? To bring forth fruit, more fruit, and much fruit, all to the glory of the Father. Our heavenly Father is the farmer, and when he comes to look for fruit, he will be pleased when he sees much fruit. What is the fruit he is looking for? Our acts of obedience.

There are always people in this world who will obey Jesus Christ. That is why John writes, “The darkness is passing and the true light already is shining.” Authentic people of God delight in shining, in doing good works, in knowing the will of God and doing it with eagerness.

Do Everything Without Complaining or Arguing

Let us then look at some scriptures that tell us how to shine in this world for Christ. In Philippians 2:14 Paul writes, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Have you ever been talking to someone and all of a sudden that person begins to complain and argue with you? I believe that in this passage Paul is reflecting back upon the Israelites in the wilderness. What were they famous for? Complaining and murmuring.

So Paul begins, “Do everything. . .” The use of the word “everything” means total submission to God. It is speaking about total, not partial, obedience.

If we claim to be Christians, whether children or adults, then we will do everything in obedience to God. Obedience is the proof that we are Christians; no longer darkness but light. So Paul says, “Do everything without murmuring or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.”

I remember watching my mother speak to people. She was extremely competent in giving counsel. She didn’t have any college degrees or higher education, yet she knew much about spiritual things. She knew the way to God, and she would speak to anyone and everyone about that. She was competent to counsel.

Shining as Stars in the World

What is the world? Here Paul defines it as the crooked and depraved generation that every Christian finds himself in. We see the same idea elsewhere in the Scriptures in reference to the world. So the world is the darkness in which Christians are to shine as luminaries, as stars. Do you see the picture? The world is totally dark, and the answer to this darkness is Christians. We are to shine as stars.

It is amazing but true: We are the answer to the world, and there is no way the world is going to see light except through the church of Jesus Christ. This is why it is extremely important that we live a Christian life as well as proclaim the Christian message.

Here again we are told what it means to shine as stars. It is not difficult to understand. Paul writes, “as you hold out the word of life.” We shine as we hold forth the gospel both in our speech and in our lives.

How do we do this? Let me first mention what this doesn’t mean. We have seen television coverage of a certain politician going to church on Sundays carrying a big Bible to be seen by others. This is not what Paul means by “holding forth the word of life.” This man was using the Bible only to promote himself.

Holding Forth the Word of Life

What, then, does it mean to shine as stars in a dark world by holding forth the word of life? It means we must live by the gospel and proclaim the gospel.

God is telling us to shine on earth. This is not a request to shine in heaven because when we are there, we can only but shine. as God enables us. This is speaking about life in a crooked and depraved world. In the midst of it, we are to shine, radiating the glory of God through our lives and speech.

Declaring God’s Praises

In 1 Peter 2:9 we read, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Once we were in darkness, we were darkness, and we loved darkness. We moved about meaninglessly and aimlessly in darkness and were blinded by it. But through God’s rich grace the light that enlightens every man in Jesus Christ came to us and enlightened us. Our eyes were opened and we were taken out of the sphere of darkness and brought into the marvelous light. What was the purpose of it all? That we may declare his praises. But is Peter referring to declaring God’s praises in heaven? No. We were brought out of darkness into God’s kingdom so that we can declare his praises here and now in the world.

What does it mean to declare his praises? Some, especially in the charismatic world, would say it means to repeat ” Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, praise the Lord,” over and over again, or to speak in tongues. But even if we do these things, yet live like a devil, we are not declaring God’s praises.

To declare God’s praises is the same as to shine as stars, as we read in Philippians 2. We must live the gospel and proclaim it, in that order. So if you are a rebellious wife who refuses to submit to God or to your husband, don’t talk about the gospel. If you are a husband who doesn’t love your wife, you should stop talking, because you are not qualified to declare his praises. Before we can shine, we must repent and ask God to forgive our sins. Then we can truly declare God’s praises.

Reflecting God’s Glory

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read, “And we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Why does Paul speak about unveiled faces? Because God took away the veil, the blindness we had when we were under the dominion of sin and Satan. When I travel by airplane, I use a blinder to block out the light. I put it on when I want to sleep and take it off when I wake up. The blinders of unbelievers cannot be put on or taken off so easily. They are part of their very constitution.

But God took our blinders away and now we behold him with unveiled faces. So Paul writes, “And we, who with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord’s glory. . .” That is what we do. We are not light in ourselves; rather, we are reflectors of the glory of God, like the moon reflects the light of the sun. That is what shining is: looking at Christ and reflecting his glory in this crooked and depraved world. And in the process of reflecting the Lord’s glory, we ourselves are changed. We sing the chorus, “From glory to glory he’s changing me. . . . his likeness and image to perfect in me, the love of Christ shown to the world.” So Paul writes, “we . . . are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” All our shining comes from the Lord.

Living as Children of Light

In Ephesians 5:8 we read, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

Notice that phrase, “but now.” In Ephesians 2:3 we read, “All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions . . . .” That is what “but now” means. Something happened to us-this profound miracle called regeneration. God, who said, “Let there be light,” uttered his word in the depths of our being, light began to radiate inside us, and darkness was expelled.

So Paul writes, “But now you are light in the Lord.” There is no other way to refer to a Christian. It is always in relationship to the Lord. We are light in the Lord. And what are we to do? “Live as children of light.” Our profession and practice must harmonize.

Then Paul gives us an explanation in verse 9: “(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Light exposes darkness. “For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said, ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'”

So Paul continues, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” and do it. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and praise our heavenly Father.”

Sons of the Light

In 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 we find a description of our new status as sons of light. Paul begins, “But you, brothers, are not in darkness. . . .” So Paul writes, “But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you as a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. You do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So, then, let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert, self-controlled.” In other words, shine!

The Darkness Is Passing Away

In Romans 13:12-14 we find the verse that caused St. Augustine to be converted. Verse 12 begins, “The night is nearly over.” This is the same idea we found in 1 John 2:8, that “the darkness is passing.” It has not yet passed completely but it is passing away. Yes, we are surrounded by troubles-secularism, feminism, abortion, and homosexuality. There is evil all around us and very few people believe in the Bible. But does that mean we should run away from the world? No, that is not what the Bible is saying. Here we read, “The night is nearly over.”

So Paul writes

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of your sinful nature.

Let your light shine before men! As both John and Paul said, the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. It is the true light, not Gnosticism, not foolish religious ideas, not philosophies, not human prognostications. Especially since the coming of Jesus Christ, darkness is passing away and the true light is shining. Every person in the church of Jesus Christ is shining as a star in this twisted and depraved world.

I hope you will understand who you really are. We are not darkness; we are light. Evil, not light, is on the retreat. It is being defeated by the true light because Jesus Christ defeated evil on the cross once for all.

The Defeat of Darkness Through the Cross of Christ

In Colossians 2:15 Paul speaks about the death of Jesus Christ on the cross: “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” When Jesus Christ died, he defeated all darkness. The cross of Christ brought triumph over all darkness, over all evil forces, over the demons and the world, over death and over hell, and over Satan. Do you believe that?

In Matthew 12:28 Jesus himself said, “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” God’s rule, God’s power, God’s government, God’s authority has come and intruded upon this world in Jesus Christ. And in verse 29 he said, “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.” Who is the strong man? The devil. Jesus Christ is the stronger one, who bound the strong man of the world and is now liberating the devil’s hostages. Although we were worshiping the god of this age, we have been liberated forever by Jesus Christ. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). That is what is meant by “the darkness is passing away.”

In 1 John 3:8 we read, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” The incarnation of Jesus Christ was specifically for the purpose of destroying the devil’s work. And in 2 Timothy 1:10 Paul writes that this Jesus Christ, our Savior, “destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light.”

In Hebrews 2:14-15 we read in reference to Jesus Christ, “so that by his death he might destroy the him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” No wonder we are told by James, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). The devil is a superhuman angelic being. Yet when a believer in Jesus Christ resists him, he is guaranteed to flee because Christ died on the cross and darkness is passing away.

In Romans 8:37 Paul writes, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” You see, here Paul ran out of words to describe how great Christ’s victory was over Satan, so he simply said, “We are more than conquerors.” Believers in Jesus Christ, those who have been united with Christ, are described as more than conquerors. And as we read in Revelation 12:11 in reference to Satan, “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” That is the reference point we must have. When we say to Satan, “Christ defeated you on the cross and I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,” he will run.

We must be very clear about one thing: It is not light that is passing away, but darkness. In spite of all the opposition of the Jews, the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the kings, and the Roman empire, the word of God increased and multiplied. It is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah that “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

Jesus Christ is Lord of all and all things are put under his feet. There is no exception. And this Sovereign Lord of all is also the head of the church.

The Analogy of David

As we alluded to before, the story of David and Goliath give us a true analogy of this truth that the light is shining already and the darkness is passing away.

In 1 Samuel 17:50-51 we read, “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.” This is the idea. Darkness is on the retreat. It is passing away.

In verse 52 we read, “Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.” That is what the church of Jesus Christ ought to do. As the Philistines turned and ran, the Israelites surged forward. As the darkness passes away, the true light should shine more and more.

Do not believe the lie that secularism and evil and Satan and the world are winning. Take a look a the cross where Christ died and by his death destroyed all evil. Christ rose and reigns, and we shall reign with him.

So John says darkness is passing away and Paul says the night is nearly over. We are more than conquerors; thus, we can resist the devil and he shall flee. The day is almost here-the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ-and when Christ Jesus comes again, darkness will have completely gone. The final triumph is coming.

The Final Triumph of Christ

When Christ comes again, evil will be shut out from the presence of God, as we read in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10,

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just; he will pay back trouble to those who trouble you, and give relief to you who are troubled and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

If you want further proof, in Revelation 22:5 we read, “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. And they will reign forever and ever.” The saints of God will be inside, in the light. But the unbelieving, the wicked, the crooked, the depraved, the fearful, the sexually immoral, and all the idolaters will be outside. What is outside? Deep darkness. Oh, these people preferred darkness, they loved darkness, and they will get darkness-deep darkness.

This is an extremely serious matter. In Matthew 8:12 we read, “But the subjects of the kingdom,” meaning those who do not believe in Christ, “will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 22:13 we read, “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” In Matthew 25:30 we read, “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What about you? Do you say you don’t like to obey God, that you don’t like God’s word, God’s law? Do you say you don’t want to believe in the one true Savior, Jesus Christ? Do you say, “Yes, I know that the light has come to the world, but I prefer darkness because I hate light”? Are you a nocturnal being? If these things are true of you, there is a day coming in which God will give you the desire of your heart. You will be cast out into deep darkness where there will be great, eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth.

But for those who are the light, be assured that darkness is passing away and the day is coming in which there shall be no more night and we shall dwell with him forever. We have an obligation to the world to shine as light. Our shining is extremely vital in God’s program of saving the world. Therefore, may God have mercy upon us and help us to shine for him and bring others into his kingdom that they may dwell with Christ forever. Amen.