Light (5457) (phos from pháo = to shine) is defined by many lexicons as that which contrasts with darkness. Light is the medium of illumination that makes sight possible or makes things visible. In Scripture phos can refer to literal, physical light (Ge 1:3), but often is used metaphorically or symbolically, the greatest metaphorical use being used to symbolize Jesus as "the Light of the world." (Jn 8:12). Zodhiates says figuratively phos means... moral and spiritual light and knowledge which enlightens the mind, soul or conscience; including also the idea of moral goodness, purity and holiness, and of consequent reward and happiness. (Zodhiates, S. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG or Logos or Wordsearch) Friberg has a good summary of phos... Literally light; (1) by metonymy (Ed: figure of speech consisting of the use of the name of one thing for that of another of which it is an attribute), of sources or bearers of illumination, as (sun)light (Rev 22.5b); (star)light, as one of many heavenly lights (Jas 1.17); (fire)light (Mk 14.54); (lamp)light (Lk 8.16); (torch or lantern) light (Acts 16.29); (2) as a religious metaphor, used especially of God as the ultimate source of light and of the sphere where he exists (1Ti 6.16; 1Jn 1.5); (3) figuratively openness; idiomatically "en to photi" = literally in the light, i.e. openly, publicly (Mt 10.27); (4) figuratively; (a) as divine illumination or understanding given to the spirit and soul of human beings (Mt 4.16); (b) as a person who bears or brings such illumination to others (Ro 2.19); (c) as a person who guides the way he lives by such understanding (Eph 5.8; 1Th 5.5)(Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Baker Academic) Vine summarizes phos... akin to phaō, to give light (from roots pha— and phan—, expressing light as seen by the eye, and, metaphorically, as reaching the mind, whence phainō, to make to appear phaneros, evident, etc.); cp. English, phosphorus (lit., light—bearing). “Primarily light is a luminous emanation, probably of force, from certain bodies, which enables the eye to discern form and color. Light requires an organ adapted for its reception (Mt 6:22). Where the eye is absent, or where it has become impaired from any cause, light is useless. Man, naturally, is incapable of receiving spiritual light inasmuch as he lacks the capacity for spiritual things, 1Cor 2:14. Hence believers are called ‘sons of light,’ Lk 16:8, not merely because they have received a revelation from God, but because in the New Birth they have received the spiritual capacity for it. “ Apart from natural phenomena, light is used in Scripture of (a) the glory of God’s dwelling—place, 1Ti 6:16; (b) the nature of God, 1Jn 1:5; (c) the impartiality of God, Jas 1:17; (d) the favor of God, Ps. 4:6; of the King, Pr 16:15; of an influential man, Job 29:24; (e) God, as the illuminator of His people, Isa. 60:19, 20; (f) the Lord Jesus as the illuminator of men, Jn 1:4, 5, 9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35, 36, 46; Acts 13:47; (g) the illuminating power of the Scriptures, Ps 119:105; and of the judgments and commandments of God, Isa. 51:4; Pr 6:23, cp. Ps. 43:3; (h) the guidance of God, Job 29:3; Ps 112:4; Isa. 58:10; and, ironically, of the guidance of man, Ro 2:19; (i) salvation, 1Pe 2:9 (j) righteousness, Ro 13:12; 2Cor. 11:14, 15; 1Jn 2:9, 10; (k) witness for God, Mt 5:14, 16; Jn 5:35; (l) prosperity and general well—being, Esther 8:16; Job 18:18; Isa. 58:8-10.” (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words - Online) Webster's 1828 says light is "That ethereal agent or matter which makes objects perceptible to the sense of seeing, but the particles of which are separately invisible." Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary says "The Bible also speaks of light as the symbol of God’s presence and righteous activity. Light has been associated with the presence, truth, and redemptive activity of God since creation....Misguided fascination with light caused some cultures of the ancient world to worship the sun and moon." ISBE adds that light "is used throughout the Scriptures as the symbol and synonym of all that is luminous and radiant in the mental, moral and spiritual life of men and angels; while the eternal God, because of His holiness and moral perfection, is pictured as "dwelling in light unapproachable" (1Ti 6:16)." CONTRAST OF LIGHT & DARKNESS IN THE SCRIPTURE There are some 60 passages (both OT and NT) which specifically present light and darkness in direct contrast. (The following passages would make an interesting study) - Ge 1:4f, 18; Ex 14:20; Job 3:4, 9; 12:22, 25; 17:12; 18:6, 18; 24:16; 26:10; 29:3; 30:26; 38:19; Ps 18:28; 112:4; 139:11f; Eccl 2:13; 12:2; Isa 5:20, 30; 9:2; 13:10; 42:16; 45:7; 50:10; 58:10; 59:9; Jer 13:16; Lam 3:2; Ezek 32:7; Dan 2:22; Amos 5:18, 20; Mic 7:8; Matt 4:16; 6:23; 10:27; 24:29; Mk 13:24; Lk 11:34ff; 12:3; Jn 1:5; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35, 46; Acts 26:18; Ro 2:19; 13:12; 1Cor 4:5; 2Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5; 1Pet 2:9; 1 John 1:5; 2:8f Related Resources: Light in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Light in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Octavius Winslow on THE GOD OF LIGHT Phos - 70x in 59v in the NAS - Translated - fire(1), firelight(1), light(68), lights(2). Matthew 4:16 "THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED." Comment: Here light has a spiritual meaning in context ultimately describing the Messiah (and His message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Mk 1:1) Matthew 5:14-note "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; Comment: Here light has a spiritual meaning and refers to Christ followers who let there light shine in the spiritually dark, spiritually blind world (see Mt 5:16 below) Matthew 5:16-note "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Comment: This is an amazing verse in conjunction with 1Jn 1:5 - God is light and His children (Jn 1:12, 1Jn 3:1) are His privileged designated spiritual "light" bearers. Not only did He extract us from dark and give us spiritual eyes to see His light, He then gave us the job to go back to the darkness and live in such a way that our visible lives give a proper of the unseen Father in heaven. Matthew 6:23-note "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Comment: "The darkness means that a person's eye is focused upon evil; therefore, his whole being is full of darkness or evil." (POSB) Matthew 10:27 "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Matthew 17:2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. Mark 14:54 Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire. Luke 2:32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel." Luke 8:16 "Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. Luke 11:35 "Then watch out that the light in you is not darkness. Luke 12:3 "Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops. Luke 16:8 "And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. Luke 22:56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. 9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. John 3:19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." Comment: Here we see Jesus is personified as the Light Who offends the sons of darkness and from Whom they flee, for His Light exposes their evil deeds. As Robert Candlish says "The clear, open sunshine of the presence and countenance of Him Who is Light is no longer tolerable. The covering of fig-leaves, and the hiding-place of the trees of the garden, are preferred. Light henceforth is offensive." John 5:35 "He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." Comment: When Jesus stated He was the Light of the world, He was clearly (contrary to what so many claim) stating He was God, for God is Light! Darkness speaks of death, ignorance and sin while light speaks of life, truth, holiness (among other things). The Light of the world reproved the sin of the world (Jn 3:20) and the lost sinners of the world who live in spiritual darkness and death (Eph 2:1-3-note, Eph 4:17-19-note, Eph 5:8-note) and who tragically will spend eternity in darkness (Mt 25:30, 8:12, 22:13) if they die without accepting the Light's offer of life (John 8:24, Rev 21:8-note). I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s Light; Look unto me, thy morn shall rise, and all thy day be bright.” I looked to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my sun; And in that light of life I’ll walk, till trav’lling days are done. Horatius Bonar, 1846 John 9:5 "While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world." John 11:9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." John 12:35 So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. John 12:46 "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. Acts 9:3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; Acts 12:7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands. Acts 13:47 "For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'" Acts 16:29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, Acts 22:6 "But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, Acts 22:9 "And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. Acts 22:11 "But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me and came into Damascus. Acts 26:13 at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. Acts 26:18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from (spiritual) darkness to (spiritual) light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.' Comment: This was Jesus' charge to Paul's ministry to the Gentiles - open spiritually blind eyes to see the spiritual truth about God and the Gospel. In this verse the darkness describes the influence and power of Satan. When one is in darkness that person is under the power (he has the "right" and the "might") of Satan. Acts 26:23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." Romans 2:19-note and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, Romans 13:12-note The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 2 Corinthians 4:6-note For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Comment: In this wonderful passage Paul uses the imagery of light to adroitly link creation and the new creation, the OT and NT, the physical reality and the spiritual symbol. 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Ephesians 5:8-note for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light Comment: Don't miss what Paul is saying -- he is not saying we simply walked in darkness when we were unbelievers, but that in fact we were the very embodiment of darkness. Our very nature and character outside of Christ were that of darkness! Ephesians 5:13-note But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. Colossians 1:12-note giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-note for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 1 Timothy 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. James 1:17-note Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Hiebert comments: Lights in the original has the definite article, "the lights," and the primary reference is to the well-known celestial lights, the heavenly luminaries that are the sources of light for our earth. As "the Father" of these lights, God is their source of being, and they reflect the glory of their Creator (Ps 19:1; 136:7). As their Creator and Sustainer, He is not to be identified with them. These luminous celestial bodies must not be worshiped as God, but they testify to the Creator's luminous nature. Their glory and dignity declare the nature and essence of God, that "God is light" (1 John 1:5). He is also the Father of all our spiritual illumination (2Co 4:6). 1 Peter 2:9-note But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim (exaggello, cp to anaggello here in 1Jn 1:5 and apaggello in 1Jn 1:2,3) the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Comment: The motif of bringing a lost, unsaved individual out of darkness into light is a major Biblical image of redemption. This verse is the only NT use of exaggello, the apostle Peter exhorting us to declare abroad, to make widely known, to report widely, to proclaim throughout, to tell everywhere, the Gospel message that the Light has taken us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of God's dear Son (cp Col 1:13-note). 1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:7-note but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. Revelation 18:23-note and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. Revelation 21:24-note The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Revelation 22:5-note And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. Phos - 122v in the non-apocryphal Septuagint (Lxx) - Gen 1:3,4,5, 18; Ex 10:23; 27:20; 35:14; 39:37; Lev 24:2; Num 4:16; 1Sa 25:34, 36; 2 Sam 17:22; 23:4; 2Kgs 7:9; 2Chr 4:20; Esther 1:1; 8:16; 10:3; Job 3:16, 20; 12:22, 25; 17:12; 18:5f, 18; 22:11; 24:16; 26:10; 28:11; 29:3, 24; 33:28, 30; 36:32; 37:3, 11, 15, 21; 38:15, 19; Ps 4:6; 36:9; 37:6; 38:10; 43:3; 49:19; 56:13; 89:15; 97:11; 104:2; 112:4; 119:105; 136:7; 139:12; 148:3; Pr 4:18; 6:23; 13:9; 16:15; 20:27; Eccl 2:13; 11:7; 12:2; Isa 2:5; 4:5; 5:20; 9:2; 10:17; 13:10; 18:4; 26:9; 30:26; 42:6, 16; 45:7; 49:6; 50:10f; 51:4f; 53:11; 58:8, 10; 59:9; 60:1, 3, 19f; 62:1; Jer 4:23; 10:13; 13:16; 25:10; 31:35; 51:16; Lam 3:2; Ezek 32:7f; 41:11; 42:7, 10ff; Dan 2:22; 5:5; 6:19; 10:5; Hos 6:5; 10:12; Amos 5:18, 20; 8:9; Mic 7:9; Hab 3:4, 11; Zeph 3:5; Zech 14:6, 7; Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. Comment: The very fact that creation of light is the first recorded event in the Bible emphasizes it vital role in life. How sad that throughout the millennia, men have chosen to worship the creation rather than the Creator Who is blessed forever. Amen. Indeed, even the creation was commanded to give praise to the Creator in Psalm 148:3 "Praise Him sun and moon. Praise Him, all stars of light!" Psalm 4:6-note Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! Psalm 36:9-note For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. Comment: Beloved, don't you love this declaration "In Your light we see light"! We were once in spiritual darkness, blind to the beauty of the light of God, but as Peter writes that now as believers we "may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1Peter 2:9) Paul affirms this great exchange from darkness to light writing "For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2Cor 4:6) The Spirit of God was given "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me." (Acts 26:18) MacArthur comments: Here the psalmist employed a Hebrew parallelism, using two statements to say the same thing. He equates light and life—God is light in the sense that He is life, and He is the source and sustainer of both physical and spiritual life....God, the Source of true light, bestows it on believers in the form of eternal life through His Son, Who was the light incarnate. Spurgeon: In Thy light shall we see light. Light is the glory of life. Life in the dark is misery, and rather death than life. The Lord alone can give natural, intellectual, and spiritual life; He alone can make life bright and lustrous. In spiritual things the knowledge of God sheds a light on all other subjects. We need no candle to see the sun, we see it by its own radiance, and then see everything else by the same luster. We never see Jesus by the light of self, but self in the light of Jesus. No inward intelligence of ours leads us to receive the Spirit's light, but the rather, it often helps to quench the sacred beam; purely and only by His own illumination, the Holy Ghost lights up the dark recesses of our heart's ungodliness. Vain are they who look to learning and human wit, one ray from the throne of God is better than the noonday splendor of created wisdom. Lord, give me the Sun (Son), and let those who will delight in the wax candles of superstition and the phosphorescence of corrupt philosophy. Faith derives both light and life from God, and hence she neither dies nor darkens. Psalm 43:3-note O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places. Psalm 89:15-note How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of Your countenance. Augustus Montague Toplady: The text...does not say, they shall sit down in the light of thy countenance; or, they shall lie down in the light of thy countenance; but "they shall WALK in the light of thy countenance." What is walking? It is a progressive motion from one point of space to another. And what is that holy walking which God's Spirit enables all his people to observe? It is a continued, progressive motion from sin to holiness; from all that is evil, to every good word and work. And the self same "light of God's countenance" in which you, O believer, are enabled to walk, and which at first gave you spiritual feet wherewith to walk, will keep you in a walking and in a working state, to the end of your warfare.. Psalm 104:2-note Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. Spurgeon: Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: wrapping the light about him as a monarch puts on his robe. The conception is sublime: but it makes us feel how altogether inconceivable the personal glory of the Lord must be; if light itself is but his garment and veil, what must be the blazing splendour of his own essential being! We are lost in astonishment, and dare not pry into the mystery lest we be blinded by its insufferable glory. Psalm 119:105-note Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Comment: Here the metaphor of light “light” is used in an intellectual sense to symbolize truth which guides our steps along the "highway of holiness." (cp Jn 17:17) When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey - James Sammis Spurgeon: It is a lamp by night, a light by day, and a delight at all times. David guided his own steps by it, and also saw the difficulties of his road by its beams. He who walks in darkness is sure, sooner or later, to stumble; while he who walks by the light of day, or by the lamp of night, stumbles not, but keeps his uprightness. Ignorance is painful upon practical subjects; it breeds indecision and suspense, and these are uncomfortable: the Word of God, by imparting heavenly knowledge, leads to decision, and when that is followed by determined resolution, as in this case, it brings with it great restfulness of heart. Proverbs 6:23-note For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life, Tis like the sun, a heavenly light, That guides us all the day; And through the dangers of the night, A lamp to lead our way. Isaiah 2:5-note Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Isaiah 5:20-note Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness (Lxx = skotos not skotia) for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 9:2-note The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. Comment: Here light (phos) prophetically symbolizes the coming of the Messiah, a prophecy Jesus specifically applied to Himself in Mt 4:15, 16. Isaiah 42:6 "I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness (Father is here speaking to the Messiah, His Son), I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations (Gentiles), Comment: Messiah, the Light of the world (Jn 1:9, 8:12, 9:5) is prophesied to be the One Who would bring light to the Gentiles (cp Paul's ministry to bring light to the Gentiles - Acts 26:18, 23). Messiah is personified as a "Covenant" and indeed in Jesus we find the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that "in you all the families (Jew and Gentile) of the earth will be blessed", the ultimate fulfillment being in Jesus becoming the Mediator of the New Covenant. (See related studies - Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic; New Covenant in the Old Testament ; Covenant: Why the New is Better; Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New). Isaiah 49:6 He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; (Father is speaking to His Son) I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Comment: Paul quoted this verse in Acts 13:47 showed that he clearly understood God's intention for the Jewish nation to be a light to the Gentiles, which was ultimately fulfilled by the Messiah, the Light of the world (Jn 1:9, 8:12) Acts 28:23 says the Messiah "would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." Isaiah 60:19,20 “No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 “Your sun will set no more, Neither will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be finished. Comment: In the future, at the dawn of a new age, when God's "Light" triumphs over the World, the Flesh and Satan's "Darkness" it is only fitting that the God Who is light should be the only Source of light forever and ever! Try to get your mind around that truth beloved! Daniel 2:22-note It is He Who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. Norman Harrison has this discussion of God as light... To know light, and therefore what it means to be in fellowship with light, we must trace it back to its source. As the swift-winged sunbeam that kisses our cheek, when passed through the spectrum, yields up the qualities of the energizing sun from which it emanated, just so is all spiritual light. "God is Light." And again, "In Thy light shall we see light." In GOD is light in the absolute, such light as, coming from GOD, makes known to men His being and nature. 1. LIGHT IS PURE. It suffers no admixture of anything foreign to it. It is incapable of adulteration or contamination. Nothing extraneous can by any possibility attach itself to it. What a picture of our Lord JESUS CHRIST manifesting the purity of Deity in His walk among men. Touching the unclean, He was not defiled. Passing through the haunts of sin and iniquity, in sympathetic contact with the shame and sorrow of human life, He emerged sinless and stainless. What a portrayal, as well, of the purity that must ever attach to and characterize the life that partakes of the divine nature. 2. LIGHT IS PERVASIVE. It enters the least opening accessible to it. It searches out the recesses that otherwise would remain dark, dank and dismal. It penetrates the gloom, leaving it no alternative but to flee before its presence. Science long since disclosed the value of this pervasive quality of light in laying hold of every lurking germ of disease, whether in the homes of men or in the human system. Such is the ministry of Him who came as the world's Light. So far from sin fastening upon Him, it could not even stand in His presence. How often men found themselves confronted with the penetration of His searching insight, only to yield up the sinful unworthiness of their thoughts and actions. 3. LIGHT IS POWERFUL, with a power that is peculiarly its own. No agency known to man travels so swiftly or so far, yet does its work so silently and unobtrusively. From the farthest stellar spaces it reaches to us, revealing yonder worlds upon worlds. From our sun it bears upon its beams a multiform ministry for the sustaining of life and the maintaining of industry. The power put forth in a single day is wholly beyond compute. Yet all is done noiselessly - there is no sound; and gently - there is no jar, but a quiet persistent putting forth of its powers to heal and help. All of this, and so much more, is our wonderful Light, in whom is "no darkness at all," and with whom He has brought us into fellowship, to a privileged sharing of these qualities with Himself. (1 John 1:7 Walking in the Light) David Legge asks a good question about why does John begin with God is light instead of God is love (1Jn 4:8, 16)?... 'Why can't you just come in there right away and tell them that God loves them?'. Now you must do that, but if you don't talk to them of God's holiness (God is light), if you don't speak to them of sin and how men personally have broken God's law - do you know what you do? You cheapen the love of God! 'How is that so?', you say. Simply because you cannot understand the greatness of God's love until you understand both His holiness, His awesome holiness, and the magnitude of your personal iniquity. If you go to a jewelers and you look through the front window, and you see there beautiful diamond rings. But you know those diamond rings are being offset by a black backdrop of black velvet, black as the coal that the diamonds came from. It is that black backdrop that offsets the diamond, that causes the light to shine through it, to see its splendor, to see its glory - it's exactly the same with the love of God. You can never appreciate Calvary love until you appreciate the awesome holiness of God and your awful sinfulness (Ed: The "black backdrop" of our fallen humanity)! Do you know what that means? A message that ignores the holiness of God, and a message that fails to preach against sin and declare God's judgmental wrath because of the broken law of His holiness, is not the message that Christ gave to the early disciples: God is light, in Him is no darkness at all. In some pulpits in our land you dare not even mention sin, judgment, or hell - it's unfashionable, it's not trendy! Well, it's not the message of Christ if you don't preach it! (The Gospel According To Christ) IT ALL BEGINS WITH GOD! Steven Cole has some powerful and pithy comments on 1John 1:5... To have fellowship with God, we must begin with God and His authoritative revelation of Himself. John is not sharing with us his speculations on what God may be like. He doesn’t throw out an idea and suggest that his readers discuss what they think about it. Rather, John says, “We heard this straight from Jesus and we announce it to you.” It wasn’t a discussion point; it was an authoritative pronouncement from Jesus through the apostles to the readers. To have fellowship with God, we must start with His authoritative revelation in His Word. Note, also, that John does not begin with his hearers felt needs. He doesn’t discuss where they may be hurting, or bring up how this message will help them have a happy family life or a successful personal life. Rather, John begins with God and he brings us face to face, not with God’s love, but with His holiness. Coming after verse 3, about having fellowship with God, you would expect John to say, “To have fellowship with God, you need to know that He loves you very much.” But, rather, he bluntly says, “God is light.” Then, so that we don’t dodge the uncomfortable implications of that, he states the negative, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes this point (Fellowship With God [Crossway Books], p. 100), that we must always start with God. He argues that our main problem is our self-centeredness, and so we come to the Christian faith looking to have our needs met. I’m not happy; can God make me happy? I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! He says (p. 101), “The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’” He adds (p. 102), “The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God.” The entire church growth movement, including one of its most famous leaders, blatantly contradicts this. Robert Schuller, in his heretical book, Self-Esteem: The New Reformation ([Word], p. 64), argues that classical theology “erred in its insistence that theology be ‘God-centered,’ not ‘man-centered.’” So he calls for a new Reformation that puts man, not God, at the center! Following his lead, other church growth leaders have started with the “religious consumer.” They have gone to people with the question, “What would you like in a church? What would get you to come back and try the church again?” People have responded, “We’d like a church that is a happy, upbeat place. We don’t want to hear about sin or a holy God who threatens sinners with His wrath. We want help on how to have happy families, how to be successful in reaching our full potential, and how to recover from divorce, drug addiction, and sexual addictions. We don’t want sermons that make us uncomfortable. Give us more drama and less preaching. In fact, don’t preach at us; share with us. Tell more stories and jokes. Don’t bring up controversial issues. Make it positive.” So, the church marketers go back to the drawing board and re-design the church to meet the felt needs of the consumer. The result is amazing growth. But, have people come face to face with the living God? John says, first, to have fellowship with God, we must begin with God and His authoritative revelation of Himself, not with ourselves. (1 John 1:5-10 How to Have Fellowship With God) AND IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL: kai skotia en auto ouk estin (3SPAI) oudemia.: No...at all (ouk [ou = 3756]... oudemia [oudeis = 3762]) - John uses two negatives, both negatives being the strongest available in the Greek language. He could have used just one, but instead couples them for greater emphasis! "Ou" means absolutely not. "Oudeis" literally means "but absolutely not one." More literally this phrase could be read "And darkness there is not in Him, no, not in any way." The Greek does not translate well into English, but John's point is to refute in the strongest way the teaching that God had even one iota of darkness in Himself! In other words, God is the very essence and nature of Light, perfect Light, Light without defect of any kind! Vincent observes that... It is characteristic of John to express the same idea positively and negatively. See John 1:7, 8, 20; 3:15, 17, 20; 4:42; 5:24; 8:35; 10:28; 1 John 1:6, 8; 2:4, 27; 5:12. John's use of the light/dark contrast may have something to do with the false teaching he was seeking to counter for as Smalley writes... Gnosticism itself, furthermore, was in effect a “religion of light” (developed in the dualist systems of Manichaeism and Mandaism), in which light and darkness stood over against each other as hostile and independent powers (1, 2, 3 John - Word Biblical Commentary) Wayne Grudem writes that... (God is light has) a suggestion of both moral purity and full knowledge or awareness. If there is “no darkness at all” in God, but He is entirely “light,” then God is Himself both entirely holy and also entirely filled with self-knowledge. John Piper explains that in Him there is no darkness at all... means that if you draw near to God, you do not find a dark and foreboding truth. You find freedom and hope and joy. In God the stumbling logs and rattlesnakes and cliffs and low-hanging branches are all exposed and we are made safe from them. Our goal of ultimate and eternal joy is secured in God because there is no darkness in God. That is, there are no lurking shadows in God. There is no hidden agenda, no small print. He is light, and in him is no darkness at all....There are absolutely no regrets for those who come to God with all their hearts. He is all light. He is the pathway to perfect and eternal joy with no disappointments. In the the light of God you will not be destroyed by the rattlesnake of sin; you will not fall over the cliff into hell. Light is the promise of hope and joy. Darkness is the threat of despair and misery. And God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. This is the message that John heard from Jesus. Jesus came into the world to reveal it. It's the foundational message of this book. (1 John 1:5-10: Let Us Walk in the Light of God) I love Robert Candlish's beautiful description of God as the Light Who invaded this world's darkness for our sake... The darkness is laid hold of by the Light. He who is Light enters into the darkness; sounding its utmost depths; searching its inmost recesses. Where guilty fear crouches; where foul corruption festers; He penetrates. He even makes the darkness His own. He takes it upon Himself. Its power, "the power of darkness," is upon Him; its power to wrap the sin-laden spirit in a horror of thickest night, in the gloom of hell. Yes! For our sakes, in our stead, in our nature, He Who is light is identified with our darkness. And yet "in Him is no darkness at all." In the very heat and crisis of this death-struggle, there is no surrender of the Light to the darkness; no concession, no compromise; no making of terms; no allowance of some partial shading of the Light on which the darkness presses so terribly. No! "He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." All still is clear, open, transparent, between the Son and the Father. Even when the Father hides His face, and "His sword awakes against the Man that is His Fellow," and the Son cries as one forsaken; even in that dark hour there is no evasion of heaven's light; no trafficking with the darkness of earth or hell. There is no hiding then; no shrinking; no feeling as if truth might become a little less true, and holiness a little less holy, to meet the appalling emergency. The worst is unflinchingly faced. In the interest of light triumphing over darkness, not by any plausible terms of accommodation, but before the open face of eternal righteousness, pure and untainted, the Father gives the cup and the Son drains it to the dregs. In that great transaction, thus consummated, before all intelligences, between the Father and the Son, it is clearly seen and conclusively proved that "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5-7 The Ground or Reason of this Condition)