Bible Verses About Light
Introduction
Light is one of the most theologically loaded images in the entire Scripture, present from the first act of the creation to the last vision of the new Jerusalem. In the beginning God said let there be light (Genesis 1:3): the first creative act is the calling forth of the light that makes everything else visible and possible. In the end the new Jerusalem has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp (Revelation 21:23): the final state of the creation is the state in which the light of God himself has replaced every secondary source of the light. Between the first light and the final light, the Scripture consistently uses the image of the light to describe the character and the presence of God, the word and the commandments of God, the life that Jesus brings, and the specific calling of the people of God to be the bearers of the light in the world.
The theological significance of the light in the Gospel of John is the most concentrated in the New Testament. The Word who is the life is the light of all mankind (John 1:4). Jesus announces himself as the light of the world: whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12). The darkness has not overcome the light (John 1:5): the specific conflict between the light and the darkness is the conflict that the incarnation and the resurrection resolve. The light and the darkness are not the equal and opposite forces of the dualistic worldview but the light that the darkness cannot contain and the darkness that the light consistently dispels.
The specific calling of the people of God to be the bearers of the light is the specific application of the light imagery to the life of the community. Matthew 5:14-16's you are the light of the world and let your light shine before others establishes the mission: the community that has received the light is the community that is sent to bear the light in the darkness. The bearing of the light is not the achievement of the community that has become sufficiently impressive but the specific consequence of the receiving of the light from the one who is the light.
These verses speak to anyone who needs the full biblical picture of the light rather than the reduced metaphor, anyone whose understanding of the presence and the character of God needs to be grounded in the specific light imagery that the Scripture consistently uses, and anyone who needs the specific encouragement that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
What the Bible Means When It Talks About Light
The Hebrew word or describes the light: both the physical light of the creation and the metaphorical light of the presence and the word of God. The Hebrew word ner describes the lamp: the specific, portable source of the light that Psalm 119:105 uses for the word of God. The Hebrew word nagah describes the shining or the brightness: the specific quality of the light that the presence of God produces.
The Greek word phos describes the light of the New Testament: the physical light and the metaphorical light of the presence and the life of Christ. The Greek word photizo describes the enlightening or the illuminating: the specific act of the light on the person who receives it. The Greek word phengos describes the radiance or the brightness: the specific quality of the light of the transfiguration and the glory of God.
Bible Verses About God as Light
1 John 1:5 — ("This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.")
The God is light and in him there is no darkness at all is the most compressed statement of the character of God in light imagery: the light is not only the metaphor for what God does but the description of what God is. The in him there is no darkness at all is the comprehensive statement: the absence of the darkness is not the partial absence but the complete absence. The light that God is is the light that has no admixture of the darkness: the holiness and the purity and the truthfulness of God are the specific qualities that the light describes.
Psalm 27:1 — ("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?")
The LORD is my light and my salvation is the specific personal statement of the relationship between the light of God and the life of the person who trusts him: the light and the salvation are the two gifts of the one God, and together they establish the ground of the whom shall I fear. The LORD is the stronghold of my life establishes the comprehensive security: the light that the LORD is illuminates the path and the salvation that the LORD brings delivers from the enemy and the stronghold of the life provides the security. The fear is dispelled not by the absence of the enemy but by the presence of the God who is the light and the salvation and the stronghold.
James 1:17 — ("Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.")
The Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows is the specific image of the character of God in contrast to the created light: the sun and the moon and the stars are the heavenly lights that shift and change with the movement of the creation, and the Father who made them is the God who does not shift or change. The every good and perfect gift is from above establishes the comprehensive source: the light of God is the source of every gift that comes from above. The does not change is the specific character: the consistency of the divine light is the ground of the confidence in the divine gifts.
Bible Verses About Jesus as the Light
John 8:12 — ("When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'")
The I am the light of the world is the specific identification of Jesus with the light: not the teacher of the way to the light but the light itself. The whoever follows me will never walk in darkness establishes the promise: the following of the one who is the light is the specific condition of the not walking in the darkness. The light of life is the specific character of the light that Jesus is: the light and the life are the same gift of the same person. The light of the world is the universal scope: the light of Jesus is not the light for the covenant community alone but the light that illuminates the whole world.
John 1:4-5, 9 — ("In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.")
The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it is the specific statement of the conflict and the victory: the darkness is real and present, and the light shines in it rather than above it, and the darkness has not overcome the light that shines in it. The true light that gives light to everyone is the universal scope: the light of the Word coming into the world is the light that illuminates every person. The has not overcome is the perfect tense: the darkness has tried and failed and the failure stands.
Matthew 17:2 — ("There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.")
The his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light is the specific moment of the transfiguration in which the divine light of the eternal Word breaks through the veil of the sarx: the light that the disciples see on the mountain is the specific revelation of the identity of the one who has been walking with them as a human being. The shone like the sun establishes the intensity: the light of the transfiguration is the light of the divine presence, the same light that the new Jerusalem will not need the sun to replace because the Lamb will be its lamp.
Bible Verses About the Word as Light
Psalm 119:105 — ("Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.")
The your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path is the specific statement of the relationship between the word of God and the illumination of the path: the word is the lamp that makes the next step visible and the light that illuminates the direction. The lamp for my feet establishes the practical character: the light is not the abstract illumination of the whole landscape but the specific light for the next step in the path. The word as the lamp is the specific provision of the God who has not left the person to find the path in the darkness without the light that makes the next step possible.
Proverbs 6:23 — ("For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.")
The command is a lamp and the teaching is a light is the specific application of the light imagery to the whole of the teaching of Proverbs: the commands and the teaching are the specific sources of the light that illuminates the path of the life. The correction and instruction are the way to life establishes the connection between the light of the teaching and the life that the teaching leads toward: the light is not the end in itself but the illumination of the way to the life.
Bible Verses About Being the Light
Matthew 5:14-16 — ("You are the light of the world. A town built 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.")
The you are the light of the world is the specific identity statement of the community of Jesus: the community that has received the light from the one who is the light is the community that is the light of the world. The cannot be hidden and gives light to everyone in the house establish the character of the light: the light is not the private possession but the specific gift that is meant to illuminate the space around it. The that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven is the specific purpose: the light that the community bears is the light that points to the Father rather than to the community.
Ephesians 5:8 — ("For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.")
The you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord is the specific statement of the transformation: the community was not only in the darkness but was the darkness, and now is not only in the light but is the light in the Lord. The live as children of light is the specific instruction: the living corresponds to the being. The children of light live from the light that they are rather than the darkness that they were.
Isaiah 60:1 — ("Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.")
The arise, shine, for your light has come is the specific command to the community whose light is the glory of the LORD that has risen upon them: the arising and the shining are the response to the coming of the light rather than the achievement of the community that has generated the light independently. The glory of the LORD rises upon you establishes the source: the light that the community shines is the reflected light of the glory of the LORD rather than the self-generated light of the impressive community.
A Simple Way to Pray These Verses
Light is most honestly prayed from the honest acknowledgment of both the light that has been received and the specific places of darkness where the light is most needed.
Psalm 27:1 — ("The LORD is my light and my salvation.") Response: "You are my light. Not the light that the favorable circumstances provide but the light that is you. In the place that is currently dark, you are still the light. Let me walk by the light that you are rather than waiting for the circumstances to improve before I can see."
John 8:12 — ("Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.") Response: "I am following you. The following is the specific condition of the not walking in darkness. Let me keep following rather than stopping in the dark place and waiting for the light to come to me. The light is where you are and I am following where you go."
Matthew 5:16 — ("Let your light shine before others.") Response: "Let my light shine. Not for my own reputation but so that they may see and glorify your Father in heaven. Let what I do and how I live be the light that points to you rather than the light that draws attention to itself."
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about light? The Bible uses light as one of the most comprehensive images for the character and presence of God, the word of God, and the life that Jesus brings. Genesis 1:3's let there be light establishes the light as the first creative act. 1 John 1:5's God is light and in him there is no darkness establishes the character. John 8:12's I am the light of the world establishes the identity of Jesus as the light. Psalm 119:105's your word is a lamp for my feet establishes the word as the light. Matthew 5:14's you are the light of the world establishes the calling of the community. And Revelation 21:23's the Lamb is its lamp establishes the eschatological destination: the final state of the creation is the state illuminated by the light of God himself.
What does it mean that Jesus is the light of the world? The John 8:12's I am the light of the world is the specific identification of Jesus with the light rather than the description of Jesus as the one who teaches about the light or leads people toward the light. The light of the world is the universal scope: the light of Jesus illuminates the whole world rather than only the covenant community. The whoever follows me will never walk in darkness establishes the specific consequence: the following of the one who is the light is the condition of the not walking in the darkness. The light of life is the specific character: the light and the life are the same gift of the same person, and the following of Jesus is the following of the one who is both the light and the life.
What does it mean that the darkness has not overcome the light? The John 1:5's the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it is the specific statement of both the conflict and the victory: the darkness is real and the light shines in it rather than above it, and the darkness has not overcome the light that shines in it. The has not overcome is the perfect tense: the darkness has tried and failed and the failure stands. The specific application is the encouragement of the person who is in the darkness: the darkness that surrounds the person has not overcome the light that the person has received from the one who is the light. The darkness cannot extinguish the light; the light consistently dispels the darkness.
What does the Bible mean by walking in the light? The 1 John 1:7's 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 establishes the specific content of the walking in the light: the walking in the light is the walking in the truthfulness and the openness that corresponds to the character of the God who is light. The fellowship with one another is the specific fruit: the community that walks in the light is the community that has the fellowship that the darkness cannot produce. The blood of Jesus purifies from all sin establishes the ground: the walking in the light is possible because the purification from the sin that would require the hiding in the darkness has been accomplished.
How should Christians be the light of the world? The Matthew 5:14-16's you are the light of the world and let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven establishes the specific content: the being the light of the world is the specific expression of the character that the light produces in the community. The good deeds are the specific expression of the light: the light that the community bears is not the impressive performance but the specific acts of the love and the justice and the mercy that the light of Jesus has produced in the community. The that they may glorify your Father in heaven is the specific purpose: the light that the community bears points to the Father rather than to the community. The Ephesians 5:8's live as children of light establishes the ground: the living as children of light flows from the being light in the Lord rather than the achieving of the impressive life.
