Light
 |
| J. Clayton Sheridan II |
Light
is energy, power and illumination. 1 John 1:5 (NKJV)
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God
is light and in Him is no darkness at all. In the prologue John asserted that he was
writing about things he had heard, seen, and touched. Here he began with
something he had heard. This is the message we have heard from Him and declare
to you. By the words “from Him,” John no doubt meant from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The content of this “message,” as John expressed it, is that God is Light; in
Him there is no darkness at all. There is no reason to think that John did not
mean just what he said. This is a truth he had learned from the Lord.
Light
is knowledge, understanding and truth. John 8:12 (NKJV)
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He
who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." This discourse continues Jesus’ public
teaching in the city of Jerusalem in the temple area. How fitting that during
the Feast of Tabernacles, when the large lamps were burning, Jesus... said, I
am the Light of the world (cf. 1:4, 9; 12:35, 46). The world is in darkness, a
symbol of evil, sin, and ignorance (Isa. 9:2; Matt. 4:16; 27:45; John 3:19).
“Light” in the Bible is a symbol of God and His holiness (Acts 9:3; 1 John
1:5). Jesus is “the Light,” not merely a light or another light among many
lights. He is the only Light, “the true Light” (John 1:9), for the whole world.
When Jesus said, Whoever follows Me, He meant whoever believes and obeys Him.
Jesus was speaking of salvation.
Coming to Christ for salvation results in a different kind of life. A
believer will never walk in darkness, that is, he will not live in it. He does
not remain in the realm of evil and ignorance (John 12:46) for he has Christ as
his Light and salvation (cf. Ps. 36:9).[1]
John 3:19 (NKJV) And this is the condemnation, that the light has
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. Men
love darkness not for its own sake but because of what it hides. They want to
continue undisturbed in their evil wicked deeds. A believer is also a sinner
(though a redeemed one), but he confesses his sin and responds to God (cf. 1
John 1:6-7). In the ultimate sense, man’s love of darkness rather than God the
Light is his love for idols. He worships and serves “created things rather than
the Creator” (Rom. 1:25).
Some things we know about light. (1) Light is
unchangeable. (2) Light in free space travels approximately 186,282 miles per
second. (3) Light travels in a straight line. (4) Generally,
Electromagnetic Radiation EMR is classified by wavelength into radio, microwave, infrared, and the visible region that we perceive as
light. Unseen with the natural eye is ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.
Matthew 17:1-5 (NKJV) 1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James,
and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He
was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes
became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,
talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is
good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one
for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking,
behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the
cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear
Him!" Jesus
took... Peter, James, and John with Him up a high mountain by themselves. The
high mountain may have been Mount Hermon, near Caesarea Philippi, for Jesus was
in that region (Matt. 16:13). Jesus
pulls back the curtain of His humanity, so to speak, and was transfigured
before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as
the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. And
then, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the
cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear
Him!" – Jesus the LIGHT of the world. What does all this mean? Light
is knowledge, understanding and truth. Jesus is the answer. He gives to those
who put their trust in Him peace, hope, grace, joy and much more.
No comments:
Post a Comment