“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 (ESV)
Personal holiness in our lives is evidence that the Spirit of Christ is truly living inside us. Jesus is the light of the world and in salvation through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that light lives in us. This is why Jesus said to us in Matthew chapter 5, “You are the light of the world.”
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
Jesus brought light and life to a lost and dark world. He fulfilled the law and every Old Testament prophecy that foretold his coming. Scripture says through one man came sin and death, speaking of Adam, and through one man came life and restoration to God, and this is Jesus Christ.
Without Christ we lived in darkness, in spiritual death and spiritual blindness, the entire world was completely hopeless. We had no way to God and without God opening our eyes we had no way to even know that we needed God. That is an all-consuming and damming darkness.
The saddest part is that those who are blind cannot truly even perceive how dark the darkness really is. The gospel opens our eyes, so we see the depths of darkness, how grave our situation is, and how lost we really are. Then we see Jesus the light of the world, a blinding light that exposes our sin and exposes our need and through repentance we find forgiveness. This same holy God takes up residence in us.
Through the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament the coming Messiah was foretold to be a light to all nations:
“I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, 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.” Isaiah 42:6 (NASB)
Then in John 12:46 Jesus quotes Isaiah 42:6 word-for-word and applies it to himself. The sovereign and holy God of the Old Testament that reigns in unapproachable light, that said Abram would become the father of many nations, that gave the law of God to Moses, that struck Uzzah in 2 Samuel, that filled the temple with his glory before Isaiah, has been revealed and he is the Son of God Jesus Christ.
Death and darkness have no power over Christ. In him is life, and that life was the light of all. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The glory of God has been revealed to us in the person of Christ, as revealed in the Scriptures, and this word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path—the light of God revealed to us in the gospel, a holy God who knew no wrong, took on flesh, suffered in our place, endured, overcame death, rose from the dead so that we could be delivered from death and darkness, and brought into his marvelous light and eternal life.
“… 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.” Acts 26:23 (NASB)
Jesus was the first to proclaim light to the nation, but he was not the last. We are called to be light in a dark and hopeless world. Jesus says that in regeneration we are the light of the world, a city on a hill, not to be hidden but to stand out.
We are sons and daughters of light, so we must be separate in our ways, holy in our lives, and unified in the message of the cross. Through our proclaiming his gospel, by living holy and devout lives, we are used by the Holy Spirit to draw the sheep of God to Jesus Christ. If Christ is truly living in us, we have his life and his light living in and shining through us.
Salt and light are forged in us through persecution and through suffering as we become more and more like Christ. The world hates holiness and the world hates light. If you truly are these things, the world will hate you. You can’t live in the light if you still love darkness.
“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. For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:19-21 (NASB)
Our purpose in life as followers of Christ is to worship a holy God in spirit and in truth, to bring glory to a holy God in every area of our lives, to make disciples as commanded by a holy God, and to conform to the image of a holy God, and to be holy as he is holy.
In Christ,
Pastor Joshua
Joshua West is a pastor, evangelist, and author. he is also director of the World Challenge Pastors Network.
