The Light Of The World

The Light Of The World

John 8:12  Then Jesus spoke again to them saying, I AM the Light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life.’

Since the early Biblical times, light and darkness have been associated with good and evil.  And we often use the expression ‘see the light’ to describe a person who has realized the error of their ways, and taken corrective action to get back on track.  Even before Jesus referred to Himself as the ‘Light of the world’, there were references to Him bringing light out of darkness.  In Isaiah 9:2 it was prophesied that the people who walked in darkness would see a ‘great light’, a direct reference to the coming of Christ, and the revelation of truth He would bring.   When Jesus was dedicated in the Temple, Simeon stated that ‘He would bring light to the Gentiles’ (Luke 2:32).

Until a person finds new life through a relationship with God, he/she is often referred to as walking in darkness.  When Jesus refers to Himself as the ‘Light of the world’,  he is saying that only He has the light which all peoples need in order to be rescued from the darkness of sin.  Just as there can be no life without light in the natural world, there can be no true spiritual life without the light that is only available from God through Jesus Christ.  Again, as is the natural world, light and darkness cannot coexist or be present together.  Light always dispels or overcomes darkness.  And where there is the true Light of life, the darkness of sin cannot prevail.  As Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 5:14, ‘you are the light of the world’, we too are to be lights in a dark world.  However, we can only be lights if we are reflectors of God’s light, and rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit to shine through us.

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