The Light of Life

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

Jesus is the Light of the World.  In the beginning He said "Let there be light!" and there was light.  It was not long before the light of the sun was shrouded by spiritual darkness due to sin.  There remained light, but sin brought darkness and death.  Even as the sun is critical for life on earth, Jesus Christ is vital for eternal life.

The sun, moon, and stars were created by God for a divine purpose:  for signs, seasons, days, years and to provide light in the heavens and on the earth. (Genesis 1:14-15)  As God said, so it was.  On earth we are absolutely dependent on the sun, even with the widespread use of electric lights.  In addition to providing the correct light to make plants grow and flourish, it also warms the earth.  It dried the earth after the great flood and all the rains since, and keeps watch over every day.

Did you know a day will come with the sun will be unnecessary?  This world, galaxy, and universe will pass away and God will make all things new.  It is written in Isaiah 60:19-20, "The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. ²⁰ Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended."  During the earthly reign of Christ this will be true in a spiritual sense, and in the new heavens and new earth this will be the eternal reality for all God's redeemed.  In speaking of the New Jerusalem, John confirmed in Revelation 21:22-25:  "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. ²⁵ Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there)."  Simply glorious.

Let us not think the glory of heaven only as a beautiful end to a life of woe and sorrow.  Oh no, my friends.  David wrote under the Old Covenant of the Law:  "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"  God has given us a New Covenant through faith in Jesus Christ, a better covenant based on better promises.  Jesus is the Light of the World who gives light and life to all who believe.  The hearts of Christians are now the dwelling place of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).  Our lives can be perpetually filled with light, though we live in a world of darkness.  When the plague of darkness was poured out in Egypt, the Jews had light in their dwellings.  God's Word is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).

The sun in the heavens is nothing compared to the Light of the World, Jesus Christ.  God is our light and salvation, and we do not need to fear what crouches in the darkness.  For the Christian, Jesus provides undimmed light and life for eternity despite any season in this world.  We will suffer tribulation in this life, and all pass through valleys of the shadow of death.  But we need not fear or despair, for the LORD is with us; His Spirit indwells and empowers us.  For Christians, Christ's eternal light and light is already shining and we can bask in the warmth of His presence.  When God shines His searching light into sin-darkened areas of our lives, it is for our good and growth to confess, repent, and be restored to righteous living.

The light of Christ is shining, and we must choose to walk in it.  As it is written in 1 John 1:5-7, "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. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."  Walking in the Light keeps us from fear, despair, and darkness.  No matter how dark the world becomes, the Light of Christ shines like the day in and through those who walk in it.  Rejoice, for Jesus makes all things new!