The Treasure of Light
Text: Various Date: 9-27-26
I. This world is in total darkness, but Light has come (I John 5:19).
I John 1:5b: “. . . God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
Light refers to the truth that God’s character is pure, holy, and separate from darkness. This is His nature. While no doubt this would include His glory and His moral perfections and that He reveals Himself to human beings, simply put God is light! God as light can be described as the Revealer of His holiness, demonstrating and behaving in truth and perfection.
Darkness (Greek: skotia) is the absence of light. The Greek brings out a double negative here – no and at all (nothing) which translates the idea as “Darkness is not in Him, nothing or in no way is there any”. “Darkness cannot drive out the light, but light can drive out the darkness. There can be no fellowship between light and darkness—and God is light”.[1]
Application: What are the implications and ramifications of God being light? God is completely separate from sin. God exposes man’s sin and condemns all aspects of it. God desires that no believer walk in darkness (I John 1:6). Everything about God’s character, nature, and Person is perfect.
Explanation/light: If God is light, then the Word of God must also be Light. We know that John 1:1-5 tells us that Jesus was the Word and that Word was also the true light (John 1:9).
Why does the world need light? Because it sits in total spiritual darkness.
Truth: While this world continues in darkness, God’s plan was to have His Light come to the world to give mankind an opportunity to walk in the light.
II. The Bible guides our walk in a dark world (Psalm 119:105).
Explanation/I John 1:7: Walk in the light! Explanation/v. 7: Do you want to have fellowship with God who is Light? Then walk like God does. Walk in the light! Walking involves progress. Walking involves pressing forward. Walking involves obedience. Walking involves listening and doing. Listening involves more than talking; it means walking. We must live what we believe.
Phillips says, “To walk in the light means that our lives will be transparent and above reproach. We will harbor nothing shady, nothing we would not want to be seen and known, for light exposes the hidden works of darkness. How can two walk together in fellowship when one has ulterior motives and the other something to hide”?[2]
Psalm 119:105: Like a torch in the night, the word of God lights our pathway as we walk in this dark and ominous world.
The believer lights his candle by opening God’s word often.
III. The light of God’s Word is more costly than gold, worth more than gems, and its value is always most displayed in how we allow it to penetrate our hearts (Heb. 4:12)
The Word of God shows the believer what way to go, protects him from stumbling through obstacles, falling down mountains, and wandering away off the path of God.
There is no better light, no more powerful light, and no more accessible light than the Word of God.
Application/II Pet. 1:19: We are in desperate need for light in a dark world. We can easily fall into the filth of this world and we need God’s Word to keep us on the path of light and truth. Peter declares that God has given us the “sure and steady light in His Word” (Phillips 251).
Heb. 4:12: The Word of God will be the litmus test to see whether our works are good or bad. God’s Word is the basis and mirror to our lives.
Our spiritual condition is so important to God that He commands that we pay special attention to it through the lens of His Word.
Ultimately, it is God’s Word that will “cut” to our intentions, motives, and heart whereby God will see all that we are at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Thus God’s word acts as a scalpel.
God’s Word will be able to discern all of man’s motives and what they do in accepting or not accepting Jesus Christ will be the determining factor at the Great White Throne judgment.
· God’s Word is quick (zao): Means alive, living. God’s word is active and “filled with the vitality of God Himself and energetic in operation” (Sumner 89). God’s word has the ability to examine our lives and judge those who hear. The Word of God also changes our lives.
· God’s Word is powerful (energes): Means to produce or capable of producing an intended result. God’s word is the only book that truly can produce the intended result of change before God. See Acts 7:38; I Pet. 1:23.
“The whole Scripture is a light shining in a dark place; a lamp or torch to be carried in the hand of a believer, while he passes through this dark world; and is in the present state of imperfection, in which he sees things but darkly. This is the standard of faith and practice; by the light of this lamp the difference between true and false doctrine may be discerned; error and immorality may be reproved, and made manifest; the way of truth and godliness, in which a man should walk, is pointed out; and by means of it he may see and shun the stumbling blocks in his way, and escape falling into pits and ditches; it is a good light to walk and work by” (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/psalms/119-105.html).
[1] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring the Epistles of John: An Expository Commentary (1 Jn 1:5). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.
[2] ibid