“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 ESV)
Messages always have content. No messenger ever delivers an empty declaration. A messenger, by definition, bears a message to a recipient, and that message always means something. The Apostle John introduced his first epistle by stating both the source and the goal of his message, and he now continues by delivering the content of that message.
This is the fountainhead from which all the instructions and implications of the rest of his letter will flow: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” This simple phrase is packed with meaning and significance. Anytime in Scripture that we read, “God is . . . ” we ought to pay close attention to what follows because the Spirit-inspired authors are revealing to us the very nature of the God we serve. It has often been said that we can know that God is from the general revelation of his creation, but we can only know who God is from the special revelation of his Word. Thus, if we are to know and proclaim God accurately, we must devote ourselves to spending time in the only place where we can derive that accurate understanding: the pages of Scripture.
For John, as he mentions often in his gospel and his epistles, the contrast between light and darkness is a foundationally important reality. As believers, we ought never to be divided against one another (John 17:22-23), but we must always be divided from the world. As those redeemed by the blood of Christ, we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
We were once children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), but we have been freed from that spiritual darkness by the regenerative work of the Spirit and brought into the light of salvation by the blood of Christ. For John, it is imperative that his readers understand and believe this truth in order that they may live it. If we have a distorted view of God, it will not only subvert our faith but also our way of living.
When John says, “God is light,” our first concern should be to rightly interpret the way in which he is using that phrase. While it is true that God is the ultimate source of physical light—as seen in the fact that the light that appeared in Genesis 1:3 preceded the creation of the sun—that is not primarily what John has in mind. Rather, he is affirming the pure, moral perfection and holiness of the divine being. God is thrice-holy (Isaiah 6:3) and is “of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13). Sin cannot abide in his presence, and, as the psalmist instructs us, we are to “worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” (Psalm 96:9).
Another aspect of this light is God’s omniscience. As he himself is light, all of creation is laid bare in the light before his infinite knowledge. Indeed, “no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12).
Throughout church history, Christians have used the Latin phrase “coram Deo” to encapsulate the manner in which they should live. This phrase, which means “before the face of God,” essentially refers to living a life controlled by the knowledge that God is light. If we are gripped by this reality of divine light, we will live in a manner that reflects the character of God, for we know that even the smallest secrets of our lives are known by God. We cannot faithfully live a gospel-driven life of God-pleasing obedience if we do not appropriately comprehend the truth that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Unless the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us by grace alone, through faith alone, by which we are brought into the light of being a child of God through Christ (John 1:12), we will remain in the darkness and forfeit eternal life.
If we know, believe, and love this truth, then we, like John, will be faithful to proclaim it to a world that is lost in darkness.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for revealing yourself as the purest, highest, and truest light. Help us to walk in the light into which you have redeemed us and bring the gospel to those around us, that people from every nation may be brought into that same light.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for missionaries serving in camp ministry with Goroka Baptist Bible College as they minister to approximately 500 teenagers each year.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries serving through counseling as they promote spiritually healthy souls and flourishing, effective ministries.
- Thursday: Pray for medical missionaries working with International Healthcare Ministries.
- Friday: Pray for missionaries in East Asia serving with Kerusso Media as they provide free resources for the local church and Bible institute.
- Saturday: Pray for the Center for Youth Ministry in Ukraine.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries in the Mediterranean and Middle East.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in women’s ministry.
Featured Serving Opportunity:
Administrative Assistant
Location: Togo
Hospital of Hope, in northern Togo, is looking for a skilled administrative assistant to assume tasks in general office work and data entry for hospital administration. Other duties include scheduling the logistics of travelers and short-term volunteers coming to the hospital.
