Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are available here. The first 56 volumes are compiled in the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Thanks for joining us for our third and final study on light in the Bible. If you missed the first two, please review them, as today’s study builds on both. Vol. 339: "What the Bible Says About Light in the Old Testament" and Vol. 340: "What Jesus Says About Light in the New Testament."
To quickly recap, at creation, God’s first spoken words in Genesis were “Let there be light.” God is light, the source that brings order to the universe and stimulates growth in all living matter. Light, at creation, now, and forever, symbolizes hope, truth, and God’s presence. Moreover, numerous Messianic prophecies signaled God's promise of “a light for the nations.”
Last week in Vol. 340, we discussed the fulfillment of God’s promise as recorded by the apostle John: “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:1-9). Then, Jesus told His followers: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
God's presence is felt through and represented by Jesus Christ, who is “the light of the world.” Today we see that “truth” is represented by Christmas lights (although some home displays are a bit excessive).
Let’s continue with the rest of the New Testament. We start with this passage from 1 John, which summarizes what it means for our lives that Jesus is light, the shortest self-help manual ever written:
“This is the message we [the apostles] have heard from Him [Jesus] and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).
Let that verse sink in. By walking in the light of Jesus, we have fellowship, and through fellowship we are strengthened to do His will. As we walk in that light, the blood Jesus shed on the cross for our sake cleanses us from sin.
We turn now to the book of Acts, the first after the four gospels. The Jewish leaders were “filled with jealousy” over the crowds listening to Jesus’s followers and “talked abusively against what Paul was saying”:
“Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: ‘We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 13:46-47).
In their powerful retort, Paul and Barnabas played the “Isaiah card,” quoting God through Isaiah speaking about the forthcoming Servant of God who would be a “light for the Gentiles.” Isaiah was a major Hebrew Bible prophet whom Jewish leaders studied closely.
Thus, Paul and Barnabas made a brilliant move for two reasons. First, they reminded the temple leaders that the Jews had rejected Jesus’ teachings. Second, Jesus is the light for both Jews and Gentiles. (Read more about this Isaiah verse in Vol. 339, where God explains that the Servant's mission is Messianic.)
Continuing in Acts, while in Jerusalem, Paul was taken prisoner by the Romans because his teachings about Jesus had infuriated the Jews and caused unrest. Read the whole story in Acts chapters 21-26.
Eventually, Paul appeared before King Agrippa and recounted his life-changing “road to Damascus” experience. Read Paul’s full account. He told the king what Jesus told him:
“‘I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’” (Acts 26:16-18).
Paul concludes his royal testimony harkening back to Moses and the prophets:
“I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to His own people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).
Those Acts passages are foundational: the Messiah brings God's light, while contrasting darkness and light in Hebrew scripture. Several of Paul’s letters reflect those concepts:
“The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12). (A preview of the “Armor of God.”)
And:
“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Note that at the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." In Ephesians, Paul repeats the truth:
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). In the verse below, Paul puts his own spin on Isaiah:
“For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you’” (Ephesians 5:14). Isaiah reads:
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you, and his glory appears over you” (Isaiah 60:1-2). (See last week’s Vol. 339.)
Continuing the same theme, the apostle Peter writes to believers in Christ:
“But you 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).
Finally, in Revelation, the apostle John conveys the visions God has shown him for the final days. The supremacy of God’s Almighty light, and His glory extends to Christ, the lamp who is the Lamb of God that lights the world:
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).
With the Christmas season fast approaching, I hope the lights will take on new meaning after reading this three-part series. Let me know if you enjoyed the topic or learned something new about God’s light. Thanks, and blessings to all my loyal readers. Amen!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible" reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2" reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. You can help support our popular exhibit at the Basilica in Orlando, Florida. Now extended until the end of 2026! Read more here. Contact: Myraadams01@gmail.com