For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
A debater once argued successfully that there is no such thing as darkness. He argued that darkness does not exist, but is simply a word that we use to indicate an absence or lack of light. His argument makes sense, because light is something that the experts can measure in terms of its speed (300 million meters per second in a vacuum) and its brightness. It is interesting to note that when the world was created, as recorded in Genesis 1, the first thing that God did was create light. Because God is light, the presence of light at the beginning of time was proof of the presence and activity of God. All light ever since has also been proof of the presence and activity of God. And as our text declares, that includes the light from you and me, as identified as children of light.
Those who are not saved do not have the light of God. That is why they cannot understand the truths of the Bible that are so obvious to those of us who are saved. That is why they question the very existence of the God Who has revealed Himself to His redeemed. That is why they find no pleasure in the spiritual things that delight the heart of every believer. They are darkness, just as we were before our salvation. There was no evidence of the presence or activity of God, because there was none. That has changed, as our verse declares. God has not merely enlightened us, He has made us light. And we are more than just reflectors of His light.
The moon is often given as an illustration of the light from a Christian, with the light from the sun representing God’s light, and the light of the moon representing our light. But this illustration is not accurate. Or at least it is not complete. If we were to go to the moon, we would find that all the moon does with the light from the sun is reflect it. It does not absorb and use it, nor does it pass on the heat and other energies from the sun, at least not in any meaningful amounts. In contrast, the Christian not only shows the world the light of God, but he also passes on all of the other attributes of God in his testimony. The light of God warms our own hearts and transforms us into a closer relationship and likeness to our Lord. Therefore, the light that we reflect to the world can show the warmth of compassion for lost souls, zeal in helping and uplifting the Lord’s people, and exercise in service and worship for the Lord. The light of the moon does the sun no good whatsoever, but the light in the heart of the believer is a delight to the heart of God, and brings Him the glory He deserves.
We are light in the Lord; let the light shine for His glory and helping others. -Jim MacIntosh