Understanding God as Light in 1st John
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Examining 1st John 1:5
Okay, last week we hit the first four verses of chapter 1 of the 1st Epistle of John. There he articulates some great things regarding the deity and the humanity of Christ Jesus. At this point, (verse 5) he begins to deliver his message, and he says (verse 5):
1st John 1.5
April 10th 2016
Meat
1st John 1:5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Okay, verse five. That’s it. That’s all for today. See . . .
John’s Profound Declaration
After setting the record straight on the make-up of Christ Jesus, and telling us that He is “both from the beginning and fully human,” and that they (presumably the Apostles) were witnesses to this, John gets going and he says:
1st John 1:5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
(IOW) “Here is the substance of all I want to say through all I have learned from being a first-hand witness of “That Which was from the Beginning becoming Human and instructing us:
(Again)
“This then is the message which we have heard of him.” Now the phrase “of Him” (ap autou in the Greek) does not mean this is the message we have “respecting Him (Jesus) or “the message that is about Him” but instead, “this is the message we have received from Him.” This is the sum of what we received from Him – of all the things we have seen are heard from Him, this is the SUM.
(long beat)
He could have said almost anything here couldn’t he? He could have said, “this is the sum – “
“The Law was perfect but man was not.”
He could have said,
“God so loved the World that He gave His Only Begotten Son to save it and not condemn it.”
He could have taken any of the phrases in the Bible (or even any phrase that NOT in the Bible) to sum up all that he had learned from Jesus but this is how he launch into His message here. He chose to say that “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you . . .”
“. . . that God is light (!) and in him is no darkness at all.”
The Tension Between Light and Darkness
This is a remarkable starting point because in my estimation it explains the whole of everything regarding the person of God relative to the person of man.
First –
“God is light”
(which then shines on us and tacitly asks):
“Are we light? Do we love the light? Are we able to bear the light? Do we want to be in the light? Are our deeds and mind of the light?
AND then
“in Him there is no darkness at all.”
(and since we are human we know that we cannot say this about ourselves, and we have to admit that we do, at times “dwell in the dark,” “love the dark,” “seek for the dark” and even possess the dark within.)
This single statement sets the stage for a fantastic, dramatic and very real tension between God “who is light and in Him there is no darkness at all,” and all of His creations who in so many ways stand in direct opposition to Him.
It’s akin to saying something like “God is absolutely dry and entirely void of any moisture whatsoever” while at the same time admitting that in the human fleshly condition we are all wet – our very human body is even 57 to 60% water and therefore in our present state we will find ourselves evaporated. So there’s a rub, a difficulty, a friction and tension built into this revelatory line from John.
However, my comparing “God’s light to our dark” to Him being dry and our being wet is not very good. Understanding why it’s not so good (and how it fails) will help us understand the solution to the difficulty John implicitly presents to all humans when he says “that God is light and in his is no darkness at all.”
The Implication of God as Light
Let me explain by first discussing the fact that God is light and the consequences that this fact bears on human beings. Light, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of purity, truth, knowledge, prosperity, and joy with “darkness” REPRESENTING . . . the opposite.
(remember my emphasis on darkness REPRESENTING the opposite of light when we wrap this discussion up)
Understanding God as Light
John here says that "God is light" – the Greek meaning that He is not the light, or a light, but light itself. The implications are heavy, and though we might tend to push them aside when we allow ourselves to see God as a bent, gray grandfatherly chap, quite the opposite is true – there is nothing about Him that is bent or chappy. He Himself is the source and fountain of light in the universe, perfectly pure, without any admixture of shadow, sickness, sin, disease, lies, obfuscation, twistedness, or evil. Being pure light, He has all knowledge, with no ignorance allowed. As Light, we could assume that there is nothing to make Him “miserable.” He is infinitely true, never stating, admitting, or living with error – He knows all.
Biblical References to God's Light
James 1:17 says:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Speaking of Jesus, Paul said in 1st Timothy 6:16 about His place in heaven:
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.”
This has caused some teachers of the Word (namely Vernon J McGee) to suppose that as humans we will never see God directly and will only see Christ who He has sent. Don’t know if I agree with this or not, but when Paul says, speaking of Jesus: “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see… we have to wonder if this includes resurrected man or not. Not a hill to die on, but interesting nonetheless.
Since God IS light, LIGHT plays a major role (obviously) in almost every principle going on in the Bible. The FIRST THING GOD SPOKE INTO EXISTENCE on the first day? Genesis 1? “light.”
In Jeremiah 4:23 we read:
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
Light in Scripture
Then in Genesis 1:3-4 it says:
“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Then later, on the fourth day, we read that God created the actual physical sources of light for us here on earth – the sun and moon. Even in terms of NATURAL PHYSICAL LIGHT, scripture touches upon it, saying:
(Ecclesiastes 11:7) Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
Moving out through God’s work through the Nation of Israel we read this about God’s relationship to the Jews:
Esther 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor.
Speaking of how God watched over them, Psalms 105:39 says:
He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
This relationship caused Isaiah to write:
Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
And
Isaiah 10:17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
Psalms also refers to those who walk with God as those who are “the LIGHT OF THE LIVING.”
Then significantly, scripture equates the very Word of God to Light, saying:
Ps 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ps 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Pr 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Light and Righteousness
The upright and righteous in God are spoken of all through scripture as having a relationship to Light.
John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Ps 118:27 God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
Ps 4:6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Ps 18:28 For
The Light of God
Thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
Ps 27:1 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? Ps 36:9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Ps 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Ps 43:3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.
Light as a Blessing
Psalms 104:2 poetically reiterates what John says here saying Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: And there are promises of light to those who are His as Psalm 112:4 says “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.” His light is a blessing to the soul. Job 3:20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; Isiaha 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
The Coming of Christ
Isaiah 58:8 promises “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward.” Of course we then come to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Prophesying of Him as Messiah Isaiah said: Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. And referring to Him on the Mount of Transfiguration we read:
Mt 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. His purpose in coming? Lu 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
And of course John in His Gospel gives the Light some dimension, saying a number of things, like: John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. John 5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
Of course Jesus Himself said a great deal about light, including: John 8:12 “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” And John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” And John 12:35-36 “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” And John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
And Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. And Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. And Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. And even . . Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Two ways – explain)
Paul tells us that CHRIST GIVES US LIGHT
Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
And we know that as we pursue light light increases
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as
Light in the Scriptures
The shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Isaiah 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
And
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
We know that in the New Testament times that Light shining down was indicative of God working. We see this in the life of Paul
Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
And Peter
Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
And then Light was commanded of Paul to go to the Gentiles as he said in Acts 13:47
Ac 13:47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Children of Light
And we know that to Christians we are to arm ourselves with light as Paul says in
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
These insights and directives tells us so much about God, Jesus, and all who are His, who scripture calls “the Children of Light.” But John, in his typical fashion does not stop at only saying that “God is light.” He adds: “And in him is no darkness at all.”
Adding the Greek “OO-DICE” (at all) to this (which means): “not even one thing, none, nobody, nothing:– not any, neither any (thing), never or no man, none of these things, not any, at all”
To say there is no darkness AT ALL is an EXTREMELY emphatic statement affirming that God is absolutely perfect; that there is nothing in him which is in any way imperfect, nothing to dim or mar His character, not even as much as a pin-prick of darkness. Our human minds are prone to drag Him out of heaven and make Him like us – and we think of Him as such. Try to relate to Him as such. These attempts always bring Him down somehow. This language is probably designed to guard against such error.
Many suggest that God is the author of sin and misery, that He is a manipulator, that He is indifferent to life, some life, those who are not His, etc. etc. That He has a sick sense of humor, that He is a puppeteer, etc. John seems to say here that nothing dark or evil or bad or foul can be assigned to Him or His character. So we have the fact that God is the purest light of an all-consuming fire and we have the reiteration that there is absolutely no darkness in Him – at all.
The Conflict of Light and Darkness
We are then confronted with the fact that the human race is full of people who are either seeking to be with God or in relationship with Him and (quite frankly) a whole bunch of people who don’t but that all of us have darkness! This conflict seems insurmountable. What is the result of human beings that have darkness when they seek or reach to know or relate to or to please God? It’s called an impasse – an “impassability!”
However, God – being light – “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The light that “came into the world,” “came unto His own,” but “His own received Him not.” This was not us.
Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
1st Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1st Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
Light and Darkness in Scripture
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
2nd Corinthians 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
While we praise God that this is true of those who are His by faith we also know that not all accepted (or will accept) the Light that was come into the world.
John 3:19-20 explains why very plainly, saying:
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
The Blinding Power of Darkness
We also read… 2nd Corinthians 4:4 …the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
And we read regarding those of the dark that… Job 24:13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
Scripture informs us that GOD will inevitably withdrawal light from those who have no need or desire for it.
Jeremiah 13:16 says:
“Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.”
This fact introduces us to a state of non-light, (the light that never warms) which seems to be the result of the absence of the Lord entirely from the lives of others. Speaking of this place Job says:
Job 12:25 They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
Also Job 18:18 He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.
Psalm 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
Living in the Light
Warning those who are of the light we read:
2nd Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And next week we will read 1st John 1:6-7:
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Then in the next chapter 1st John 2:8-10 says:
“Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.”
The Eternal Light
We read that in the heavenly realms the following:
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
But as a message of hope we also read in Job 12:22 that God: “discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.”
Speaking of darkness, we have to admit, from scripture that it has a power.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Luke 22:53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
Light and Darkness in Biblical Context
Proverbs 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Matthew 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
2nd Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. But in the end we see something amazing – LIGHT TRIUMPHS OVER DARKNESS
Ecclesiastes 2:13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
The Nature of Light and Darkness
Light and dark. Dark and light. It seems that the world – even perhaps the universe – can be broken up into these two spheres. One that illuminates another that obfuscates. One that warms and comforts, another that chills and creates discomfort.
It has long been admitted that darkness is really no entity in and of itself – it’s merely the absence of light. Light actually exists and can be studied and measured and refracted. It is said to make matters clear, brighten the path, lessen the dangers that lurk in the distance through revelation, and even kill disease. Where light is, darkness is not. So in the absence of light there is confusion, disease, corruption, despair, depression, and death.
Here in the 1st Epistle of John we read, “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” God is light. Fully God is fully light. Lesser God is lesser light. And lesser God gets to the point that shadow, obscurity, obfuscation, and ultimately shades of grey, darkness, and black exist – but not of their own accord – just as a result of the absence of Him. God so loved the world that He gave or sent us His only begotten Son, who describes Himself as “light that is come into the world.” (John 3:19)
The Absence of Light
Earlier in the same Gospel, John the Beloved writes of Jesus: In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:4-5
There is a power in darkness, (Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son) but the power is one that thrives on the absence of light having no power of its own, only that of vacuity, emptiness, dearth, and depredation. This power is fortified by the self and selfishness. It is life taking. It gives only what it has taken or stolen from others. Its fuel is the absence of light and in the end its product is nothingness. Zero.
Similarly, it has been said that cold does not exist; that things are cold because they are not warm or they are lacking heat. Heat can be measured and studied but cold is merely the absence of heat and so what we measure is how much heat is missing. Again, similarly, misery, woe, and depression do not exist. They are also simply the absence of joy, hope, love, and light (or God).
Those who are said to “love the darkness more than the light” are really just people who love the absence of God more than His presence. Again, dark and darkness has no essence – in the face of it we are only observing the absence of Light (or God). The total absence of God is a person named Satan. The dark or the darkness has no essence except God is removed from the area or person. Remove God from an area or person and the result is a hollow, dark, empty void.
That void needs to be filled and so attempts are made to fill it with things other than God – substitutes, idols, false Gods – but all they are are substitutes for the real living God.
Finally, and this is pretty wild, but there is a biblical relationship (supported in this 1st Epistle of John that proves a Relationship then between light and real love.
Whoa!
See, here in chapter 1 at verse 5
Core Messages from 1st John
We read:
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Then in chapter 3 we will read:
1st John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
The Link Between Light and Love
Put these two messages together and we have John saying: These are the messages that we have heard from the beginning – that God is Light and there is no darkness in Him at all AND this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another!
In my estimation where there is pure light there is pure love and where there is pure love there is pure light. And since in this epistle itself John proclaims that God is both light and love, I believe that if we consider them – together and apart from each other – we will discover that they are synonymous and that where there is the one there is the other.
Understanding Agape Love
With this definition we are then able to define Agape love all the more. And we can start by concluding that real agape love is light.
Let’s stop there.
Q and A
