“I Am the Light of the World”

Jesus Christ declared, “I am the light of the world” in John 8:12 (and again in John 9:5). What was Jesus talking about? Why did He say, “I am the light of the world”?

Who turned on the light?

Later in John 8 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” which carried echoes of an ancient name of God (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14). The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ is God, and He had an essential role in the creation (Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:2; see “Jesus in the Old Testament?”).

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17).

God the Father and Jesus Christ created the sun, moon and stars (John 1:1-3; Genesis 1:1-3).

By Jesus Christ all things were created, including the light from the sun. Sunlight powers all life on earth. Plants, animals and people require sunlight to live. The food we eat depends on light. Without sunlight, life on earth would die in darkness.

What is light?

The Greek word for light in John is phos, meaning luminousness, fire or light. It’s from phao, meaning to shine or make manifest. Light illuminates our world, allowing us to see. Without light, we are in darkness physically. Christ’s words reveal the deep truths that would otherwise be hidden in darkness spiritually.

Jesus wants us to follow Him and walk in the light of His truth (John 8:12). He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

Where is this spiritual light leading us? Jesus’ life is light shining in the darkness to show the way to eternal life (John 1:4-5).

The search for light

Many great minds have puzzled over the mysteries of physical light.

The Greek word phos also gives us the word photon. Photons are defined as massless light particles. They are fundamental building blocks of the universe.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scientists such as James Maxwell, Max Planck and Albert Einstein contributed to our understanding that light acts as both a wave and a particle.

Since then, photons have been studied intensely, yet many mysteries of light remain. Photons are massless, yet have momentum. Photons appear to be packets of electromagnetic radiation, traveling at the speed of light for infinite distances.

There are great mysteries yet to be unraveled about physical light and darkness in this vast and expanding universe. The quest to understand light is only beginning.

Seeing the mysteries of light

Like scientists, many deeply religious people do not understand the light. The people who heard Jesus say, “I am the light,” did not comprehend what He was saying at first. Once they realized that Jesus was saying He was God—the “I AM” who spoke to Abraham—they picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy (John 8:58-59). They did not believe Him. They were blinded to the light.

Even today, many people have a negative, emotional reaction to the message of light. Many do not believe that Jesus is God or that Jesus turned on the light of the sun.

Jesus’ message of God’s spiritual light shines in the darkness of this world. Those living in the dark don’t understand it, yet neither can they overcome it (John 1:5, New International Version). The mysteries of God are far beyond our human ability to comprehend (Isaiah 55:8).

Why is spiritual light so difficult to perceive?

Human eyes can only see light in a narrow band between the longer red-light waves and the shorter violet-light waves. Because we cannot see God, some assume God does not exist. Yet consider that even within the physical universe there are many things we can’t see. Ultraviolet light cannot be seen with the human eye, yet we know those wavelengths of light exist.

Jesus can decide whether we are able to see Him or not (Luke 24:31). The spiritual light of His teachings also needs to be revealed by God to be seen. The people of Jesus’ day did not understand God, even when they could see Him with their own eyes.

The light of God can only be seen by means of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:11-14). Jesus came to earth to be the light of all men who are now sitting in darkness in the shadow of death (John 1:9; Matthew 4:16). Without the light of Christ, we are just stumbling in the spiritual darkness (John 11:9-10; see “The Paths of Light and Darkness”).

Can we test for the existence of God? Yes, there is much evidence in the things that are seen (Romans 1:20; see the articles in the “Is There a God?” section).

Beyond that, you can also pray to God and ask Him to show you that He exists. Ask that the answer be very clear. Ask Him for help to understand the light of His truth and to be able to see what He is doing in your life. (For more on this, see “Searching for God.”)

History of light and darkness

The mysteries of light go beyond photons whizzing through space. The earth was not created in darkness, but became dark and void sometime after the original creation, which may have been billions of years ago (Genesis 1:1-2; see “The Gap Theory” for more information).

Because many people believe the Bible says the earth is only 6,000 years old, many scientists assume the Bible is not correct. But the Bible actually describes a time, before man was created, when the angels shouted for joy at the original creation of earth (Job 38:7). The earth was not created in icy darkness, but with beautiful light.

The Bible also describes a great angel called Lucifer, meaning light bringer. But Lucifer turned toward darkness and attacked God (Isaiah 14:12-15). Jesus was there to see Lucifer, now known as Satan, fall like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18). Satan still rules this world of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). The world is in spiritual darkness because Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

There is evil in the world because Satan causes evil—not because God does not exist. Much of Christianity is in darkness because Satan twists the messages of the Bible and sends false teachers to explain the Bible his way (Matthew 4:5-6; 2 Peter 2:1). For more information, see “Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?”

Messages in the light

God organized the physical light into a pattern of day and night. The sunrise is incredibly predictable. The God who designed the earth is reliable and ever-present.

Jesus Christ came to lead us out of spiritual darkness (John 12:46) and call us to repentance of sin, so we can be forgiven. He came to earth to share the light of eternal life with humanity. Each day is a declaration that God exists and that He is extremely creative (Psalm 19:1-6). Each new day greets us with ever-changing colors and light. The sunsets also dazzle us with colors.

The message Christ brought was spiritual light, separating the beautiful truth from darkness. Christ urges us to walk in the light (1 John 1:7). We must put off the evil works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12).

Each individual God calls out of darkness must walk in the spiritual light and become a child of light (Ephesians 5:8). Light always eliminates darkness.

Jesus explained that the way to eternal life is to keep His commandments (Matthew 19:17).

These same commandments were given to Abraham (Genesis 26:5) and later to the children of Israel (Exodus 20:1-17) by God, through Jesus Christ. He was the “I AM,” who appeared to Abraham, and the Rock, who was with the children of Israel (John 1:18; 5:37; 8:58; 1 Corinthians 10:4).

Christ explains the light

When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” He had just finished dealing with a judgment involving the Seventh Commandment, about adultery.

Christ did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to explain their full meaning (Matthew 5:17). The commandments were intended to prevent suffering and misery by being a light leading to life (Proverbs 6:23).

And Christ also came to teach repentance and to make possible the forgiveness of sin (Mark 1:15; 2:10). He was merciful and compassionate.

The scribes and the Pharisees had brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery, hoping to trip Him up and find something to accuse Him of.

Instead, the religious leaders came to recognize their own sins and hypocrisy. None of them were without sin, and so they left, one by one.

The woman was left alone. Jesus asked where those accusers were who had been so eager to condemn. Was there anyone left to condemn this woman?

“She said, ‘No one, Lord.’

“And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (John 8:11-12).

Notice Christ did not say, “Don’t worry about the law; I am nailing the law to the cross soon.” The law against adultery still exists, and Christ did not want the woman to continue in the darkness of sin. He offered her a fresh start to live in the light.

Jesus Christ came to lead us out of spiritual darkness (John 12:46) and call us to repentance of sin, so we can be forgiven. He came to earth to share the light of eternal life with humanity. Our destiny is to walk in the light of life as obedient children of God.

“The Lord God gives them light”

In the last book of the Bible, the apostle John wrote about the New Jerusalem, where God the Father and Jesus Christ will illuminate everything with brilliant light (Revelation 21:22-23).

The Bible starts and ends with light from God that takes away darkness. Notice Revelation 22:5:

“There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

For further study of the theme of light in the Bible, see our article “You Are the Light of the World.”