God Matters: Theology Applied in Three Parts
Part 2: God Is Light, and Why It Matters
As with all theology, we must make sure, above all else, that our beliefs about God are genuinely scriptural, either expressly set down or deduced by good and necessary consequence (WCF 1.6). If they are, they certainly will be consistent with what the orthodox have believed through the centuries of church history. I make that bold claim because the godly have always been receiving and deducing truth from the same Scripture which we still have today by the enabling of the same Holy Spirit who is still at work in us today. Why would we expect or desire doctrinal novelties?
There is such a thing as the tradition of true theology. That holy tradition is built upon the revelation of God in Scripture, and soundly expounds it. We are right to reject the apostate Roman Catholic Church’s claim that her “Sacred Tradition” is worthy of “equal sentiments of devotion and reverence” as Scripture (CCC #82), which means, in practice, that their tradition, where unscriptural, overrules Scripture. But let us not go to the other extreme and repudiate altogether the doctrinal tradition of Christ’s true Church, just because it is traditional. Nor should we fail to appreciate the genuine help that the best tradition affords. A dangerous biblicism that does this very thing is now ravaging the churches, attempting to interpret the Bible while deaf to predecessors, and even showing prejudice against creedal and confessional language. History shows that such individualistic modernity opens the floodgates for all kinds of cults and heretical movements. Our Protestant legacy illustrates a wiser course called sola Scriptura which did not “deny the value of tradition of the creeds, but . . . distinguished the singular authority of the Bible” (The Reformation Study Bible [2015 Edition], xi).
The Scripture supports this view of supreme biblical authority and subordinate church tradition as indispensable. I could demonstrate this in many ways, but one of the most pertinent passages is Ephesians 4. There it is the risen Christ who gives His church “pastors and teachers” for her spiritual edification until she becomes all He intends in her complete redemption (vv. 11ff.). Every generation has its own living pastors and teachers, and the sound ones do not despise previous generations of faithful pastors and teachers who have left behind their ministries of edification on the printed page, for example. It is the will of Christ that His people benefit from our rich theological tradition. Since many generations of Christians have already come and gone, and ours exists for such a brief time, it is obvious that most of the Church’s greatest theologians passed away a long time ago. One pastor alive today memorably said that we need to learn theology “from a bunch of dead guys” (Phil Johnson).
In no theological area, I believe, has the Church spoken with more doctrinal consensus and unity, than in this one of theology proper. Personally, I have come to appreciate this more in the last several years than ever before in my four and a half decades of Christian and pastoral experience.
In our first of three messages, we considered the subject, “God Is, and Why It Matters.” I preached to you that God is not at all like His creatures, nor at all like human beings, but that He is wholly other, self-existent, and incomprehensible. We can know Him truly but not exhaustively. This true understanding of God exposes the folly of atheists, requires our response of worship, and assures us that God is actually there at all times, even when He seems far away in our darkest trials.
Now let us proceed with the second message, called, “God Is Light, and Why It Matters.” We will keep to our simple two-part outline of truth revealed and truth applied.
Truth Revealed
The first part of my sermon title today is explicitly stated in Scripture, and it sums up everything I have to say. In 1 John 1.5, the Apostle John wrote,
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.
Here, John is asserting that his message did not originate in himself, but that he received it from the Lord Jesus Christ, mentioned in verse three, and that the message is therefore absolutely true and trustworthy. The apostles’ teaching is Christ’s teaching, and Christ said His teaching was not His own but had been received from His Father in heaven (Jn 7.16). We must conclude, therefore, that anyone who opposes the apostles’ teaching opposes Christ and God.
And what is that message? There is no mistaking it, for John says formulaically, “that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” One of the clearest and most definitive ways of making doctrinal assertions is to state them both positively and negatively, as John does here, using the opposites of light and darkness. The statement “God is light” is of the utmost profundity, impressive for its simplicity of expression, using only three elementary words. It is also impressive from its total lack of qualification. John would not back off in the slightest degree. In fact, he escalates our appreciation by the negation which immediately follows, a negation that is intensified by its last two-word phrase, “at all.” Using the word “and” to link the propositions, John wrote, “and in him [God] is no darkness at all.” He is light, all light, pure light, without the slightest darkness whatsoever, and that is a statement of absoluteness. It is not that something outside of God is light and He is comparable to it. Light in this supreme sense is just what God is. He Himself is spirit, light, love, goodness, truth, and everything worthy of ultimate praise, and yet He is absolutely simple, not made up of parts in any sense whatsoever.
God is light
Now let us meditate together on this. Notice that John says, “God is light,” not that God has light, or that light is an attribute or property of God’s which is something alongside His essence. Indeed, the Church’s orthodox teachers through the ages have noticed this and stressed it. John’s statement is ontological, having to do with God’s very being. It is comparable to his declarations that “God is spirit” in John 4.24 and “God is love” in 1 John 4.8, 16. John’s statement is also analogical, as all statements about God necessarily must be, describing God to us in terms of creaturely things with which we are familiar, namely, light and darkness.
In the second century there lived a man who, as a boy, had heard Polycarp, the famous martyr who was taught in person by the Apostle John. This man’s name was Irenaeus and he became the Bishop of Lyons in Gaul (Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, “St. Irenaeus” and “St. Polycarp”). In his famous work Against Heresies, Irenaeus wrote that “God . . . is truly perfect in all things, Himself equal and similar to Himself, as He is all light, and all mind, and all substance, and the fount of all good” (4.11.2). Let that sink in. Very, very early in church history, long before some of the most important creeds were composed, Irenaeus, led by Scripture, spoke in these profound terms. In the third century, Augustine distinguished between “the Unchangeable Light” which is God and the light which is His creation (Confessions 7.10.16), implying an awareness of analogical language in 1 John 1.5.
Fifteen hundred years later, the Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck described the orthodox view of Christian theology from the start on these matters, when he wrote,
God is “simple,” that is, sublimely free from all composition, and that therefore one cannot make any real [i.e., ontological] distinction between his being and his attributes. Each attribute is identical with God’s being: he is what he possesses. . . . Whatever God is, he is that completely and simultaneously (Reformed Dogmatics, 2.118).
Listen, my dear friends. When the Apostle John said that “God is light,” it is surely implied that God is light in and of Himself, not by virtue of any relation to His creatures. In other words, it is not merely saying that He enlightens us. The light that is in God is God Himself. Furthermore, we can infer with all justification that whatever light of any kind there is in the creation is from God Himself as the Source. The sun, for example, has no inherent light of its own, but God continuously provides its light. The first speech of God in Scripture is called the fiat lux, “Let there be light, and there was light” (Gen 1.3), and He has never stopped sustaining that light from the first moment of creation until now.
And by saying that in God there is no darkness at all, John implies God’s infinite, absolute, ineffable purity, and that all the darkness with which we are familiar is not God, nor does it originate in God, or come from Him. God is not the blameworthy cause of any darkness.
I want to explain a little further within the limitations of a sermon what it means to say that God is light, but please understand that this one theme could occupy volumes. I have chosen to highlight four major biblical connotations of the statement, “God is light”—namely, glory, holiness, knowledge, and life.
His light is His glory
Scripture frequently associates light and glory. Moses said the Lord “shined forth” in His appearance to Israel (Deut 33.2). When Moses had come down from Mount Sinai, “his face shone because he had been talking with God” (Exod 34.29 ESV). God’s glorious presence with Israel was represented in a pillar of fire by night to give them light (Exod 13.21). Luke’s nativity story includes the phrase, “the glory of the Lord shone round about them” (Luke 2.9).
In prophecies of Christ’s advent, Isaiah said, “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 Matthew interprets this prophecy as fulfilled in Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Isa 9.1–2; Matt 4.15–16). Isaiah summoned Israel’s attention to Christ in these words, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isa 60.1–2). Jesus said plainly, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8.12). Paul says that when Christ returns, He will show “who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto” (1 Tim 6.15–16). The book of Revelation says that the New Jerusalem does not need the light of the sun or the moon to shine in it, because the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb (i.e., Jesus Christ) is its light (Rev 21.23). The statement “God is light” connotes His glory.
His light is His holiness
Scripture is also filled with instances of light as a metaphor for holiness, while darkness stands for sin and evil. These are so many examples of this in the Bible that it is hard to know where to start. We can see it in the text of 1 John, where he especially had this connotation of holiness in mind when he wrote that “God is light.” We know this because John immediately applied it to the necessity of ethical behavior as a condition of fellowship with this holy God. John wrote about “walking in darkness” and “walking in the light,” and these phrases describe patterns of human activity with respect to God’s commandments, either violating or keeping them (1 Jn 1.5–7; 2.3–5, etc.). The OT prophet Malachi foretold the days when “the Sun of righteousness [shall] arise with healing in his wings” (Mal 4.2), another strong parallel between light and holiness. “God is light” also connotes divine holiness.
His light is His knowledge and truth
Further, light has a biblical connotation of knowledge and truth, and darkness is ignorance. The psalmist prayed, “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me” (Psa 43.3). Paul wrote, “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.” Light is knowledge; light is truth.
God knows Himself like no one else knows or could know Him—infinitely and perfectly. This knowledge “is one with the divine essence [and] belongs to the very nature of God” (Richard Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms, “scientia simplicis intelligentiae seu naturalis et indefinite,” 276). As such He is the Source and ground of all knowledge and truth.
John opens his gospel with an announcement of the eternal Word which became flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1.1; cf. v. 14). The Greek term translated “word” is logos, which certainly has connotations of informational content, rationality, and an intelligent message (see D. A. Carson, in loc.). Our God and Savior Jesus Christ is “the Word” and the Light. And John wrote a few verses later, “and the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (Jn 1.5), illustrating the association of the word “light” with knowledge—specifically, the knowledge of God, whom Christ reveals in His first coming. Verse 18 says, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (KJV) or “made him known” (ESV). To say that God is light, then, implies His infinite knowledge and truth and wisdom, that is, His reality and omniscience.
His light is His life
Finally, there is an association of “light” and “life.” Ordinarily in the created world, light makes life possible. By God’s wise design, we see the amazing results of photosynthesis in plants. They live and grow by means of light. And this connection of light and life is evident in Scripture. Before we leave John 1, look at this in verse 4, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Psalm 36.9 says, “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” The psalmist also speaks about walking before God “in the light of life” (Psa 56.13). As with light, God the Father has life in Himself, and so does the Son (Jn 5.26).
Truth Applied
Most people may think this is heady stuff with no practical bearing on real life, reserved for ivory tower theologians, but once again I would try to convince every single one of you that God matters, and that we absolutely must know Him as He has truly revealed Himself to us. This must be the ultimate priority of all our lives. Nothing supersedes knowing God aright. It is in knowing Him through Christ that we are saved and come to fulfill the very reason for our being, to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Although there are many applications, let us consider one each for the four connotations of light—glory, holiness, knowledge, and life. I want to make the applications in reverse order.
His light is life for us: come to Christ and live
The epitome of perfect blessedness for mankind is captured in the biblical phrase, “eternal life,” a quality of life possessed only in communion with God and only fully experienced in the age to come. Because this life is in God alone, we must leave our dead idols, even if they are only “idols of the heart,” and return to the true and living God if we would ever experience eternal life. The alternative is to continue in spiritual death now, and then on Judgment Day to be confirmed in a state of eternal death, suffering God’s just wrath in alienation from Him.
The gospel announces that fallen sinners can only come back to God through believing on Christ His Son, receiving Him as Lord and Savior. He is “the Word of life, . . . [and] that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us,” John wrote. The apostles declared Him to us, the New Testament being their faithful testimony written, so that we also may have fellowship with them, whose fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn 1.1–4). We have His promise of eternal life (1 Jn 2.25). “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 Jn 5.11–13).
That is why everyone who hears the gospel ought to believe it immediately. For many people that will mean converting from some other religion to biblical Christianity. This may require you to endure severe persecution and the practical loss of everything you counted precious. But because God is light, His light is life, and His Son is the living Savior with power to give eternal life to whomever He pleases, this is worth more to you than all else besides. Without Christ you must perish, but in Him you have the greatest treasure of all—everlasting life.
His light is knowledge for us: trust God and understand
The most important knowledge of all is the knowledge of God, and this is foundational to a discerning perception of reality in His creation. The theologian Robert Reymond observes,
The entire history of philosophy up to more recent times may be summarized as precisely man’s rational effort, beginning with himself and accepting no outside help, to “examine” enough of certain chosen particularities of the universe . . . to find the universals which give to these particularities their meaning (Robert Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 112).
In other words, the worldly philosophers have attempted an unbelieving approach to knowledge. And in the “more recent times,” they have persisted in unbelief, but with less rationality in a course of relativism and post-modernism. It is not that they advocate violating the notions of thesis and antithesis in logic, but have generally repudiated the validity of logic altogether.
Picking up on this spirit of the age without even realizing it, many typical unbelievers imagine they might consider becoming Christians if only they could be convinced it is reasonable. Many Christian apologists seem to accept the premise and attempt to make converts by the sheer force of argument.
I would go on record affirming the rationality of true theology and all true knowledge, but because God is light, and His light is knowledge, we must believe in order to understand, not vice versa. The psalmist prayed, “In thy light shall we see light” (Psa 36.9). Commenting on this verse, Spurgeon wrote,
Vain are they who look to learning and human wit, one ray from the throne of God is better than the noonday splendour of created wisdom. Lord, give me the sun, and let those who will delight in the wax candles of superstition and the phosphorescence of corrupt philosophy (Treasury of David, in loc.).
Jesus taught that holy obedience, the fruit of faith, leads to knowledge—first of all, knowledge of His credibility as the Prophet of God. Our Lord said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (Jn 7.17 ESV). The problem with unbelievers is more moral than intellectual, more relational than philosophical. Anselm of Canterbury championed a reverent, believing approach to knowledge in his slogan, faith seeking understanding. That is a classic definition of theology and a doorway to further knowledge about God’s creation.
His light is holiness for us: walk in the light with God
A greater appreciation of God’s holiness will foster our growth in moral purity, that is, in godliness. Because God is holy, sinners naturally seek to get as far from Him as possible. But the true Christian, as one made new by the Spirit, draws ever nearer to God with whom he has an affinity by grace. John’s gospel says,
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. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God (Jn 3.19, 20).
Because this is so, those who are of God (that is, true Christians) are distinguishable by their lives from others not of God. As John wrote later,
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 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 (1 Jn 1.5–7).
A common fantasy of unbelievers is that they can pursue all their carnal desires with gusto, of whatever sort they are, and still be in God’s favor. They hope to continue impenitent and then escape punishment for their sins. That is impossible because God is not like us. God is light, and His light is holiness. In a passage condemning men for their sins, the Lord explains that He was exercising merciful patience for a while, but judgment is certainly coming.
These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!” (Psa 50.21, 22 ESV).
It is a common and very dangerous misconception to think that God is like us in moral apathy. Dear friends, when Christ the Light of the world finally appears, the true reality will become obvious to everyone. The radiant New Jerusalem and the burning lake of fire shall forevermore jointly testify of God’s delight in His saints and wrath toward the reprobates.
The new creation that will appear after Christ returns along with the lake of fire shall continue eternally as testimonies of His holiness—His gracious delight in the saints and His terrible wrath against the sinners.
His light is glory for us: seek the glory of God above all
What is your goal in life? There is only one worthy object, and that is God Himself. Only God is light, and His light is His glory. Whatever is truly glorious, splendid, magnificent, and worthwhile in all His creation is only so by virtue of its association with Him. Any beauty in creation is His beauty. Any goodness is His goodness. Any truth is His truth. Any love is His love.
Therefore, to strive toward any creature as if it were ultimately worthwhile is to make an idol of it. This is the great catastrophe and most stupendous error of mankind—to exchange the truth about God for a lie and to worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! (Rom 1.25). That broad way of sinners would lead to your utter ruin and eternal humiliation.
Against this, Scripture exhorts you, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10.31 ESV). Ironically, only those who supremely seek His glory shall be finally glorified by Him! The sufferings true Christians must endure on account of our despised religion and unpopular lifestyle of devotion to God are not worthy to be compared with the blazing, brilliant glory that shall be revealed in us (Rom 8.18).
You see, God is light, and that matters more than all else. May He grant us the faith to receive and apply this truth. Amen.
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