In 1:12 Paul says that the Father has qualified us “for a share of the portion of the saints in the light.” Many may read this verse without paying attention to the phrase “in the light.” Christ, our portion, is to be enjoyed by us in the light. In this message we need to consider what it is to partake of Christ, the portion of the saints, in the light.
The Bible reveals that when God restored the universe He had judged because of the rebellion of Satan, the first thing He did was to cause light to appear. Darkness had been on the surface of the deep. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and light came forth (Gen. 1:3). This took place on the first day. On the fourth day we see a more solid form of light: the sun, the moon, and the stars. The light on the first day was rather abstract and unsubstantial, but on the fourth day we have the solid luminaries. By this we see that the re-creation of the universe, or its restoration, was carried out by light.
References to light abound in the Old Testament. Psalm 36:9 says, “In thy light shall we see light.” In Psalm 119:105 the psalmist declares, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Furthermore, Isaiah 2:5 says, “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
Although the Bible has much to say about light, it is difficult to give an adequate definition of light. Light is real and substantial, yet it is mysterious. Nevertheless, the Bible indicates that light was a basic factor in the restoration of the universe and that light is necessary for God’s people to walk in His presence.
Matthew 4:16 says that when Jesus was walking through Galilee, the “people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in the region and shadow of death, to them light sprang up.” In John 8:12 the Lord Jesus said that He is the light of the world and that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. However, if we do not follow Him as the light, we shall be in darkness. Furthermore, at the time of Paul’s conversion, the Lord Jesus told him to open the eyes of people so that they may turn from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). This indicates that unbelievers, whether Jews or Gentiles, are in darkness. Anyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus is in darkness and needs to turn from darkness to light. Furthermore, 1 John 1:5 says that God is light and that in Him there is no darkness. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie. Since God is light, if we have fellowship with Him, we also shall be in the light.
The Bible reveals that the light is related to God, the Word of God, Christ, the life of Christ, the believers, and the church.
We have pointed out that 1 John 1:5 says that God is light. He alone is the source of light. The Word of God, Christ, the life of Christ, the believers, and the church can all be light because they have God as their source.
Psalm 119:105 says that the Word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, and 119:130 says that the entrance of God’s words gives light. The Word of God is light because it contains God. If the Bible did not contain God, the words of the Bible could not enlighten us. The source of the Bible is God, and God is light. Therefore, the words of the Bible are the shining of light.
In John 9:5 the Lord Jesus said, “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” God and Christ are one. Since God is light, Christ also is light. Christ is the light of the world in a very definite way. The world in John 9:5 denotes society, mankind. Thus, Christ is the light not just in a general way, but in a definite way as the light of society, of mankind.
The life of Christ is also light. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” When we receive Christ as life, this life becomes light in us, shining upon us and enlightening us from within.
Those who believe in Christ are also the light. Speaking of the believers, the Lord Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). In Philippians 2:15 Paul says that the believers “shine as lights in the world.” The Greek for lights is better rendered luminaries. A luminary does not have light in itself; it reflects light that comes from another source. The believers are luminaries. In ourselves we have no light. The light comes from the oil, the Spirit, burning within us. The source of our light is not ourselves, but Christ as the Spirit.
In Revelation 1:20 we see that the church is a lampstand, a stand that holds and supports a burning lamp. The lamp is Christ with God in Him as light (Rev. 21:23). In the universe there is one light, God Himself. The Triune God is the unique light.