I know that one of the most difficult things to define is light. It can be tempting to describe light simply as the absence of darkness, but that would be inaccurate, because light is self-existent. Scientifically, light is a form of energy that travels as electromagnetic radiation. We learned in elementary science that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. If you were as curious as I was, you probably also asked yourself: Where did the first energy come from? It’s as draining a thought as asking the question, Who created God?

Both scientifically and biblically, evidence suggests that electromagnetic radiation (light) is the source of all forms of energy. It is no coincidence that the very first thing God spoke into existence was light: “And God said, let there be light: and there was light. God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Genesis 1:3-5).

All life forms live and exist because of the light and energy of the Sun. The Earth is held in orbit by the Sun’s gravity; without it, our planet would spin off into space at a speed of approximately 30 km per second—fast enough to drown the world in a tsunami. In addition, autotrophs at the base of the food chain would lose their ability to produce food through photosynthesis, severing the food supply and leading to the eventual extinction of most life forms. If that weren’t enough, within a week, global temperatures would plunge below –17 °C and continue to drop until the Earth became an icy ball.

I could go on and on.

Having understood the significance of sunlight at the foundation of all and for all creation, we’ll have a better understanding of Colossians 1:15-17. “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature… All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things consist”. Just as the brightness of the sun sustains all life-forms, it is by Jesus (the true Light – John 1:9) that all life exists. “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). This life goes far beyond biology; it is the very life of
God—Zoe(logy). Whoever is without this life remains dead and in darkness.

I believe the most important revelation about Jesus is this: I AM, the light of the world. As He declared: “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). New life is only accessible in the ecosystem of the
Light.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:1-5).

In our context, darkness is a realm devoid of the God-life—a place made hospitable for the operations of sin, Satan, and death. Darkness can also be defined as a region empty of the knowledge of God. As prophesied by Isaiah:

“The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:15-17).

Jesus is the great light who brings salvation and redemption to every soul who believes and follows Him. “The Lord is my light and my salvation” Psalm 27:1. He leads us out of sorrow, affliction, and confusion as we walk in His light.

Therefore, awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Continued….