“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”
(Isaiah 60:1-2)
God’s glory is soul-transforming for fallen sinners. His light, His truth, His salvation, and His glory are all seen in Christ. And through the merits of Christ’s work on the cross, His Spirit gives spiritual life to lost souls that believe on Him by faith, bringing them out of darkness and into the light of the glorious gospel (John 3:3, 5). Moreover, this light is so great that those who have been exposed to it are not only said to be enlightened, but to be light itself.
The moon has no light of its own, and yet as it reflects the light of the sun it becomes a light. The creation account even referred to the moon as the “lesser light,” (Gen. 1:16). So it is with all those who have encountered the light of the world. While we have no light of our own, the Lord in us shines so bright that we reflect His light. This is how we become lights in our world. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,” (Matt. 5:16).
If those who are converted are light in the Lord, it stands to reason that those who are not converted are not light in the Lord. Those in this condition are described by Paul in Ephesians 2:12 as “…separated from Christ…strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” To live outside the glory of God’s light is to live in darkness, without hope, without promise.
Those living in darkness enjoy no blessed connection to or association with God. They are without His special protection or favor. They have no actual interest in, or right to, the blessings and mercies of His everlasting covenant. One who lives in darkness, no matter what others think of him, is no more a member of the church in God’s eyes than a dead corpse is a man.
To be a stranger of the covenant of grace, without hope and without God in the world is the saddest commentary possible. Those in this state do not have God as their Father because they do not have Christ as their brother. They cannot say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want,” (Ps. 23:1) for they lack the saving knowledge of God in Christ; and therefore, have no part in the light. Further, the prince of darkness, the god of this world, has blinded their minds so they are unable to see or understand spiritual truths (2 Cor. 4:3-4).
This does not mean that those without God cannot be knowledgeable in any field. In fact, they may even possess a certain degree of knowledge of Scripture. But when it comes to a true spiritual understanding of the truths of God, they have none (1 Cor. 2:14). They are not even aware of the state of their soul or where they are eternally going, for darkness has blinded them and the light of the glory of God does not shine in them. They may well believe they are on the way to heaven until, in the end, they find themselves in hell.
David Clarkson warns those without God to repent of this darkness when he says, “Tell them of the new birth in Christ, sanctification, self-denial, the power of godliness; produce Scriptures which expressly show that without these there is no salvation… yet they do not often see them, they do not believe them, for they do not know these things effectually, for they are in darkness. And why? They are not light in the Lord.”
If you know God as Father and Christ as Savior, you are “light in the Lord.” You are reflecting His light in the world. Walk as children of light, therefore, that those who live in darkness can come to know the light of life before it’s too late.
- Lord, I know many who do not belong to You. They do not know what it means to have the light of Your love and truth in their lives. Am I shining the light of the Lord so they can see You? Help me see more clearly the miserable state they are in, and remind me continually that no person will see you if they do not have the light of Christ in them.
- I remember how miserable I was without God. It is a very sad and hopeless condition. How shall I truly know whether this light of Christ is in me? As I examine myself, do I see Your light? I know the light of Your Word is delightful to a believer. Your words are sweet and acceptable to me because Your light shines in me. And not only do I see Christ and His mercy, privileges and promises, pardon and glory, but also the light of the Word shows me the corruption of my heart, my sinfulness, and the danger of my sin. It causes me to search my soul and shows me how to live more holy before You. And for that I am grateful.
- Lord, help me better detect all my failings and sinful ways, that I might turn from those sins and walk in Your light. I can truly bless You for, and rejoice in, every word that shines the light on my sin because it moves me to confess that sin and forsake it, allowing me to walk acceptably before You.
Further References for Isaiah 60:1-2
Isa. 52:2; Luke 2:32; Isa. 9:2, 35:2, 40:5; Mal. 4:2; Rev. 21:11
