The Bible consistently presents light as a symbol of God’s nature and character, emphasizing His righteousness, love, and absolute goodness.
The apostle John beautifully captures the essence of God’s nature when he declares, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1.5).
As light, God is the source of all purity, truth, and holiness. Unlike the fleeting darkness of this world, God’s light is unwavering, eternal, and incorruptible.
Followers of Jesus have to battle the temptation to live in both worlds, the darkness and the light. John challenges deceptive thinking with these words:
“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;
“But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1.6-7).
Walking in the light is God’s preferred behavior for humans. He provides forgiveness for darkness-walkers through the shed blood of his Son.
The gift of Christ’s sacrificial love opens the way for us to fully love God and other humans.
The ninth plague was given to reveal the absolute destructive nature of the darkness.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt” (Exodus 10.21).
For those who believe they can walk in both the light and darkness, God brought clarity to the question. He brought upon the land “a darkness that can be felt” (verse 21).
God also contrasted Egyptian darkness with what transpired among the Hebrews. But all the Israelites had light where they lived (Exodus 10.23).
A Message for Today
As we consider these brief thoughts about walking in the light, we should strive to be a source of light in the world.
Just as light is a symbol of God’s righteousness, love, and absolute goodness, we should display those character traits.
People who walk in the light live a life of integrity and righteousness, seeking fellowship with God and other believers. Let’s examine ourselves today and see if this describes our behavior.
You are possibly like me and know of times when you tried to walk in the darkness and the light at the same time.
Praise God that when we seek God’s forgiveness we will experience the depth of Christ’s sacrificial love. His love will spill over from us to other people.
I have no desire to live where darkness was so intense it can be felt.
There are consequences to living in spiritual darkness. Let’s flee the darkness and urge other people to pursue the light of God.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.