Light of the World, Come

By Joshua Cooley

Unless you’re a cat burglar, a cave bat, or a deep-sea creature, you no doubt function far better in the light than in the dark. We were made to live in the light, both in a literal and spiritual sense.

The Bible often presents darkness symbolically as—at its worst—evil and walking in rebellion against God, or—at minimum—as a less-than-ideal spiritual situation. Things have been this way since the opening verses of Scripture, where Genesis 1:2 says, “Now the earth was formless and empty, [and] darkness covered the surface of the watery depths.” This was not how God was going to leave things. 

To remedy the situation, God could have said many things. What He did not say was, “Let there be TikTok,” “pickleball,” or “a venti iced chai tea latte with two pumps of brown sugar, one pump of vanilla, and some sweet cold foam cream topped with caramel drizzle.” Instead, He said, “Let there be light” (v.3). The result? “God saw that the light was good” (v.4). Before populating the earth with His image-bearers, God filled the bleak void with His light.

Throughout Scripture, the light versus darkness motif continues to appear. And darkness is an apt metaphor for the oppressive nature of sin; darkness hinders our ability to see and discern accurately. In darkness, we stumble and grope along, lacking direction. In darkness, injuries mount, nightmares haunt, fears grow, and hope wanes. So it is with sin.

And just as God brought light into creation to dispel the primordial darkness, so He also sent heaven’s true light—His Son, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One—to destroy the darkness of sin and its grip on our lives. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Through His incarnation, the Son of God shines heaven’s radiant light into every crack and crevice of our lives (John 1:5). Most gloriously, Christ’s marvelous work of redemption brings full forgiveness for our sins and reconciliation with our Creator. It exposes and defeats the vile strongholds of sin where pain, lies, and treachery reign. It destroys evil and death, our mortal enemies. It clarifies our purpose in life and illuminates the right paths for us to pursue. It heals our infirmities. It brings peace during troubled times. It provides hope for today and the promise of future glory.

Yes, the light of Christ radically changes our lives, without a doubt. But there’s more: it also equips us to help those still in the dark catacombs of rebellion in which we once walked. As the prophet Isaiah says, “I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house” (Isaiah 42:6–7).

This is the glorious message that we celebrate during the Advent season—and all year round. Praise God for the life-changing light of Christ!