Scriptures confirm this truth. ‘For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves’

(Colossians 1:13).’ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:8). ‘But you are a chosen people … a people belonging to God … who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’ (1 Peter 2:9).

One of the catchphrases of the Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries was that ‘knowledge brings light’. Many replaced God’s knowledge with man’s reasoning, placing human insight above God’s revealed wisdom. Mankind does not realize that our knowledge has only increased our understanding of things—science, biology, commerce, pleasure, etc. This is why the world’s vast accumulation of knowledge has only brought us to the many predicaments we see around us. We do not know what to do with our knowledge. It does not give us wisdom. Jesus taught that Christians should be this light.

The world does not have light. Jesus alone is the light of the world: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12). Only Christians can reflect the light of the Son of God. When a person is born again into His spiritual Kingdom, the Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in and through that individual. ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?’ (1 Corinthians 3:16) Christians are the light of the world because of who we reflect the nature and character of Him who now lives in us by His Spirit. Jesus said, ‘This is the verdict: light [meaning Himself] has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God’ (John 3:19-21).

As the light of Jesus Christ shines through us, it exposes the error of man’s way. The Pharisees and scribes, who supposedly had all the answers, hated Jesus. It is why the people of the world today, who still think they have the answers, hate many of the teachings found in Scripture. Such a light exposes sin.