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Light

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) Just as aside – I find this verse so intriguing because Paul has God commanding light to shine out of darkness, rather than into it. God needs nothing to create His universe and is even able to shine light from out of the darkness. Of course, this is not meant to be just a literal text describing empirical creation. He is expressing a spiritual truth about the spiritual reality of the universe. Even darkness is created by God and is part of God’s creation and so serves His purposes…Out of this “darkness” God shines His light, His revelation about the divine, moral and spiritual dimensions of the universe. God is not denying the existence of this darkness, nor what it contains, but is showing it to be just part of the entirety of existence. God is not declaring this worldly “darkness” to be totally false or useless, rather God chooses to shine out it, meaning God acknowledges its existence and uses it for His own purposes. After all it is God who makes even the darkness (Jeremiah 13:16; Amos 4:13; Psalm 104:20).” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)


“God’s people are to be a light in darkness. Because Christ the Light lives in the Church, she uniquely reveals His glory. It shines within her despite the darkness of disbelief, confusion, and sin that covers the earth. His glory enables rulers and nations who receive illumination to walk in light and brightness (Is 60:1-3).” (Dynamis 4/26/2022)


“In physical life, wakefulness is not entirely up to us. Without our willing it, night comes upon us. And sleep soon overtakes us. But in the spiritual life, we have the power to live as if it is always day. And in the light of day, we can be constantly vigilant. Chrysostom explains, “to shut the eyes of the soul, and to bring on the sleep of wickedness is not of nature, but our own choice”… We can choose whether to live in the day or in the night. If we live in the darkness of this world, we are bound to be sound asleep in sin when the Lord returns (1 Thessalonians 5:7). Moreover, if we are caught up in the “works of darkness,” then the Light of Christ will expose and judge what we have hidden. However, if we live as the sons and daughters of the light, Christ will bring us into the far greater brightness of His glory.” (Fr. Basil)


“We were not meant for darkness. It is only natural that we should prefer light. No one really enjoys darkness. Indeed, how many of us lament the short days of winter and how many of us rejoice as we begin counting how each day becomes a minute longer in January. In this world we are subjected to a wearisome grind of a day and night cycle, that in today’s world, allows us little time for peace and rest. It is indeed a grind…darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, nor can it understand the way of love.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul, Orthodox Study Bible, John 1:5)


“The transcendent power of God is manifest in this world in flesh, in darkness and in death, as a servant. But this manifestation of divine power, in weakness, is simultaneously a transformation: Christ, in the form of a servant, shows us the image of God; darkness and death become light and life; and the flesh assumed by the Word, becomes flesh of the Word—and becomes Word.” (Fr. John Behr)


“If we are driven by what people think about us, then we will forget our responsibility to please the Lord and will be tossed around by the waves of trying to be popular….If we always are doing things so that people will like us, we may forsake doing the hard things that God requires of us. The goal is not to be liked by everyone, but to do the good, beautiful and holy thing so that God’s light shines through us.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)


“…we may become the light of the world as we do what the world does not prize: praying in secret; struggling to fast as we best we can; giving generously to the needy without drawing attention to ourselves; forgiving and praying for those who wrong us; mindfully rejecting the temptation to praise ourselves or to condemn anyone else; and confessing and repenting of our sins on a regular basis.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)


“…the vow of stability is the foundation stone of repentance. It allows the monastic to come face to face with the great truth that the roots of all the various troubles in our life are to be found not in our outward circumstances, but in our own hearts. By choosing to turn our backs on the easy promises of the “geographic cure” in all its varied manifestations, we force ourselves instead to turn inward, to confront the sin inside us that is the true cause of all our pain and loneliness and unhappiness, and to allow the light of Christ to gradually drive that darkness from our lives. Without such a vow, it becomes all too easy for us to blame this or that person or place or thing for our problems, and so to become trapped in an endless and fruitless effort to change our circumstances, rather than to change our hearts.” (Hieromonk Gabriel)


“Shame, like a cloak of darkness and loneliness, can cover one’s soul. But there is a cure, a way out, a way to let the light in and to allow ourselves to accept love. This way out is not to be found in what we receive from others but begins from within. We must reach a point where we realize this way of shame is unsustainable; we cannot live with it anymore. It begins with committing to stop shaming ourselves and to identify the sources of shame in our lives.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)


“Now as that lamp is burning in a room, casting its illumination throughout the space, suddenly a rat enters the room and leaps on the table where the lamp is lit. The rat knocks the lamp from the table, lapping up the oil and of course extinguishing the wick. The room is in total darkness…What can it be that will drain your goodness and replace it with sinful thoughts? Anger will do it, envy also—add to that the lustful passions that seize hold of your mind and force you to think of nothing else but sensual pleasures, so that you turn into an idolater and lose touch with your basic reasoning. Not just desires, but the yearning for revenge, the sadness that leads to despair, and the bitterness of wanting to be revenged on somebody who you feel did you an injury. Some of us will wallow in self-pity…That only makes it worse, because that person will not take ownership of his mental state…On the other hand, when a person is filled with the light of Christ, he or she will do everything to keep that inner light and fire alive. The light serves a basic purpose by exposing what is dark, evil and corrupt. To follow Christ is to walk in the light that He casts around Him, so that His followers need never walk in darkness. When such a person is full of grace, living to serve God and others, striving to live a virtuous life, he will want to continue receiving those gifts from Christ.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)


“The warning Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you [John 12:35] operates on at least two different levels: (1) To the Jewish people in Jerusalem to whom Jesus spoke, the warning was a reminder that there was only a little time left for them to accept him as their Messiah. (2) To those later individuals to whom the Fourth Gospel was written, and to every person since, the words of Jesus are also a warning: There is a finite, limited time in which each individual has opportunity to respond to the Light of the world (i.e., Jesus); after that comes darkness. One’s response to the Light decisively determines one’s judgment for eternity.” (NET Bible, John 12:35)


“Saint Nikolai of Zicha identifies four revelations of God embedded in the creation account which are associated with light: 1) God is a changeless Creator, a light “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (Jas 1:17). 2) He is wise and most merciful, a light to our paths (Ps 118:105), the One guiding us towards our intended goal in Light. 3) He is the Creator of physical light and will ultimately bring all such light to an end, along with the rest of His creation. 4) As Creator of “two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly, the material and the immaterial,” God has arranged that in His “light shall we see light” (Ps 35:10).” (Dynamis 1/9/2022)


“God commanded us to follow Christ, not because He has any need of our service, but because He wants to give us salvation. To follow the savior is to share in salvation, just as to follow the light is to gain the light. People who are in the light do not themselves provide the light but are illuminated and made bright by it; they do not contribute anything to it but, by being illuminated, they receive the benefit of the light.” (St. Iraneaus)


“Behold, all of you kindle a fire and feed a flame. Walk in the light of your fire and the flame you kindled” (Isaiah 50:11)…Those who kindle a fire instead of the Light from God are those who are self-reliant….Most people are aware that there is more in life than they are getting out of it. They try many things to satisfy their desire for a fuller life. But like Solomon, who gives his testimony in the Book of Ecclesiastes, they find that “things” do not satisfy. Blessedness, or fullness of life, comes to those who have a relationship with God and hope of eternal life with Him.” (Foundation Study Bible, Isaiah 50:11, Psalms 146:5)


“We are to bring God’s light into all our dealings with other people, including our business or profession. God observes and cares about how we deal with the poor, the destitute, the young, the woman who faces an unplanned pregnancy without support. Words are one thing, deeds another.” (Dynamis 2/18/2022)


“Jesus is repeatedly identified with light in the Gospel of John. In the prologue, we are told that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5). In the last teaching of his public ministry, he says, "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness" (John 12:46). In the middle of his public ministry, in the verse that inspired the conclusion of our prayer, he goes beyond metaphor and claims to be light. He says, "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). In our earthly pilgrimage, darkness is all around us, but with Jesus, it cannot consume us.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin)


“The New Testament authors developed the theological significance of darkness along these very lines. Darkness is that which envelops and denotes the “whole range of what is harmful, or evil – in the sense of the threat to life, of what is bad for me, as well as in that of moral evil – or fatal.” Being in the darkness is being blind, being ill, dead, not able to understand the truth (light) and, worst of all, being separated from fellowship with God, in this life and forever. Jesus takes this duality to a remarkable, if not frightening, level when he says, “If then the light which is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Mt 6.23). Here He is not talking about darkness as the absence or even the opposite of light, but rather as a substitute for it, darkness being allowed to take over the place and function of light. But is this even possible? It has been said that the light is not afraid of the darkness. That the smallest candle dispels the deepest darkness. But what if the candle radiates more darkness? What if the light is black light and only illuminates what is unseen or already dead? If what Jesus is describing is taking place today, we should indeed be afraid.” (Fr. Edward Rommen)


“Our dark side comes with the package of being human, being children of Adam and Eve. We will have a dark side until our last breath. That’s the way real life really is. The essential question is how I treat my dark side. Do I try to deny my failings and dark temptations? Do I give in to the darkness? Do I live with and conquer my dark side through a constant awareness of the Presence of Christ within me? Upon these questions rides the state of my joy at any given moment.” (Albert S. Rossi, PhD)


“Light cannot be separated from what it makes visible, and it is impossible for you to recognize Christ, the image of the invisible God, unless the Spirit enlightens you. Once you see the image, you cannot ignore the light; you see the light and the image simultaneously. It is fitting that when we see Christ, the brightness of God’s glory, it is always through the illumination of the Spirit. Through Christ the image, may we be led to the Father, for He bears the seal of the Father’s very likeness.” (St. Basil the Great)


“Christ the Light, whom God placed on the world’s prominent lampstand, neither hid among the elect few nor secreted Himself with dark, esoteric knowledge. Rather, He displayed Himself so that all peoples of the world “may see the Light” and be saved (Luke 11:33).” (Dynamis 11/2/2020)


“In all of creation light is the first thing spoken into existence. “God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). The finite mind is tempted to ask, “How can there be light without sources that generate it? How is there day and night without a sun?” Light, however, is the first order of the Word of God…Our loving Lord is Light. If He comes to illumine the world, how then do we still love darkness? Our choice is self-defeating, and yet our practice of evil underscores our love of darkness (vs. 20). From Adam to the present, we have consistently loved darkness (compare Gn 3:8 and Jn 3:20).” (Dynamis 3/16/2021, 4/28/2020)


“We shall become as the light, in our nearness to Christ’s true light, if we leave this dark atmosphere of the earth and dwell above; and we shall be the light, as our Lord says [John 9:5, 1:9], if the light shines in the dark comes down even to us – unless, that is, any foulness of sin spreading over our hearts should dim the brightness of our light.” (Saint Gregory of Nyssa)


“ In His Nativity and in His Baptism, Christ is “manifested,” or “revealed,” to the world as the Light of the world in order to dispel the darkness of ignorance and spiritual blindness which are the direct result of sin…we do not grow into the light by trying to escape the darkness but by meeting it—with courage and tranquility, as we shall then be enabled to do: trying to make sure that the deeper our knowledge of it becomes, the deeper also becomes our sense of oneness with the redemptive pity of God, and therefore the less our danger of coming to terms with evil.” (Fr. Stephen Kostoff, Gregory Wolfe)


“…our freedom can be limited by our own choices. When we make dark choices, we can change the way we think and thereby become locked into dark thought patterns, limiting our freedom. We sometimes choose kindness, goodness, compassion, love, and sometimes we just choose to be self-centered, neglectful, shadowy, and perhaps even cruel. So it’s all about consciousness. What are we conscious of, light or darkness?” (Albert S. Rossi, PhD)


“…we should ask whether we treat everyone we encounter as a living icon of Christ. If we are honest, the answer is no. That is because we tend to relate to others in light of our own self-centered desires, which lead us to fear, resent, and disregard people as obstacles to getting what we want. Regardless of how right we may be about any point of disagreement with anyone, our spiritual blindness distorts even our best glimpses of the truth. In order to find healing, we must get to the root of the matter by exposing the darkness of our souls to the brilliant light of Christ. Even the best religious and moral practices lack the power to make us radiant with the gracious divine energies. Only the restoration of the human person worked by our Savior in His victory over death can do that.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)


“God is present everywhere and He is Light, a Light that penetrates all…He who participates in this light is united to the Light and with the Light he sees in full consciousness all that remains hidden for those who have not this grace.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Saint Gregory Palamas)


“We united ourselves to Him, and He gave us a measure of the Light that He is. We did more when we bowed down to Him at Baptism, we became residents of His household. As such, our life should contribute “...light to all who are in the house” (Mt. 5:15). His light is not a private possession, but a light to be shared with all in His household and all who around us in the world.” (Dynamis 8/25/2020)


“Each action of faith in your life is like putting another peg into the Lite Brite pattern. People will notice that there is something going on in the way you live your life. At first it may not look like anything or it may even confuse people a bit. However, soon enough, the glow of your faith will shine through the darkness of the world and reveal a beautiful design, the Cross of Salvation. Don't worry about people not seeing the pattern. They will. Your challenge is to make sure that the light always shines brightly in everything you do.” (Vasie-Leigh Andriotis) 


“For a Christian is not called to flee the world or mankind, to reject or curse it. He is called to bring the light of Christ's teaching into earthly life and to creatively reveal the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the fabric of this life.” (Ivan Ilyin)


“The purpose of John the Baptist was not to be the Light, but to bear witness to the Light. And this is a reminder to us that our call is to do the same. Each of us has the Light of Christ in us. And each of us has the ability to witness to that Light.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)


“From the beginning of the world’s creation until this time, the course of time was so divided that day preceded night, according to the order of primeval making. On this night, because of the mystery of our Lord’s resurrection, the order of time was changed. He rose from the dead during the night, and on the following day, He showed the effect of His resurrection to His disciples…Most properly was night joined to the light of the following day, and the order of time was settled that day would follow night.” (Saint Bede) “Symbolically moving from evening to morning, night to day, darkness to light, is a movement from disorder to order. In the Hebrew Old Testament, the word evening, as used in the opening chapters of Genesis is erev (air-rev). The root of this word is disorder or chaos. The word used for morning is boker (bo-kare) and it comes from the root or words that means “being orderly” and able to be discerned. Thus in the creation account we see God moving things from disorder to order. It’s interesting to me too that the Hebrew word for order is linked to discernment which is wisdom. We read in Proverbs 8:22-31, a book all about Wisdom who is Christ, more about creation and the way God ordered it. This Scripture talks about Wisdom as the agent of creation. In the end of the book of Job we get hints of the same thing when God questions Job for several chapters and many of those questions point to a deliberate order and precision in creation. Our movement toward Christ to have union with Him is to move from night to day, that disorder to order, in our being and thus we also grow in His wisdom.” (Sacramental Living Ministries) “I have always enjoyed for many years getting up before the sun rises to have my morning prayer. It has always just felt different to me than on the rare days when I sleep past sunrise and begin my daily prayer with the sun in the sky and light is streaming through my blinds. Maybe it is because Christ was resurrected before the sun rose (John 20:1). Maybe it is because time has always been marked spiritually with morning following evening (Genesis 1:1-31). I am not sure. I just know that beginning to pray in the silence and solitude of the pre-dawn darkness and finishing my prayers after the rising of the sun has made me feel closer to Christ more than anything I have ever done.” (Sacramental Living Ministries) “Over and over again the scriptures sets “light” and “darkness” side by side so we humans can finally wake up to the contrast of our choices; to the reality of what is at stake by our lives and our purpose. Whether we are of it or not, every moment of our lives invites us to choose which aspect of reality we will support or deny! Contrary to other philosophies that insist both light and darkness are eternally existing and in need of some “balance”… Christ’s Light overcomes and overwhelms all darkness.” (Father Barnabas Powell) “As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ." (St. Gregory of Nyssa)


“The Nicene Creed’s opening verse reads, ‘I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.’ Thus we affirm the reality of the physical and spiritual. We understand the presence of something seen points to the presence of something unseen. The created light we experience with our physical sense of sight affirms the reality of the uncreated Light, Christ Himself, who declared in John 8:12, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’ (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“Created light serves our physical need to see but also allows us, through our mind’s eye, to apprehend the existence of the uncreated light, which is one of God’s energies.” (Dynamis 1/9/2019)

“…the glory of God changes people. Standing in the sunlight will change the color of your skin. Standing in the Light of Christ will change the color of your heart.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

“Again, when seeking material light, remember the spiritual light which is indispensable for the soul, and without which it remains in the darkness of the passions, in the darkness of spiritual death. “I am come a light into the world,” says the Lord, that whosoever believeth on Me, should not abide in darkness” [John 12:46]. If you see the fury and hear the howling of the tempest, or read of shipwrecks, think of the storm of human passions causing daily groans and disturbance in the hearts of men, wrecking the spiritual ship of the soul or the ship of human society; and pray fervently to the Lord that He may subdue the tempest of sins, as He once subdued the tempest at sea by His word, and that He may root out our passions from our hearts, and re-establish in them unceasing tranquillity.” (St. John of Kronstadt)

“God’s uncreated light enlightens us so “that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:11), and His grace “spread through the many [causing] thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” (vs. 15). When light of God shines through one human being who knows the Lord, it spreads to another, and another. As Christ enables those whom He enlightens to worship, praise, and give thanks, they are renewed – and they in turn renew others.” (OCPM 11/15/2015)

“The joy of the cross is the gift of a new life - the ability to live in peace and to become likened to God. This is referred to in Scripture as becoming a new creation. Healing through the cross brings clarity to our lives and reveals the wonder of the life to come. It replaces fear and bitterness with light and peace; it quenches our earthly thirst with the sweetness of Living Water.” (Sarah Byrne-Martelli)

“Nothing ever happens either in the world or in the universe without the will of God or His permission. All that is good and noble is God’s will, and all that is negative and bad happens because He allows it. He knows why He allows these things to happen and for how long. If the incorporeal angelic powers or we men were allowed to do as we please, there would be total chaos in the world and in the entire universe. But God is present everywhere and He is Light, a Light that penetrates all.” (Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica)

“The first thing God gave us was light when He said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). The sun, moon, and stars had not been created yet. The light He gave was Himself. He continues to give us this Light but we often don’t accept it our even allow ourselves to see it. We are self-involved and look inwards. We are judgmental and look sideways at others. Often it is crisis or despair that finally causes up to look up towards the Light.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“…each of us is accountable only for the light he has received… if we follow what we understand with all our heart, we shall receive more of God’s uncreated light…Gifts and talents are really God’s deposits in our personal accounts, but we determine the interest on them." (Dynamis 11/1/2014, John Mason)

“A well-spring of light is a heart that is at peace with all men and with itself." (St. Isaac the Syrian)

“The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.” [Luke 11:34] In this reading, the Lord Jesus cautions us to pay attention to the innermost state of our hearts and souls….Saint Symeon the New Theologian clarifies the Lord’s words by commenting on the importance of the nous, or eye of the heart, which is at the center of our inner life. “What else does He mean by ‘the eye’ than simply the mind [nous] which will never become simple unless it contemplates the simple light? The simple light is Christ. He who has His light shining in his mind is said to have the mind of Christ.” (OCPM 10/31/2017, St. Symeon the New Theologian)

“The mind (Gr. nous) is the spiritual eye of the soul; it illuminates the inner man and governs the will. Keeping the mind wholesome and pure is fundamental to the Christian life.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Luke 6:22-23)

“What kind of light shines deep in the center of our heart, in our nous, and dominates our thoughts? Christ is plainly giving us a noetic warning. Deep within, we are either sound or corrupt, healthy or sick. “Therefore,” He says, “take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness” (Luke 11:35).” (OCPM 10/31/2017)

“The soul’s vision is in the heart. From the heart and through the heart a spiritual person views and controls his whole soul. A pure heart means sound spiritual vision. By means of a pure heart a person sees not only his soul, but even God Himself. In the words of Christ: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (St. Nikolai Velimerovic)

“Just like there is no one who does not have a talent that they’ve been given by God, there is no one who does not have the Light of Christ in them. The Light of Christ enlightens every person coming into the world. This includes even people who don’t believe ostensibly in Christ.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

“The first thing God created was Light....Light is what gives life in this world to allow things to grow. The Light of Christ is what illumines each person and lights the path to salvation. It is our purpose to live in the Light and to share it with others.” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

“…notice that Jesus doesn’t say make your light shine. Instead, He commands us to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16). Letting my light shine indicates that the Light is already present and burning, and all I have to do is get out of its way so that it can be seen…Each of us has the Light of Christ in us, and each of us has the ability to witness to that Light.” (Father Barnabas Powell. Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)

“Jesus comes as the Light because we are too spiritually blind to find our own way…Jesus gave Himself to us, and so we must give ourselves wholly to Him…The light of this very Christ must shine forth through the love of His Church and be made manifest in the works of His people.” (Pastor Timothy Keller, Abbot Tryphon)

“The light of God shining through one human being who knows the Lord spreads to another and another and another. Christ the Light of the world enables those He enlightens to worship, praise and give thanks. They are renewed and they renew many more.” (Dynamis 11/17/2012)

“...the judgment of God is simply that He shines the light of His presence on our world. We either recoil and run or embrace the light.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

“…we were meant to live and thrive in the light. Darkness makes our lives small and sequestered. Light opens up our lives to the wide possibilities of all of God’s good creation.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

“Here [Christ’s final judgment], it is not the assignment of punishment and reward, but the self-selection of all regarding the Light…The Light always reveals things to be what they are… Those who do evil hate the Light. Those who do the truth, are drawn to it.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“God’s love is a burning light that causes torment to the unrepentant sinner. Hell can then be seen as the absence of God’s love and light, in utter darkness. It is our choice whether we end up in the darkness of hell or in the light of God’s love eternally.” (Father David L. Fontes, PsyD)

“...on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Notice that it doesn’t say from the world a light has sprung, but upon the world a light has dawned. It has come from outside. There is light outside of this world, and Jesus has brought that light to save us; indeed, He is the Light (John 8:12).” (Pastor Timothy Keller)

“If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.” (C. S. Lewis)

“At creation, God gave birth to light by His Word, saying “Let there be light” (Gn 1:3). Now, in the new creation, He causes His Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, to illumine human hearts, so that we may be united to Christ and His mission.” (OCPM 11/15/2015)

“We, like John the Baptist, are not the source of God’s light; we merely reflect that light. Jesus Christ is the true Light; He helps us see our way to God and shows us how to walk along that way. But Christ has chosen to reflect His light through his followers to an unbelieving world, perhaps because unbelievers are not able to bear the full blazing glory of his light firsthand.” (Life Application Study Bible, John 1:8)

“The believer does not have inherent light; rather, we have reflective light. As Christ followers, we must make sure that we do not allow anything to come between us and our Source of light…A person can become like light, a living picture of what God’s Word teaches, by concentrating on the light of the truth (Foundation Study Bible, Matthew 5:16, Luke 11:36)

“Not only is our individual salvation linked to the salvation of our fellow Christians, but salvation, by its nature, also requires concern for those for whom we are to “shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 12:15) – those still outside the Christian community. Indeed, in this dark world, we find multitudes of people still groping for meaning amidst hatred, violence, or fruitless pleasures.” (OCPM 10/12/2015)

“Spiritual darkness descends on us if we turn away from Christ, the Light of the world, and follow instead our darkened human reasoning…” (Watchman Nee)“

God said ‘Let there be light’ (Genesis 3:1) yet the sun and moon had yet to be created…Christ said, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’ (John 8:12)…This light, Christ, is the light of Christianity…Christ also said we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Our only hope is to put on more and more of Christ, and reflect His light.” (Sacramental Living Blog and Podcast)

“The light of God shining through one human being who knows the Lord spreads to another and another and another. Christ the Light of the world enables those He enlightens to worship, praise and give thanks. They are renewed and they renew many more...we are to be Christ’s light bearers, letting his light shine through us.” (Dynamis 11/17/2012, Life Application Study Bible, John 12:35-36)

“Our lives should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will shine"like bright lights” in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word.” (Life Application Study Bible, Philippians 2:14-16)

"The believer does not have inherent light; rather, we have reflective light. As Christ followers, we must make sure that we do not allow anything to come between us and our Source of light…God intends for the deep place of our heart to reflect His image and be luminous with His uncreated light.” (Foundation Study Bible, Matthew 5:16, Dynamis 6/4/2015)

“Christian faith and life is God’s gift of divine truth, light, wisdom, and power given to creatures as completely and perfectly as is now possible within the conditions of the corrupted cosmos.” (Father Thomas Hopko)

“God’s uncreated light enlightens us so “that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:11), and His grace “spread through the many [causing] thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God” (vs. 15). When light of God shines through one human being who knows the Lord, it spreads to another, and another. As Christ enables those whom He enlightens to worship, praise, and give thanks, they are renewed – and they in turn renew others.” (OCPM 11/15/2015)

“Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well...darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, nor can it understand the way of love.” (Orthodox Study Bible, John 1:5)

"God will not withdraw His Light, although we may turn from Light and take ourselves into darkness." (Dynamis 5/11/2014)

“Although no creature can define what God is, because He is incomprehensible and dwelling in inaccessible light, yet it has pleased His majesty to reveal Himself to us...so far as our weak capacity can best conceive Him."'(Lewis Bayly)

“We cannot see light, though by light we can see things. Statements about God are extrapolations from the knowledge of other things which the divine illumination enables us to know.” (C. S. Lewis)

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