Light

Light is among the most pervasive theological symbols in Scripture. God's first creative act is the calling forth of light (Gen. 1:3), and the final state of the new creation requires no sun because God himself is its light (Rev. 22:5). The psalmist declares, "In your light do we see light" (Ps. 36:9) — God as the source of all illumination. The servant of the LORD is appointed as "a light to the nations" (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), a mission taken up by Jesus who declares himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12; 9:5) and calls his disciples to be lights in the world (Matt. 5:14–16). The first letter of John grounds the ethical life in God's nature: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).