The Light of the World

Jesus said this as His final message to Nicodemus recorded in John 3: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (v19-21). In other words, those who reject the light of Jesus Christ do so because it illuminates their own sins; to receive His light is to bring forth out of darkness our own transgressions that we must repent of and change. Many of the Jews in His day did not believe and receive Jesus because His words implied the need for them to change and repent of their sins. As he said to a group of Pharisees who did not receive Him, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life…. Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). They remained in their sins because they rejected the Light that could have shown them their sins and helped them overcome their wicked deeds. But they preferred to be in darkness with their sins. For us to receive Him today it is no different; we cannot bring a light into a darkened room without it showing what is hidden there. As we receive the Savior’s light and teachings, it will inevitably show us things that are not right in our lives that we must change. As Lehi prophesied about the last days, the Messiah will be manifest in our day “in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom” (2 Nephi 3:5). To receive the Savior is to bring ourselves out of darkness into light, and that light will show the hidden things that we must give up or change in order to truly follow Him.

            How Jesus is the Light is a theme we see in several places in the book of John. He recorded of the Savior, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:4-5, 9). This perhaps refers to what we call the Light of Christ by which we mean that light we all receive about what is right or wrong as we enter mortality. Mormon said, “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil;… And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully;… I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil” (Moroni 7:16-19). Christ’s light helps us see what is right, and if we choose not to remain in darkness then it will inevitably lead us to repentance and correct choices seen through that light. John also recorded these words of the Savior: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world…. For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind” (John 9:5, 39). If we choose to receive His light then we will be able to see more clearly what is in our lives and what we must change. Otherwise we will remain with our sins in darkness. He further stated, “If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him” (John 11:9-10). To walk without stumbling we must have light, and that light will help us see how to act and what we should do. If we, on the other hand, choose to remain in darkness we will not have the light of the Savior to help us change and overcome our sins. Abinadi declared, “He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened” (Mosiah 16:9). He can be to us and endless source of light, but if we are to receive we must be willing to leave the darkness.