“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
“…Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth…While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.” John 12:35-36
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Mt. 5:16
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:6-9
“You’re the light,” a man essentially told me one day.
He had been struggling immensely when I crossed paths with him. I had talked to him briefly about the Lord, and told him I would pray for him. I did. So did a friend. A day or so later, he felt and looked remarkably better. He referred to the Gospel tract I had given him called “Finding the Light,” and thanked me profusely for helping him. He told me I was the Light. I adamantly, emphatically, decidedly declared I am NOT the Light. I told him in no uncertain terms the Lord Jesus Christ is the Light. I said I would take no credit nor glory. I declared he needed to give his life to Christ who is the Light. But he had no remorse over his sins, no desire to repent, and no interest in committing his life to Christ’s Lordship. He had seen the Light of Christ briefly, refused to acknowledge Christ as Lord and the Light of this world, and of his life, wrongly, foolishly acknowledged me as the light, and burrowed back quickly into the bleak dangerous and deadly darkness where unrepentant sinners reside and trudge toward hell and the lake of fire forever apart from God unless they confess their sins, confess Christ as Lord, and devote their lives to Him who is the Light.
The Bible makes clear John the Baptist who preached repentance was NOT the world’s Light, but prepared the way for Christ who is the Light by preaching repentance and that true repentance produces the fruit of changed hearts and lives. He bore witness to Christ who is the Light. He refused to take God’s glory. It is devastatingly dangerous to ever point to anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ as the Light in and to and through whom those who repent and believe and devote themselves are forgiven by God and given a forever relationship with Him. Christ followers are to shine with HIS light and to point people to Him who is and gives the Light of life to all who turn away from wickedness and come follow Him.