Let There Be Light
The word “light” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. It first appears just three verses into the first book, Genesis, during the Creation story:
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.”
Genesis 1:3-4 NIV
Later, when the prophet Isaiah foretold Jesus’ coming, he framed the Messiah as a “great light” that would dawn on those who were “walking in darkness” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in John 8:12 when He declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Genesis 1 says that God “separated” the light from the darkness that covered a formless, empty earth. The two things cannot coexist. The same is true of sin and perfection. The world fell into darkness when sin entered it.
But the world wasn’t completely consumed by darkness–we were only separated from God. That’s why He sent Jesus, the Great Light, to guide us back to Him.
Just as a flame burns brightly, its fire also spreads. When He returned to Heaven, Jesus gave His Spirit to us, so that we might also be light to others! The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”
As a child of light, you can be a light in our dark world by the way you live, speak, and act. Today, ask yourself: how will I continue to walk in step with Jesus as my guiding light? What will I do to be a light in my world? Who will I share His light with?
Justified by Faith
Paul, the writer of the letter to the church in Rome, covers the details of what is known as “the Gospel message”—a message that was handed down to them. It's packed with deep theological truths that are meant to shape the way Christians live.
One of the central components to the Gospel is that salvation comes through faith alone. That means we are saved by the power of God through believing and trusting in Jesus. Every Christian comes to God through faith—not through good deeds or by trying to earn salvation.
Paul says that we have peace with God by our faith in Jesus. Prior to that, we were considered ungodly and unrighteous—because we would live our lives in our own power, doing our own things. This led to separation from God.
However, by faith in Jesus, we are justified before Him. This means that through Jesus’ own right-living, we are made right before Him. Even though we still make mistakes, we can stand innocent before God because of Jesus.
It’s ...