The Light Within the Light

The Light Within the Light

Based on Gospel of Thomas, Saying 24: "Light exists within a person of light, and they light up the whole world. If they don't shine, there's darkness."

Opening Scripture & Words

"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4-5

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." - Matthew 5:14

The disciples came to Jesus with a question born of human longing: "Show us the place where you are, that we too may come and find you." They wanted coordinates. They wanted a map. They wanted to locate Him in space and time so they could journey to where He dwells.

But the Master did not give them GPS coordinates. He did not point to Jerusalem or Nazareth or even heaven above. Instead, He gave them a revelation that shattered their spatial thinking: "Light exists within a person of light, and they light up the whole world. If they don't shine, there's darkness."

This echoes the profound mystery that John proclaimed: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12-13). The place they sought was not external but eternal, not geographical but spiritual, not somewhere they could travel to but someone they could become.

The Place Is Not a Place

"The kingdom of God is in your midst." - Luke 17:21

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?" - 1 Corinthians 3:16

The question the disciples asked was fundamentally spatial: "Where are you?" But Jesus' answer was fundamentally spiritual. Throughout His ministry, He consistently redirected people from seeking God in locations to discovering God in relationship.

When the Samaritan woman asked about the proper place to worship, Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, Jesus replied: "A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks" (John 4:23). The place of worship is not geographic but pneumatic, not about where you are but who you are becoming.

This is the revolutionary teaching that turned the religious world upside down. The temple was no longer a building in Jerusalem but a dwelling within believers. As Paul would later write: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The place where Christ is, the place the disciples so desperately wanted to find, is not a destination you arrive at but an identity you awaken to. It is not discovered through pilgrimage but through presence, not through seeking without but through seeing within.

Moses discovered this when he encountered the burning bush and heard God say: "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). The holiness was not in the geographical location but in the divine presence that made any ground sacred. Wherever God dwells becomes holy ground, and according to Paul, God has chosen to dwell within us.

The Person of Light

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." - Ephesians 5:8

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." - 1 Peter 2:9

There is a light that lives inside you, not as metaphor but as spiritual reality. This light is not borrowed from external sources, not taught by human teachers, not earned through religious achievement. It is native to your being as God's image-bearer, ancient as the breath of God that formed you, yours by divine inheritance rather than human accomplishment.

Genesis tells us that humanity was created "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), and John declares that "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). If we bear God's image, then we carry within us something of that divine luminosity. This is not pantheism, we are not God, but it is the profound truth of divine indwelling that Jesus promised: "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you" (John 14:20).

But this light is not automatic or passive. It must be uncovered like a lamp removed from under a basket (Matthew 5:15). It must be chosen daily, the way Joshua challenged Israel: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). It must be fanned into flame, as Paul urged Timothy: "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you" (2 Timothy 1:6).

To be a person of light is not to achieve moral perfection or spiritual superiority. It is to become luminous in your humanity, to let the divine spark that God placed within you burn through the accumulated layers of fear, shame, and forgetting that have dimmed its radiance. It is to embody what Paul described: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Consider the transfiguration, where Jesus' inner glory briefly blazed forth so that "his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2). This was not Jesus becoming something He wasn't, it was the revelation of what He always was, the unveiling of the divine light that dwelt within His humanity. In our own transformation, we experience something similar: not becoming divine but allowing the divine within us to shine forth more clearly.

Biblical Foundations of Inner Light

The Divine Image

The foundation for understanding our inner light begins with creation itself. When God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness" (Genesis 1:26), He was establishing that human beings would carry within themselves a reflection of divine nature. This image, though marred by sin, was never completely extinguished.

The Psalmist captures this wonder: "What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:4-5). This glory and honor are not external decorations but intrinsic qualities that flow from bearing God's image.

The Incarnation and Divine Indwelling

The mystery deepens with the incarnation. John's prologue declares: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). In Jesus, divine light took on human form, demonstrating that flesh could be the dwelling place of deity.

But the wonder doesn't stop with Jesus. Through His Spirit, this same divine presence comes to dwell within believers: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11).

The New Creation

Paul reveals that this indwelling creates something entirely new: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation carries within it the light of Christ: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).

The same God who spoke light into existence at creation has now spoken His light into our hearts. We are walking testimonies to the truth that light can shine in darkness and that darkness cannot overcome it.

Lighting Up the Whole World

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." - Matthew 5:14-15

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16

When you embrace your identity as a person of light, you don't merely illuminate your own path, you become a beacon for others walking in darkness. This is not hyperbole or spiritual poetry; it is the practical reality of how light functions in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus understood this principle perfectly. He declared Himself "the light of the world" (John 8:12), but then immediately extended that identity to His followers: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). The same light that shone in Him would shine through them into a world desperately in need of illumination.

Think of how light actually works in the physical realm. A single candle can illuminate an entire room, driving back darkness that seemed overwhelming. One lighthouse can guide countless ships safely to harbor. One star can be seen from millions of miles away. The principle holds true spiritually: one person genuinely walking in the light of Christ can shift the entire atmosphere of their family, workplace, or community.

This is what happened with the early Christians. Luke records: "All the believers were together and had everything in common... And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:44, 47). Their collective light created such a compelling witness that people were drawn to faith not primarily through argumentation but through attraction, they saw the quality of life and love that flowed from these communities of light.

The apostle Paul understood his own ministry in these terms: "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:17-18). His mission was not just to preach about light but to be light that awakened light in others.

Your presence, when aligned with the light of Christ within you, becomes a catalyst for transformation in others. Not through preaching at people or trying to convince them of spiritual truths, but simply through being who God created you to be. As Paul wrote: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere" (2 Corinthians 2:14).

This spreading of light happens through:

Authentic Presence: When you operate from your true identity in Christ rather than from masks or pretenses, people sense something real and refreshing. In a world full of performance and projection, authenticity shines like light.

Compassionate Love: When you love others with the love of Christ, not trying to fix them or change them but simply loving them as they are, that love illuminates their inherent worth and dignity.

Quiet Confidence: When you rest in who you are in Christ rather than striving to prove yourself, that peace becomes attractive to others who are weary from their own striving.

Joyful Hope: When you live with the deep joy that comes from knowing your identity and destiny in God, that joy becomes contagious, awakening hope in others who have lost their way.

The Consequence of Not Shining

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." - John 3:19

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?" - Galatians 5:7

"If they don't shine, there's darkness." These words carry both warning and promise. They are not spoken as divine threat but as spiritual physics, a description of how the Kingdom of light actually operates in our world.

When followers of Christ fail to walk in their identity as children of light, the consequences ripple outward. Families lose their way because the spiritual light that should guide them has been dimmed. Communities struggle in moral confusion because the people who should be providing clarity have hidden their lamps under baskets of fear, conformity, or spiritual laziness.

Jesus warned about this in His parable of the talents: "But whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:29-30). The servant who buried his talent, who failed to let his light shine, found himself in the very darkness he had helped create.

But this consequence is not primarily punitive, it's natural. Light that is not expressed gradually dims. Faith that is not exercised atrophies. Love that is not shared becomes self-absorbed. This is why Paul urged the Ephesians: "Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16).

The darkness that results from the failure of God's people to shine is not just individual, it's cultural and generational. When the salt loses its saltiness, when the city on a hill hides its light, when the church becomes indistinguishable from the world around it, entire societies can lose their moral compass.

Consider the judgment Jesus pronounced on the cities where He had performed miracles: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matthew 11:21). The tragedy was not that these cities lacked opportunity to see the light, but that they had received extraordinary light and failed to respond to it.

Yet even this warning comes wrapped in hope. The very fact that Jesus declares us to be the light of the world means that we have within us everything necessary to push back the darkness. The choice remains ours: Will we let our light shine, or will we contribute to the darkness through our spiritual passivity?

Parable: The Hidden Flame

"The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a person; it searches out the inmost being." - Proverbs 20:27

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12

A weary traveler found himself lost in a vast forest as night fell around him like a heavy curtain. The path that had seemed so clear in daylight now vanished into impenetrable shadows. Fear gripped his heart as he stumbled forward, desperate for any source of illumination to guide his way home.

He knocked on the door of the first cottage he found, pleading: "Please, do you have a lamp to spare? I'm lost in the darkness." But the cottage was dark, its inhabitants as lost as he was. House after house, door after door, the same story. Everyone needed light, but no one had any to give.

Finally, exhausted and despairing, he collapsed beneath an ancient oak tree. In his desperation, he remembered the words of the Psalmist: "Even in darkness light dawns for the upright" (Psalm 112:4). As tears of frustration and fear streamed down his cheeks, he felt an unexpected warmth spreading through his chest.

Curious, he placed his hand over his heart and felt something extraordinary, a gentle but persistent flame burning within. Like Moses discovering the burning bush, he realized he was encountering something sacred: "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts" (Proverbs 20:27, NASB).

The flame had always been there, placed within him by his Creator, waiting to be acknowledged and kindled into greater brightness. In all his searching for external sources of light, he had overlooked the light that God had placed within his own spirit. As Jesus had promised: "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

With wonder and growing faith, the traveler stood to his feet. As he did, something miraculous happened, the light within him began to radiate outward, illuminating not just his immediate surroundings but the entire forest. Path markers became visible. The way home was clear. More than that, his light began to awaken the dormant flames in others.

From the cottages he had visited came people emerging with their own newly kindled lights, each person's flame adding to the collective brightness until the forest blazed with the glory of God's people walking in their true identity. As Isaiah had prophesied: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" (Isaiah 60:1).

Key Points

The Place of Divine Dwelling Is Interior

"Christ in you, the hope of glory." - Colossians 1:27

The fundamental shift that Jesus brings to human understanding is the relocation of the sacred from external places to internal presence. No longer do we seek God primarily in temples made with hands, but in the temple of the human heart that He has chosen to inhabit.

This doesn't diminish the value of corporate worship or sacred spaces, but it establishes that the primary location of divine encounter is within the believer. As Jesus told the woman at the well, worship is no longer about the right mountain or the right building, but about spirit and truth meeting in the depths of the human soul.

The Light Within Is Spiritual Reality, Not Symbol

"For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" - Ephesians 5:14

When Scripture speaks of believers as light, it's not employing mere metaphor or poetic language. Paul describes a real spiritual transformation where Christ's light literally indwells the believer, creating a new kind of person who carries divine illumination within their being.

This light has practical effects: it brings clarity to moral decisions, provides guidance in difficult circumstances, creates an atmosphere of hope in despairing situations, and draws others toward truth and life. It's as real and effective as physical light, operating on a spiritual plane that intersects with but transcends the material world.

To Shine Is to Remember, Not Perform

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth." - John 16:13

The great temptation in spiritual life is to try to manufacture light through religious performance, to work up spiritual experiences, to strive for illumination through intense effort, to perform our way into God's approval. But Jesus' teaching suggests something entirely different.

Shining is not about spiritual athletics but about spiritual awakening. It's the remembering of who we already are in Christ rather than the achieving of who we think we should become. Like the traveler in the parable, we don't create the flame, we discover it, tend it, and allow it to express itself naturally.

This remembering happens through practices like:

• Regular meditation on our identity in Christ (Romans 8:15-17)

• Communion with the Holy Spirit who reminds us of our true nature (John 14:26)

• Fellowship with other believers who reflect back to us the light they see in us (1 John 1:7)

• Service to others that allows our light to find natural expression (Matthew 5:16)
  

The World Needs Your Presence, Not Your Perfection

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." - 2 Corinthians 4:7

One of the greatest hindrances to letting our light shine is the mistaken belief that we must be perfect before we can be a blessing to others. This perfectionism creates a vicious cycle: we hide our light because we feel inadequate, but hiding our light makes us feel more inadequate, which makes us hide it even more.

The truth Paul reveals is that God intentionally places His treasure in "jars of clay", imperfect, fragile, ordinary human vessels, so that it's clear the power comes from God, not from us. Your brokenness doesn't disqualify you from being a light; it actually makes you a more effective light because others can relate to your humanity while being drawn to the divine light shining through it.

People are not looking for perfect examples they can never emulate. They're looking for authentic hope, real people who have found real light in the midst of real struggles and are willing to share both their struggles and their hope with others.

The Practice of Shining

Daily Recognition of Your Light

Begin each day by acknowledging the reality of Christ's light within you. This isn't positive thinking or self-affirmation, it's theological recognition of what God has done in making you His dwelling place. Place your hand on your chest and remind yourself: "Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

Intentional Presence

Practice being fully present in your interactions with others, knowing that your presence carries the presence of Christ. This means:

• Listening with your whole attention rather than planning what you'll say next

• Looking at people with the eyes of Christ, seeing their inherent dignity and worth

• Speaking words that bring life rather than death, encouragement rather than discouragement

• Acting from love rather than fear, from abundance rather than scarcity
  

Regular Clearing of Obstacles

Just as a lamp can be dimmed by dust on its shade, our spiritual light can be dimmed by accumulated sin, unforgiveness, fear, or spiritual neglect. Regular confession, forgiveness, and spiritual cleansing keep the light burning bright.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). This isn't about perfectionism but about maintenance, keeping the channels clear for God's light to flow through us unobstructed.

Community Encouragement

Light grows brighter in community. Surround yourself with others who are also committed to walking as children of light. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). In healthy spiritual community, people fan each other's flames into greater brightness rather than diminishing them through criticism or competition.

Ritual Invitation

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." - Isaiah 60:1

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." - Isaiah 9:2

This is a moment for personal encounter with the light of Christ within you. Not a mystical experience you must manufacture, but a simple recognition of what God has already accomplished.

Close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths. With each breath, release any striving or performance anxiety. You are not trying to become something you're not, you are remembering something you are.

Now place your hand gently on your chest, over your heart. Feel the steady rhythm of life that God sustains within you. Feel the warmth of your body, the miraculous complexity of your being that bears God's image.

In the silence, remember these truths:

• "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14)

• "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27)

• "You are a chosen people... that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9)
  

Feel the reality of these words, not as aspiration but as declaration of what is already true about you in Christ.

Now speak aloud, with quiet confidence: "The light of Christ lives within me. I choose to let it shine. I choose to be who God has created me to be. I choose to bless the world with the presence of Christ that lives in me."

Let this declaration settle into your spirit. Let it become not just words you've spoken but truth you've claimed and will walk in.

Questions for Reflection

As you contemplate the reality of being a person of light, allow these questions to search your heart and illuminate areas where God may be calling you to greater radiance:

Personal Identity: How does understanding yourself as a "person of light" change the way you see yourself? Your struggles? Your calling?

Hidden Flames: What areas of your life feel dark or hopeless? How might the light of Christ within you bring illumination to these places?

Obstacles to Shining: What fears, hurts, or habits are currently keeping your light hidden under a basket? What would it look like to remove these obstacles?

Influence and Impact: Where has God placed you to be light? In your family? Workplace? Community? How might your authentic presence there make a difference?

Community of Light: Who in your life fans your flame into greater brightness? Who might you be called to encourage in their own shining?

Daily Practice: What practical steps will you take to live more consistently as a person of light? How will you remind yourself daily of this identity?

Closing Benediction

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

Go now, beloved children of light, carrying within you the very presence of the One who is Light.

May your light be fierce enough to penetrate the deepest darkness, yet gentle enough to comfort the wounded heart. May it be true light, not the harsh glare of judgment but the warm radiance of grace and truth united in love.

May you remember that you do not carry light, you are light, created in the image of the God who said, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). May you walk in the confidence that "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31), knowing that the One who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6).

May your homes become lighthouses, your workplaces become sanctuaries of hope, your communities become cities on hills that cannot be hidden. May the light of Christ in you kindle light in others, until the knowledge of God's glory fills the earth as the waters cover the sea.

And when others ask, like the disciples, "Show us the place where you are," may they see in your life the answer: the place is not a location but a transformation, not a destination but an identity, not somewhere to go but someone to become.

May the world be brighter, hope be stronger, and God's kingdom be more visible because you remembered where the flame lives and chose to let it shine.

"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." - Jude 24-25

Go in peace. Shine in love. Live as light.