It has been said that “darkness is the absence of light.” Throughout Scripture, darkness and light are set apart as opposing forces—with darkness representing the forces of sin and evil, and light representing the love, righteousness, and faithfulness of God, revealed ultimately in Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Earlier in the book of John, Jesus is described as “the light of all mankind” (John 1:4).

When sin entered the world, darkness entered with it. But darkness would not rule for­ever, because God promised to send the light. When Jesus was born, the light of God shone in the darkness of this broken world. Yet, many did not fully recognize Jesus as the true light (John 1:5, 9-10).

In John 8, Jesus describes himself as “the light of the world.” Jesus came to bring the true light into the darkness. And he tells us that if we follow him, we will never be in the dark “but will have the light of life.”

As we sing “Jesus, the Light of the World,” we echo this promise of Jesus. We find encouragement to “walk in the light,” to live every day knowing that Christ shines in our hearts.

And we can shine Jesus’ light wherever we go.