John 8:12

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” – John 8:12

This is the second of John’s seven “I Am” statements.

These words were spoken shortly after the encounter with the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees had brought her to Jesus, hoping to trap Him in His words. But instead of condemning her, Jesus said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” One by one, the accusers left, convicted by their own conscience.

When the LORD says, I am the light of the world. The Jewish people knew right away the LORD was trying to convey that He was pointing to Himself as God, who spoke light into existence at creation. He was the pillar of cloud by day and fire at night leading and guiding the people of Israelites in wilderness,

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.” — Exodus 13:21

I hope they understand that the LORD was telling them about His mission, that He came to save us from the ruler of the darkness of this world. 

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” — Colossians 1:13

He came to set us free from the power of Satan and to bring us into His marvelous light.

“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.” — Acts 26:18

The LORD Jesus came not only to forgive our sins but to deliver us from the grip of darkness and bring us into the light of His eternal Kingdom.

The Greek text emphasizes that Jesus is not simply “a” light but “the” light. “Egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou.” This means He is the source of the light.

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”– 1 John 1:5

John declared that “God is light.” In these words, we understand that the Lord Jesus is revealing His true deity, the eternal source of light has put on flesh. The invisible God has become visible. The light that once shone in creation now shines in human form, not only into the world, but into the hearts of those who believe.

As the Scriptures say:

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Just as the physical world depends on light to survive, every living thing needs it. Light gives energy for plants to grow, and those plants produce food and oxygen for all living creatures.  Everything on earth continues because of light. It gives power to our homes, fuels our machines and technology, and brightens our cities at night. Even the electricity we use comes from energy that reflects the power of light. The world continues to function because of physical light, yet so few recognize their need for the spiritual light that sustains eternal life.

But how come the world does not recognize how dark it truly is? When you listen to or watch the news, you can see and hear that the world we live in is filled with violence, confusion, deception, and pain. We are so blind that we cannot see how deep the darkness has become.

The reason is that the world is under the rule of satan. The scriptures says,

“The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

“Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” (Ephesians 4:18)

Now we understand why the world cannot recognize its spiritual darkness because it has been blinded. 

Then, Jesus says, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

As the Lord lives and reigns on His throne, He remains the source of light for us, providing not only for our physical needs but also for our spiritual sight. When Jesus came, the Light walked into a darkened world.  When the LORD was on the earth, even His disciples, Nicodemus, and the people around Him had difficulty understanding His words.

“Then Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see,…

Here we see that only the LORD Jesus can give us sight. When He died on the cross, He paid for our sins and restored our relationship with the source of Light, God Himself.

Look at the disciples after the LORD died. They all went back to fishing because without the Spirit, our bodies have no power to resist the desires of the flesh. This is also why people living in the world do not recognize their sinful condition, for we are all dead in trespasses and sins.

But praise the LORD! After He ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Then we saw the power of God revealed, a true transformation. Peter, who once denied the LORD Jesus, stood boldly and preached the gospel. Their lives were changed. They received a clear understanding of their calling to walk with the LORD Jesus and to follow Him.

As we continue to walk in the Holy Spirit, we become more aware of sin because the Holy Spirit convicts us. Have you ever wondered how the apostles were able to write all those words of correction and awareness of sin? It was through the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We too are in this same process of transformation. Many times, we fall into sin without realizing it. It happens often, doesn’t it?

That is why the LORD Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, to convict us of sin, to make us aware of our sinful nature, and to give us power to overcome every fleshly desire that is not pleasing in the sight of God. He equips us to finish the task He has given us

When we encounter the Lord and believe in Him, Jesus does not expect us to stay where we first received Him. He expects us to follow Him. We must continually walk with Him and live in His Spirit, because only the Holy Spirit can give us life.

The pillar of fire that guided the Israelites to the Promised Land is the same as the tongues of fire given to all who believe in the Lord Jesus, lighting our path. He is the seal of our redemption. He will guide us not only to the truth but into all truth. The Holy Spirit will give us life and power to conquer our flesh. He is the one who transforms our lives.

Today, do not just stand and look at the light. Follow Him and walk in the Spirit. follow Him!