The Purity of the Light

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

JOHN 1: 6–10

Today we want to emphasize Jesus as the purity of the light of Christmas. The Bible says that Jesus was “in the world” (John 1:10). But the Lord was most assuredly not of this world. He did not have His origin in the world. His birth in Bethlehem was not the beginning of His life, for He is the Lord of heaven.

Because Jesus was not of this world, He is the pure, incorruptible Light. In the natural world, there is nothing as pure as light. Light can never be defiled or corrupted, no matter what it passes through or what it falls on. Light can never be debased or sullied. You can shine light through a dirty windowpane or a glass of muddy water, and all the light does is expose the dirt. The light is not touched by the dirt. 

Even the purest water flowing from a clear mountain spring will become contaminated as it flows along. Even the purest looking crystals of snow falling from heaven contain tiny particles of debris. And as that snow falls on the ground, it will become corrupted. But light can never be defiled. Therefore, light is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus exposed sin, but He was never contaminated by sin. Jesus could touch sinners, but sin never touched Him. He was totally undefiled. When the Bible calls Jesus the “light of the world,” it’s a reminder of the sinless, stainless purity of the Son of God. Jesus was the only Person Who could look other people in the face and say, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). 

The Baby born in Bethlehem was “the true Light” (John 1:9), the pure light of heaven. Jesus was in the world but not of the world. This Christmas, as we behold Jesus, the Light of the world, think about His incorruptible purity.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers