“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Light is a picture of the testimony of the believer and is a truth taught elsewhere in the New Testament. This verse from the Sermon on the Mount which Jesus preached is a key to this thought. In it we see the following three ideas:
1. THE SOURCE OF THIS LIGHT – “Let your light so shine before men”
The light in the life of the Christian has its source in Jesus Christ. He is the source of light, for He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus Christ is “The true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). The Lord Jesus said, “I am come a light into the world” (John 12:46).
The source of the Christian’s light is the Lord Jesus Christ. True light comes from Him. He gives it freely to true believers to light the world for His glory. Jesus admonished His followers to place their light where it can shine and to remove all things that might obscure its influence. The light cannot shine brightly through hearts that are filled with sin, or minds that are occupied with evil, or deeds done for selfish purposes, or words spoken in malice and meanness. Jesus desires a life that is clean and holy that will reflect His light well.
2. THE SERVICE OF THIS LIGHT – “that they may see your good works”
There is a definite purpose in the light of the Christian shining before men. It is that they may see the reality of the Christian faith, the comfort and joy of life in Christ, the power and purpose of Christianity, the desires of the Lord for every life, and that they may have created in them an earnest desire to become the children of God. God’s desire for His children is “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).
Light will shine in darkness and banish it. Light will show the path and illuminate the way. Light will prevent the evil deeds of men. The light of Christ will dispel darkness and point people to the kingdom of God. Let it shine! Let it shine brightly! Let it shine everywhere!
3. THE SUCCESS OF THIS LIGHT – “and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
The light of Christ shining through the believer will be a real success when it glorifies God. Our light will glorify God when it proclaims His Word, reaches lost sinners, ministers to the needy, preaches to the poor, lifts up the fallen, rescues the perishing, builds His church, and extends His kingdom on earth. This is the chief aim of every Christian – to glorify God. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Corinthians 6:20). “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31).
Christian, let the life and light of Christ shine through you into this dark and gloomy world!