“You are the light of the cosmos. It is not possible for a city to be hidden when it is placed upon a mountain.”

(Matthew 5:14)

Light is an important figure of speech in the Bible when it comes to God. God is light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5). In turn, we (the True Church) are called to walk in that light as a demonstration that we have fellowship with one another and that we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb (1 John 1:7; 2:9-10). Further, as believers, we have been called out of darkness that we may live in the marvelous light of Christ (1 Peter 2:9) for our Lord Himself dwells in inapproachable light (1 Timothy 6:16) and our lives ought to reflect that reality. Believers, thus, are described as “children of Light” (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5), we share in the inheritance of light (Colossians 1:12) for the Light of Christ has shown upon us (Ephesians 5:14). We are even equipped with the armor of light (Romans 13:12), which is of course, the word of Truth. And ultimately, who is the Light of the World? That answer is easy: it is Jesus (John 8:12).

So, the word-picture that the Bible presents is clear. Christians are the light of the world in as much as we faithfully reflect the light of Christ to others. Another way of putting it is that we do not generate light within ourselves, but as the moon reflects the light of the sun, so too do Christians reflect the light of Christ when we are living out our lives in a faithful manner. Further, in context, due to the fact that Jesus is speaking of a city on a hill, not a house on a hill, we must again recognize that Jesus has the gathered church in mind. We are effective at being the light of the world when we are gathered together and joined in true worship. And, sadly, when the church fails to be the True Church, that light is dimmed and hidden.

There was another level of significance to Jesus’ original audience. Jerusalem was the model of the city on a hill in the Jewish mindset. It was high and elevated and could be seen from a distance. Further, the highest point of the city was the Temple. Does that mean that the place of worship should be the most prominent location in a Christian community? Yes, indeed it does. Furthermore, gathered worship should be the most central part of a Christian’s life. Or, perhaps we can put it this way, worship should be such a prominent part of our lives as Christians that, were our unbelieving neighbors to describe us, they could not describe us apart from our gathering with other believers in worship. Our worship is central to our lives and it is central to our public witness. We must certainly not be saying, “look at us,” we should be saying, “look at Jesus!” Any light that we have is but a reflection of His light.

What is striking about this analogy is that even in the Roman world, there were numerous religions and ideologies that set forth truth claims. In our own age, that number has only multiplied. So, how does one distinguish true light from false light? How does one discern which light is reflected from Christ compared to the supposed light that comes from the minds of sinful man? The answer is simple: God has given us His Word. The Scriptures are the rubric and tool by which we distinguish light and life from darkness and death. We must go to the Word put into print for us and submit to the teaching thereof. It is the only standard by which truth can be measured. When individuals and churches seek to put forth their own traditions as light, the Scriptures should disabuse us of such notions. The scriptures should be the basis for, the light throughout, and the measure by which all things are measured and judged. And, when the church interjects its own ideas and practices in the place of clear Scriptural teachings, it ceases to be a city on a hill that stands out, but becomes one of many human institutions of limited and passing value. Its light may seem bright to eyes accustomed to darkness, but its lampstand has been removed. By God’s grace, He typically does not remove such lights overnight, but as a lighthouse attendant is charged with preserving the clarity of a lighthouse’s upper windows so the light will not be obstructed, we too, in the church, must constantly be ensuring that the light that shines from within is not distorted by the smudges caused by the preferences and traditions of man (no matter how beloved their practices may be).