And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God. (John 3:19–21)

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:5–7)

John frequently uses light and dark as metaphors, but few times as disturbingly as in John 3:19. Here he exposes our preference for the dark, where we believe we can enshroud our sins and weaknesses from others and ourselves. Out of sight, out of mind . . . so we think.

Paul knows that powerful secrets left in darkness turn vicious. Unattended, those secrets harm us, and our relationships. The only escape from their downward pull is a bold move in faith to leave the darkness for the light. John describes this transition. He says that God is light and no darkness is in Him. Jesus came into this dark world bearing His father’s light. He calls us to walk now and forever in His light. Light exposes to ourselves and to others what truly exists—the reality of who we are apart from Jesus.

But light also generates warmth. The warm light of Jesus’ loving heart enables us to own up to all that is in our darkness and acknowledge our need for a radical deliverance. Our Savior’s loving, heart-warming presence empowers us to reject darkness and move by faith into His light. Apart from the security of this relationship the exposure of our duplicities would be unbearable. But with Christ at our side, we can do it. And in leaving darkness for the full truth of who we are, we are set free. Moreover, as we live within the Savior’s light, so we are to live with one another. He calls us to be for others what He is to us. To remain in darkness is to live a lie with ourselves, others, and our creator. Abiding in His radiance reveals the truth of who we are and who we are becoming.