May 20

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. — 2 Cor 4:6 BSB

When a person walks in the darkness of unregeneracy, they have no true light. They may have a false light—whether it be presumption, delusion, or vain confidence—but all such light is worse than darkness. As Jesus said, “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23).

The only saving light is the light of God shining into the soul, giving us knowledge of “the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent” (John 17:3). A person may have the clearest intellectual understanding of doctrines, and yet lack the penetrating light of the Spirit that brings true conviction to the heart. Someone may know all the correct doctrines of grace and have a mental grasp of salvation’s order, but never have seen God by divine revelation, nor felt the spirituality of His holy law condemning them as a transgressor. But the “light of life,” as Jesus called it, will always guide its possessor in the right way. Without it, we will inevitably go astray, becoming entangled in error, falling into heresy, drinking in dangerous delusions, or even falling into serious sin and making shipwreck of our faith.

A false light is like the deceptive lights that pirates would use to lure ships into danger, or like the fires that “wreckers” in Cornwall would light on the cliffs to trick sailors into thinking they were approaching a safe harbor. These false lights would lead ships to crash upon the rocks, where they could be plundered. In the same way, a false light can wreck us upon the rocks of presumption or despair. But the light of divine life in the soul is accompanied by the graces of the Spirit. It is the light of God’s glory, the light of Christ’s countenance, and the light of the Spirit’s teaching, which makes it a trustworthy guide and protector. As the Apostle John says, “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20). This infallible guide will lead the soul safely into the harbor of eternal rest and peace.