In Colossians 1, where we find the preeminence of Christ described, we will read verses 9 through 13.
Just like cultural Christians who do not live by Christ's example, the Jews during Christ's time mistakenly supposed that they were a light to those who were in darkness while being in darkness themselves.
Please turn over to Romans 2, verse 17. The Jews were as guilty as the Gentiles for being in darkness, and even though they should have been a light, but they only had the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
The Jews were such hypocrites that they were a cause of blasphemy among the Gentiles, because the Gentiles looked at the Jews as claiming to be God's people, but not living His way of life.
So being a light equates to illumination of knowledge and understanding of truth and much more.
Those whose knowledge is rooted in emptiness and darkness only have the appearance of it, like a well-drawn picture that is colorful but lacks life. A form of knowledge produces only an appearance of godliness; it only creates an illusion of holiness. We find this in tares in the church. We do not know who they are because they are doing this very thing, but we know that they are there.
A form of knowledge can deceive people, but it cannot fool God's heart-searching, discerning eye. A form may be the vehicle of power, but in reality it only produces the noise of sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.
Sinners fear the light, so God must call people into the light because it is His work. We cannot do anything on our own to bring someone into the church, but with God's help we can do a lot to let our light shine as faithful witnesses and do the work of God in the way we are to preach the gospel to the world.
In short, there are five primary methods that light relates to the faithful Christian.
1. Light is a type of Christian who walks with God.
2. Light refers to the testimony of the Christian or the witness of the Christian.
3. Light is a figure of the state of the Christian after he leaves Satan's kingdom of darkness and is brought into the church.
4. Light refers to the walk of the Christian in which he serves God in a godly way and directs his life according to the Word of God.
5. Light refers to the defense of the Christian who lives above reproach and has a godly witness before his neighbors.
The church is portrayed as the possessor and giver of light as Christ lives in us through His Spirit. The church brings glory to God by revealing His glory to people through its reflection of the life and light of Christ.