God is light
"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5
A beam of white light appears simple and complete. It shines as one pure ray, yet hidden within that single beam are all the colours of the rainbow. When the light passes through a prism, what was unseen is revealed. The colours were always there; the prism simply opened our eyes to the beauty contained within the light.
So it is with God.
God’s light is perfect and whole. His character is not a collection of separate qualities but one divine reality, pure love, perfect holiness, endless mercy, unchanging faithfulness. Yet when His light passes through the prism of Scripture, creation, and human experience, the many beautiful colours of His character are revealed.
Red – His love, warm and passionate, reaching toward us even when we wander.
Orange – His compassion, a gentle flame that draws near to the broken and weary.
Yellow – His joy, the brightness that shines even in seasons of darkness.
Green – His faithfulness, steady and life-giving like a tree planted beside living water.
Blue – His peace, the calm presence that settles the storms within our souls.
Indigo – His wisdom, deep, mysterious, guiding us through paths we cannot always understand.
Violet – His holiness, the majesty of the One who is above all things yet chooses to dwell among us.
The colours do not compete with one another. They are not separate lights. They are expressions of the one light.
In the same way, God’s attributes are not pieces of Him divided apart. His love is holy, His justice is merciful, His power is gentle, His truth is kind. Every expression of God reveals the fullness of who He is. Perhaps we sometimes see only one colour of God’s light. In moments of suffering, we may see only His compassion, in moments of repentance, we may see only His holiness, in moments of worship, we may see only His glory. Yet the full beam of God’s character is always greater than the part we currently perceive.
The Holy Spirit is like the prism of God’s presence within us, revealing the hidden beauty of Christ’s character and transforming us into reflections of His light. As we abide in Him, the colours of His nature begin to shine through our own lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We are not called to create our own light; we are called to receive His. The moon does not produce its own brightness; it reflects the light of the sun. In the same way, we become radiant not by striving to shine, but by remaining close to the one who is Light.
Shalom – Shalom,
Jim Varsos