Born Into the Light: A Christian View of Life, Death, and Eternity

A Picture of Death and Eternal Life: Born Into the Light

Life and death: we often consider these to be opposite experiences, but consider this. As a baby, we lived for nine months in an environment completely disconnected from the world we inhabit today. We were quite comfortable in the darkness of the womb. Then one day, we felt extremely squeezed and pushed, and by a series of miraculous events we went from darkness to light. As we were born into the light, waiting for us, were the people who loved us most.

That first journey from darkness to light may tell us more about life and death than we realize.

Reaching for the Light in Birth and in Death

Both in birth and death we reach for the light, whether it is the first breath we take or our last gasp. At the end of birth is joy, and at the end of life for those who know God there is joy beyond imagining. God defeats death through the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:26). He never intended us to have the experience of death, but the Fall had consequences.

From Darkness to Light: The Bible’s Powerful Transition

The Bible often compares our old life ruled by sin and our new life in Christ to going from darkness to light. The transition of faith is as profound as that of birth. Acts 26:18 tells us we are "transferred out of darkness into the light." Ephesians 5:8 says that we actually were darkness but in Christ we have become light. All of this is possible because as Jesus Himself explains,

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Jesus – The Light of the World Who Guides Our Path

In the Old Testament, Isaiah looks forward to this light. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light," as Isaiah 9:2 exclaims. Once "those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death" have seen that light, they will never be the same. Now our path is illuminated. Where before the darkness made it difficult to see our way safely, now we have a light and His name is Jesus.

Because we follow Him and He is the light, we will walk in the light He provides for us. His Holy Spirit living in us allows us to have light and to be light. In Psalm 119:105, we are told it is God's word that lights our path. John tells us that Jesus is the Word.

A path is a rather narrow way through a greater darkness. We don't have to worry because although darkness surrounds us in the world, the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life shows us which way to go. Darkness represents sin, ignorance, and separation from God, but we don't fear it because He is the Light of our salvation.

Because Jesus is the light of the world, without Him there would be no possibility of light. We were created in the garden to live in the light, but we sadly chose darkness. One day, in a time that may not be that far away, our Lord will return and we will once again live in a world purified by His light.

Our light shines on others for one purpose, so that the good that we do will glorify God (Matthew 5:16). No one who turns to the light wants to hide it. We want it to shine for all to see. Like the transition from the darkness of sin to the light of redemption, death is also a transition. Without Jesus there would be no hope to live eternally with God, but now death only brings us closer to Him.

Why Christians Have No Fear of Death

The Bible spends a lot of time telling us not to fear. In the womb we have no fear of birth because we know nothing of our future, but death is different. Almost all of us have experienced the pain and grief of losing our loved ones. The natural man fears death because it is unknown. We grapple with being away from our loved ones. Some worry about what is on the other side. Some think nothing is on the other side.

As Christians, we don't need to fear because we know we will be embraced by our loving Lord. We know that our saved loved ones will be there as well. We will no longer have tears or sadness because God's light will surround us.

The Apostle Paul saw death in a positive light because then he would finally be with Jesus. Paul's whole life revolved around Jesus. His mission while he was alive was to share what Jesus had done with as many people as possible. All death meant to him was transitioning to a place where he could be present with Jesus all the time. For Paul, life was the place to prepare for our home in Heaven. Unlike Paul, not everyone chooses the light that gave him that confidence.

"To live is Christ, to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

Choosing Light Over Darkness – And Why It Matters

Where God is the "Father of lights" (James 1:17), Satan is the ruler of the "domain of darkness" (Colossians 1:13). Where God brings life everlasting, Satan is called "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44). But why are people so attracted to darkness? What could possibly be the allure of death? Why do people choose darkness?

Because the devil is the "father of lies" and opposed at every instance to God, he makes evil look good. He twists our minds into believing there will be no consequences for our behavior. He tells us we aren't hurting anyone else. All lies.

He tempts us to abuse our natural desires. Whether it is sex or food or any number of other good things, the devil will tempt us to use them to excess and harm. In my view, his greatest appeal is to our pride. We want to sit on the throne of God and be in complete control. The devil makes us believe that is possible. We want to think that we are better than God at running our lives or even the world.

Why doesn't light attract us more? Because, as Jesus tells us, the light uncovers things done in the darkness. Things that we do that we don't want to admit or acknowledge become known. Light causes us to have to reflect on our lives, on the people we have hurt, and the shameful things we have indulged in. Light strips away the excuses. As Christians, we are fighting darkness with light.

Light forces change—but it also gives life. Just as physical light exposes what is hidden, it also is the very source that sustains and energizes all living things. We see this truth mirrored beautifully in God's creation, where science itself reveals the deeper spiritual reality.

You may have learned in school that light is necessary for life. Light creates energy inside of plants that gets transferred to you when you eat them, or when you eat animals that ate them. But notice, you have to take the plants inside of you—all that light energy. To live forever, we have to take the light of Christ, which comes from His Holy Spirit to live in us, through faith in Him. Just like we choose to eat, we choose light over darkness to live with Christ.

All we have to do is look around us, at the miracle of birth, or the way we get energy to live, to see God at work. We see hints of His light during birth and we also see His light is not just necessary for our spiritual well being, but He has even created a world where physical light is necessary for our physical well-being. Everything points to Him.

Fearlessly Living and Dying in the Light of Christ

In the end, when we approach death, we will look back on our life, if we belong to God, and see His hand at work in us. We will see how we have grown to be more like Him. We will understand better how His light has transformed us and prepared us for His kingdom. Scripture tells us we have been given an "armor of light" (Romans 13:12).

We have nothing to fear in death, just as a baby has nothing to fear in birth. The life-giving light we see is our blessed Savior with whom we will live forever. So when we pass from this world to the next, do not be afraid. You are simply being born into the light again—this time into the arms of the Father of lights, the Savior who has been waiting for you all along.