Let Your Light Shine

This expression is from a very important portion of Scripture, in words spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself. Here our Lord is speaking to Christians in general and to individual Christians in particular. Christians witness as church bodies and also as individuals. We read in Matt. 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The word translated “so” here is an adverb (houto), and means “in this manner, referring to what follows.” What the Lord is emphasizing here is behavior, rather than verbal witness. Of course, verbal witness is indispensable and is included in behavior. For example, behavior includes how we witness verbally. Do we speak with kindness, or do we speak harshly or arrogantly? When speaking of verbal witness in 1 Pet. 3: 15, which is a classic passage on verbal defense of the truth, Peter says we should do this in “meekness and fear.” However, to further demonstrate that the emphasis in our text is on behavior rather than on words, the Lord Jesus does not say “that they may hear your good words.” Rather, He says “that they may see your good works.”

Before we get into the details about how we must behave, let us consider what our motivation is. Why are we doing this? Is it that we want the applause of men?  That is what motivated the Pharisees. Jesus, who knows all hearts, accused them of seeking the glory of men. Our motivation must be that  “they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” How it would help us to live properly each day if we got up each morning and thought “how can I live today to bring glory to my Heavenly Father?” Paul tried to live that way as we can see from Phil. 1:20, “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” Glorifying God in our daily walk gives great meaning and purpose to life. We read in Isa. 42:8, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.”

To further motivate us we must realize that our Lord has sent us into the world on a sacred mission. We are not here for entertainment or self-gratification. In His High-priestly prayer our Lord said in John 17:18, “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” If you are a child of God, this mission of glorifying God should be the defining theme of your life. That is what motivated John the Baptist. His entire life was devoted to shining the spotlight on the Lord Jesus. He wrote in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The Lord is the One who set up the local church. There are many functions of the church, but at the top of the list is that the church glorify God as a body. We live in a sin-cursed earth which is filled with dishonesty and strife. The church has an opportunity to show a much better way. That is why it is tragic to see strife and division in churches. There is a kind of love and camaraderie even in worldly groups. The church must greatly transcend this and show a love that would grab the attention of the world. Our Lord Jesus constantly taught this, even at the end of His life. We read of this in John 13:34, 35, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” This kind of love stands out in the world. I was in graduate school when my father died. One of my fellow students, who was an unbeliever, came to the funeral home. When he saw how my Christian brothers and sisters behaved toward me, he said, “Zack, I have never seen anything like this!”

One time a woman began to attend our church. She lived in an apartment complex across the street from our sanctuary. She came because she had custody of her grandson who had gotten in trouble with the law, and the parole terms required church attendance (this was many years ago!) She was a rank Arminian in doctrine. She kept coming to worship with us because she was greatly attracted by the love we showed to her and to each other. As she sat under the sound of the truth, she embraced the doctrines of grace and was baptized and became a member of the church. This uncommon Christian love had attracted her.

Another way we can let our light so shine before men is by living consistently honest lives. My maternal grandfather lived in the country not far from Corinth, Mississippi. One of the prominent stores in Corinth was owned and operated by a Jewish businessman, Abe Ruble. One day he told my grandfather, “Mr. Rushing, any Primitive Baptist can buy on credit in my store. I have observed that they are all honest.” Are you living in a way that could help your church reflect the same witness?

Many years ago, I was at Medlan Chapel Primitive Baptist Church at Graham, Texas. The Texas Historical Commission was placing a historical medallion on the building. Many town people were there. Brother Sonny Pyles, the pastor, said, “Neighbors and friends, we are glad you are here. We love you. I know we do not all agree on doctrine, but you cannot deny the honest and godly lives we are living.” There were “amens’ from all over the building. As we live godly lives, people observe and glorify our Heavenly Father. 

Paul exhorted to this kind of living in Php 2:14-16, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

Christians should be the most pleasant and helpful people in our communities. We ought to be like the Good Samaritan, always ready to go out of our way to help. We should always have a smile and a pleasant word for those we meet. My dear wife, Judy, is a good example of this. She always tells people she comes into contact with that she hopes they have a good day. When I go through the drive-in at Chick Fil A they say, “you must be Mrs. Judy’s husband. We just love her. She is so nice and kind.” In the holiday season she bakes and takes gifts to the check-out folks at Aldi’s. Even though she is not self-assertive and never blows her own horn, they all know she is a Christian and that brings glory to God.

Even wicked people who hate Christians are affected by the gracious behavior of Christians. We read of this in 1 Pet. 2:12, “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

The bad news is that the world is getting darker and darker. The good news is that the darker the world is the better the light is seen. And the light glorifies our Father which is in Heaven. Wow! What a privilege we have to bring glory to the Only One who deserves it!