Phōs — Understanding Light as God’s Nature

As a student of the sciences, I learned about a concept called white light — a blend of all colours within the visible spectrum. To memorize them, we used the familiar acronym ROYGBIV: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

Photo by Jorge Fernández Salas on Unsplash

These seven colours, commonly known as the colours of the rainbow, appear in that precise order.

A simple high-school laboratory experiment could demonstrate this easily.

The sun is the natural source of white light, while artificial sources include white LEDs and fluorescent bulbs.

As I advanced in my learning, I gained more insight into the concept of light. A major discovery came as I gradually became a student of Scripture; reading more attentively and studying more deeply, something unexpected happened:

I collided with a concept of light that completely reordered my understanding.

Before going further, I must attempt a definition; it is, after all, the instinct of an “educated” mind to provide definitions, isn’t it?

Science, philosophy, theology, and literature offer a catalogue of them. But for this reflection, I will hold onto one definition:

“…for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light.” — Ephesians 5:13 (KJV)

This definition captures what light fundamentally is: a force that reveals, a beam that brings what is hidden into visibility. Light makes things plain: physically, through sight; and intellectually, through understanding.

This is why the phrase “I see” extends beyond physical sight, because the mind also has an eye. It is what makes you say “now I see” when an idea finally becomes clear.

Yet even this beautiful definition, comprehensive as it seems, falls short of a deeper reality.

I return now to the concept that arrested my attention. It is a concept rooted in a single Greek word: Phōs. Phōs refers to the pure, self-existent, uncreated, and indivisible Light.

Every other form of light is borrowed, reflected, allied, created, or derived; an extension, but not the source.

If all other lights are streams, Phōs is the fountain.

It is with this understanding that Scripture boldly declares:

“…God is Light (Phos)….” — 1 John 1:5 (KJV)

Light is not merely a metaphor for God; it is His nature, His essence, His identity; the eternal origin from which every other light takes meaning.

We must remember that our lives are extensions of a much deeper reality, one we are meant to embody with honesty. This is why the Scripture declares, “Let your light shine!"

So yes, let us all “let our lights shine”: in doing so, we’d be aligning ourselves more intentionally to be reflections, allies, carriers, and true derivatives of The One True Light: God.

© KenbrianPhos — Bringing the Light

If this reflection resonated with you, you might also appreciate this other piece I’ve written:

• The Kingdom: First Is Authority before Territory

  
  

Thank you for reading.