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John 8:12 - The Second I AM; Jesus the Light of the World!

John 8:12 (NLT) Jesus spoke to the people 
once more and said, I am the light of the 
world. If you follow me, you wont have to walk 
in darkness, because you will have the light 
that leads to life.  

John 8:12 (ESV) Again Jesus spoke to them, 
saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever 
follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have 
the light of life.  

INTRODUCTION

   6:35 I am. The first of seven (the number 
of completeness and perfection) 
self-descriptions of Jesus introduced by I am (see 8:12; 
[9:5;] 10:7, 9; 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1). See 
note on 8:58 for Jesus use of i am on 
its own. 
   8:58 I am! A solemnly emphatic 
declaration echoing Gods great affirmations in Ex 
3:14 (see Jn 8:24, 28; see also notes on Ex 
3:12"15). It also recalls the I am he statements 
in Isaiah (41:4; 43:10, 13, 25; 46:4; 47:8, 10; 
48:12; 51:12). Jesus did not say I was but 
I am, expressing the eternity of his being 
and his oneness with the Father (see 1:1). [NIV 
SB 2020] 

   Twenty-three times in all we find our 
Lord's meaningful "I AM" in the Greek text of this 
Gospel 4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 
28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 
15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8). In several of these, He 
joins His "I AM" with seven tremendous metaphors 
which are expressive of His saving relationship 
toward the world. 
   "I AM the Bread of life" (6:35, 41, 48, 
51). 
   "I AM the Light of the world" (8:12).
   "I AM the Door of the sheep" (10:7, 9).
   "I AM the Good Shepherd" (10:11, 14).
   "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" 
(11:25). 
   "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life" 
(14:6). 
   "I AM the true Vine" (15:1, 5). 
[MacArthur Daily Bible 2003] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

Grow in the Light of Gods Word
   As a vegetable gardener, I can tell you 
that the more hours of light you have, the bigger 
your crops will grow. For more than 30 years, 
Ive used a special light bulb for gardening 
called a grow light. It emits a certain kind of 
light that causes plants and trees to grow. You 
use it in areas where there isn't enough light 
for plants to survive. I planted young redwood 
trees on the shady side of my house and used the 
grow lights on them until they got tall enough to 
get sunlight on their own. Today those trees are 
about 40 feet tall. 
   Light is the key to life. Every plant 
grows by photosynthesis, which is dependent upon 
light. Humans depend on light to see and for our 
bodys systems to function normally. No light, no 
power. No light, no growth. You can't live without 
light. 
   Whats true of light in the physical 
realm is also true in the spiritual realm. On your 
dark days, when the sun is hidden and you can't 
see the light, you need the light of Jesus to 
change you for the better. 
   There are two ways that you change: when 
you see the light and when you feel the heat. 
One of those ways is far less painful than the 
other. If you would just change when you see the 
light, then you wouldn't have to change when you 
feel the heat. 
   Do you want to know what your grow light 
is? Its Gods Word. Studying Gods Word 
will help you grow in your knowledge of God and 
love for him. 
   Ephesians 1:16-17 says, "I pray for you 
constantly, asking God to ... give you spiritual wisdom 
and insight so that you might grow" (NLT). When 
you know Gods Word, his light will flood your 
heart. Then youll understand the wonderful 
future God has promised you. 
   In the Bible, light and life go hand in 
hand: "You are the giver of life. Your light lets 
us enjoy life" (Psalm 36:9 NCV). 
   Life is meant to be enjoyed, not merely 
endured, not just at Christmas but all year long. The 
key is to live in God's light. 
   That's why Jesus said, "I am the light of 
the world. If you follow me, you won't have to 
walk in darkness, because you will have the light 
that leads to life" (John 8:12 NLT). [Daily 
Devotional by Rick Warren: 
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/] 

COMMENTARY

Christ Is The Light Of The World 

As the Light of the world, Christ claimed to 
be God, for God is light (1 John 1:5). [Wiersbe 
Expository Outlines] 

I am the light of the world - The fountain 
whence all intellectual light and spiritual 
understanding proceed: without me all is darkness, misery, 
and death. (Adam Clarke Commentary) 

As the sun is the physical light of the 
world, so Jesus is the spiritual light of the 
world. As the light of the world, Jesus exposes sin 
(vv. 1"11) and gives sight (9:1"7). [Nelson 
SB] 

   In the manifestation of God to His 
people, light had ever been a symbol of His 
presence. At the creative word in the beginning, light 
had shone out of darkness. Light had been 
enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar 
of fire by night, leading the vast armies of 
Israel. Light blazed with awful grandeur about the 
Lord on Mount Sinai. Light rested over the 
mercy-seat in the tabernacle. Light filled the temple 
of Solomon at its dedication. Light shone on 
the hills of Bethlehem when the angels brought 
the message of redemption to the watching 
shepherds. 
   God is light; and in the words, "I am the 
light of the world," Christ declared His oneness 
with God, and His relation to the whole human 
family. It was He who at the beginning had caused 
"the light to shine out of darkness." He is the 
light of sun and moon and star. He was the 
spiritual light that in symbol and type and prophecy 
had shone upon Israel. But not to the Jewish 
nation alone was the light given. As the sunbeams 
penetrate to the remotest corners of the earth, so 
does the light of the Sun of Righteousness shine 
upon every soul. 
   "That was the true light, which lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world."  DA463-4 

Christ is the "LIGHT, which LIGHTETH every 
man that cometh into the world." John 1:9. As 
through Christ every human being has life, so also 
through Him every soul receives some ray of divine 
LIGHT. Not only intellectual but spiritual power, a 
perception of right, a desire for goodness, exists in 
every heart. But against these principles there is 
struggling an antagonistic power. The result of the 
eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is 
manifest in every man's experience. There is in his 
nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he 
cannot resist. To withstand this force, to attain 
that ideal which in his inmost soul he accepts as 
alone worthy, he can find help in but one power. 
That power is Christ. Co-operation with that 
power is man's greatest need. ED29 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC

John 8:12 - The Second I AM; Jesus the Light 
of the World! 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200826-1018.html 

John 17:17 - Holiness from God's Word.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201007-1438.html 

Romans 10:17 - Getting More Faith.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200811-0957.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

Most Important Decision in Life: 
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 

A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo 

Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: 
https://stepstopeace.org/ 

Seeking God Made Real: 
http://vimeo.com/31489782 

Prayer Made Real: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE 

LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES 

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: 
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ 

Amazing Facts Bible Studies: 
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx  

Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study 
Guides: 
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover 

Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: 
http://www.bibleresearch.info/ 

LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS

Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of 
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible 

Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug 
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/  

Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: 
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens 

Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: 
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657  

Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The 
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE