What does it mean to come to the light (John 3:21)?

On the other hand, "he that practiseth the truth cometh unto the light, that his works may be manifested that they have been wrought in God." For the faith that is of God's elect is never powerless but living, not only productive of results seen among men, but such as savour of their Divine source and sphere. None makes more of the truth or of knowing God than John; none has a deeper horror of Gnosticism. It is life, life eternal, that one should know the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He sent; but His commandment is life everlasting, as our Lord could say of Him Who gave to Himself what He should say and what He should speak.

If we know these things, we are blessed if we do them. Unblessed is the forgetful hearer, who does not practise the truth nor come unto the light, but is rather gone away after considering himself, and straightway loses all remembrance of what he was like. Is it not too plain that his works are at best impulsive and natural? But he that practises the truth comes unto the light; walking therein he seeks to walk according to the light, trying by it his inward thoughts and feelings, motives and objects, words and ways. The realised presence of God imparts its colour to his works. They were manifestly wrought in God. They bear His image and superscription. Hence when all that are in the tombs hear the Lord's voice and go forth, it is for those that have practised good to a life-resurrection, for those that have done evil to a judgment-resurrection.72 There was life in the one case, not in the other. He that heard the Saviour's word and believed the God Who sent Him has life eternal, and hence practises good. He who rejects the Son of God has no ground but man, and can have no power but Satan's; he has refused Him Who is God's wisdom and God's power. He might not like to be lost and judged; but he despises the only way of salvation open to any, the crucified Son of man, the life-giving Son of God. He will not be able to refuse or despise His judgment by and by.

This is “the man in whom there is no guile” (Ps. 32). He is not seeking to make the best of a bad life. His sinful condition is acknowledged. Truth is found where God desires to see it, “in the inward parts” (Ps. 51:6), and a full confession is made of the iniquity that is discovered there; that is, truth is done (John 3:21), and there is no longer need for the soul to abide in the darkness; the light is approached, and the knowledge of God is seen to be the source of the deeds that are wrought, “they are wrought in God.”

But if one has nothing to hide, then he does not fear the light. No doubt Nathanael illustrates this in John 1:47-48. Having “no guile,” no deceitful covering up of evil, he could come with confidence to the Lord Jesus. Certainly in coming to Him, one finds himself manifested as he really is, and honesty does not object to this: the person's deeds are wrought in God, that is, as subject to God.

But light is come into the world, and the light makes everything manifest. Here is the judgment, that men do not desire manifestation when their deeds are evil, but love the darkness which conceals them. By turning from the light, they show that they know where the light is — that it bears witness to the conscience, although they are not in it so as to get the good of it. The practises of truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest as being wrought in God.

In chapter 1 the light of God is in the world unknown and unapprehended. God in His own world cold-shouldered and despised! But here the felt need of Nicodemus, and divine light, cause him to risk the possibility of discovery, and the loss of human prestige. “He that does truth comes to the light.” Come he must, whatever be the result of his coming.

Sin is no trifle. Those who have walked according to fleshly lusts, so as to necessitate the severe discipline of being "put away," ought solemnly to feel the dreadful character of sin and uncleanness in the sight of God; and such, under divine teaching, will find relief in confessing to God, and acknowledging to others, that their own judgment of themselves, and of their ways, has been according to the truth. "He that doeth truth cometh to the light."

Now look here, my friend, if you have never yet been born of the Spirit of God, let nothing hinder you from coming now to Jesus. Let me urge you by all the joys of heaven, and by all the certainties of eternal damnation, if you die in your sins, to turn now to the Lord in uprightness and truth; for remember, "he that does truth comes to the light." Nicodemus really came to the light though he came by a tunnel. He said to himself, I will get to the One who will give me light, but I will take care to let nobody know about it, for the very fact would be a tacit confession that I am not right. Well, beloved friends, it is infinitely better to find out and to own you are wrong, than to go on wrong without knowing it. I said to that young man today, "If I am wrong in my faith I will for ever thank the man who will put me right." Do you not want to be put right? Do you not want the truth? Do you not want to know the Son of God, if as yet you know Him not? Surely!

The love of God declared, the purpose in sending His Son is stated. He sent Him, not to judge the world, but to save the world. He will come in power to reign (Ps. 2:7-12; Dan. 7:13-14), when judgment must take place. He came eighteen centuries ago to save (John 3:17). The kingdom in power will come, but a day of grace was to precede it, and that connected with the appearance of the Son in humiliation. When He comes in power, all must submit, whether willing or unwilling. But in this day of grace it becomes a question who will believe on Him, and who will not. So this, too, is here stated: "He that believes on Him is not judged: he that believes not is judged already, because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are [or, have been] wrought in God" (18-21). Two classes are described, viewed as in their habitual condition — "he that believes," and "he that believes not." For it is the present tense which is used, so stating what would be characteristic of each class, and that, as verses 20, 21, show us, right on to the end. We call attention to this to relieve any morbid conscience. The words of the Saviour, when carefully weighed, should make this point plain for all who need it.

The presence of the true Light not only revealed God in all the great love of His heart, but also manifested where every man stood in relation to God. Those who refused to believe in the Son were condemned as evil-doers, for in rejecting Him they were exposed in their opposition to God. Such hated the light, they hated the divine love made known in God's Son, and would have nothing to do with Him, for in coming into His presence they were exposed in their true character as evildoers. But the presence of Jesus also brought to light the children of God, those who practised the truth, and their deeds, in coming to Him, showed that they were divine in origin (John 3:18-21).

Still though the Son of God had not come to earth with the object of condemning, His presence here did incidentally bring in condemnation, inasmuch as He was the Light, and light makes everything manifest, and so brings all men to the test. Light acts in illumination and manifestation, and in its presence man reacts in one of two ways. If he is a doer of evil he loves darkness and hates light because it reproves him. If a doer of truth he welcomes the light and comes to it. These verses (18-20) assume that "he that believes on Him" is the doer of truth; whilst "he that believes not" is the doer of evil. The one comes to the light and there is no condemnation for him; the other remains in the darkness, and this is sufficient to condemn him. The light has appeared in the coming of the Son of God and he has not believed. That is enough, and there is no need to wait until the arrival of the actual day of judgment. He is condemned already.