What is the marvelous light in 1 Peter 2:9?

On a cloudless night at the season of full moon we get the benefit of our satellite shining in the light of the sun. How marvellous must be the sunlight that can make a dark body shine so brightly! Well, the world is still in the dark, for its back is turned towards God. We are in the light of His truth and grace, — the light of the knowledge of Himself. How marvellous that light is may be discerned in the fact that it can make dark and unattractive people, like to ourselves, show forth His excellences and reflect Himself.

This remarkable verse also emphasizes where we are, as well as what we are. Once in darkness, we are now called into light. Now this too would specially appeal to the Jewish reader. If we turn back once more to Exodus 19, we read that the Lord said to Moses, "Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud" (verse, 9), and further we read, "Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was" (Ex. 20:21). Under the law God was enwrapped in thick darkness. Under grace He is in a light which by contrast can be called, "marvellous."

As the Apostle John puts it, the "eternal life, which was with the Father" has been, "manifested unto us" (1 John 1:2). Consequently the Christian today walks, "in the light, as He (God) is in the light." And the light of God, which has shone forth in Christ is marvellous indeed. Contrasted with it, all that which was made known in the law was but darkness; hence Peter spoke of those to whom he wrote as having been called, "out of darkness," though they were not heathen but Jews. Out of darkness and into that marvellous light we too have been brought.

Then let us refer to Peter who speaks of the light in 1 Peter 2:9, “ye are a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light”. Peter clearly refers back to Exodus 20 when God said almost the same thing to His people Israel after He had delivered them from Egypt and placed them in the desert on the way to Canaan, “that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light.” One might say that just as God is light and dwells in light, we were darkness and we dwelt in darkness. Our character was the same as the whole world under the sway of Satan – darkness. Ephesians says that we were darkness and now we are light in the Lord. Peter says something different; God has taken us out of the darkness, out of the surroundings and circumstances in the world and has transported us in His wonderful light. A child of this world may be afraid of this (in his mind) dazzling light of God. But a child of God who has been brought into this light which is at the same time his life, may also know that this light is a wonderful light. We are there right now, we have been made fit for “the portion of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12). That is future, but nothing is lacking, we are fit to enter into that light in the heavens now; the Lord could take us up at any moment. But Peter says that we are already placed in this wonderful light now. The sphere of life has changed for us, as children of God we are in that light. Wonderful sphere of His light!

Such is the Christian position here below. By-and-by Israel shall have the place in power and glory before all the nations, where the blind people see and the deaf people hear in the rejected Messiah the Lord Jehovah, the only Saviour. Then will it be plain that "this people have I found for myself; they shall show forth my praise." And men shall know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Him, who is Jehovah, and none else; and the heavens from above and the skies shall pour down righteousness, and the earth shall open and bring forth salvation, and righteousness shall spring up together. But even now, while the rejected Christ sits on the Father's throne, and the Spirit is sent forth to glorify Him after a spiritual sort in a world of darkness and rebellion against God, those who confess Christ are to tell out His excellencies. And well they may: seeing that He called them out of darkness unto His marvellous light. If these should hold their peace, as He said, the stones would immediately cry out. They were once as dark as any. So were all who now believe, darkness itself as the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, but now light in the Lord. And truly the light is wonderful unto which He called us, Himself the genuine light which never deceives nor grows dim. Though it has not yet arisen to shine on Zion, as it will surely come, it has shone in our hearts who believe, the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Now it is only from heaven and for heaven, as we wait for Him. But He will return and appear in manifest and indisputable light for Zion and repentant Israel; and the earth, which darkness still covers, shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah and of His glory as the waters cover the sea.

All was darkness for us whether we were called out of Judaism or heathenism, or a nominal and corrupted Christianity, and now we are in a light which is marvellous; we are the people of God, having obtained mercy.

Marvellous light! Is this how we feel about it? The world plunges on, deeper and ever deeper into its darkness and unbelief. Its learned scientists and philosophers fill the air with triumphant shoutings as to their investigations and their discoveries. Yet really they are as men who clutch at elusive shadows while their science is an enshrouding mist. Their discoveries enable them to do lots of clever and curious things in the world, but not a ray of light shines in them as to things beyond the grave. And here are we, put in the light of God fully revealed in Christ, in the light of His grace, His purposes, His glory. Are we studying these things, so as to become even more and more enlightened, and consequently, luminous ourselves?

The second priesthood of which the apostle speaks is to show forth the virtues of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. Its description is taken, as we have seen, from Exodus 19. It is a chosen generation, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. I only allude to the Melchisedec priesthood to show the character of a royal priesthood. Priests, among the Jews, drew near to God. God had formed the people for Himself: they were to show forth all His virtues, His praises Christ will do this perfectly in the day of His glory. The Christian is called to do it now in this world. He is to reproduce Christ in this world. It is the second part of his life.

How came it that those to whom Peter wrote were a chosen generation? The first chapter answers this question. They were "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" they were, "redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ:" they were, "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God:" and that, as we elsewhere learn, by the Spirit of God. The Triune God had thus acted to produce a race of a new order — a generation not in Adam but in Christ.

Everyone who accepts Him in faith is now brought out of darkness into God's marvellous light. Furthermore, instead of darkness, he is now light in the Lord (1 Peter 2:9; Eph. 5:8).

Everyone who accepts Him in faith is now brought out of darkness into God's marvellous light. Furthermore, instead of darkness, he is now light in the Lord (1 Peter 2: 9; Eph. 5: 8).

Into God’s marvellous light all believers are called, judicially fitted to be abidingly there in virtue of the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, which cleanseth from all sin.