“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night or darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, ERV)
1 Thes 5:5
When I read these words from Paul, I immediately notice that he is not merely giving information. He is reminding believers of who they are. He does not say, “Try to become children of light.” He says, “You are all children of the light.” This is a statement about our identity before it is a command for behavior. The Christian life begins here. If I want to live differently, I must understand who I can become through Christ.
There are times when I look at myself and I see my weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings. I remember past mistakes and present struggles. Some days I feel like I am literally drowning in my shortsightedness, and in my attempts at “being good,” trying to keep this person or that person “happy.” Yet, Paul directs my attention away from what I once was, sometimes even from what I really am, and toward what God wants to or has made me into. Through faith in Jesus Christ, I am no longer identified with darkness. I am now counted among the children of light. This is not because of my goodness but because of God’s amazing love, mercy, and grace. The Bible tells us that ALL who are afar off are made near by the blood of Christ. (Eph 2:13)
The contrast between light and darkness does run throughout Scripture. It has become an outright war. A great controversy between good and evil. A literal fight to the death between light and dark. From the very beginning, God spoke light into existence. Light became a symbol of Creators presence. Light became a symbol of Creator’s truth. Light became a symbol of Creator’s purity. The Creator’s Light IS the symbol and source of eternal life. Jesus Himself says “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) The full verse reads: “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: they that follow me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” It is interesting too, to note how Rev 14:4, in describing people who made it to Heaven as “they that followed The Lamb, wherever He goes.”
In Scripture, darkness often represents ignorance. Darkness represents deception. Darkness represents sin. Darkness represents separation from God. Paul is drawing upon this biblical imagery when he tells seekers and believers that they belong to the light and the day.
I find it very meaningful that Paul says we are children of light. A child naturally shares the characteristics of his father and household. In the same way, those who have been born of God should increasingly reflect His character. In The Book of Heaven, light is not merely around us; it is meant to be within us. Jesus Himself declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Those who follow Him are brought out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
This truth reminds me of what Peter wrote: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to God. You were chosen to talk about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, ERV). It is the same truth in the Old Testament where the Psalmist says, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” (Psalms 66:16)
Notice that God calls us out of darkness. Darkness is not our destination. Darkness is what we are rescued from. Every seeker, every believer has experienced this in some measure. We may have lived in confusion, self-deception, pride, fear, or unbelief. Yet Creator God has shone His light into our hearts. God has revealed Christ to us. There are a thousand ways that God has done this. Our Heavenly Father has showed us our need and His provision. God’s Holy Educating Spirit has opened our eyes to truth. (John 16:13-14)
I can identify with this personally. Before God’s Word began to shape my thinking, there were many things I assumed were true simply because they were commonly accepted. Especially at Church. Yet the light of Scripture has a way of exposing what is hidden. It reveals both God’s character and my own condition. Sometimes that process is uncomfortable, but I am finding how it is always beneficial. (Rom 8:28)
Long before I became a Christian, I worked as a palliative care nurse. Early in my nursing career, I was assigned to a young police officer who had been diagnosed with an astrocytoma. He had a wife and two teenage sons. When I first met him, he was able to carry on thoughtful, animated conversations. Yet over the course of only three months, I watched the disease steadily take everything from him. Eventually, on Christmas Eve, he died with his family at his bedside. I was there with the family. He was the first palliative care patient I had that died on my watch.
Throughout the experience I remained professional. I did everything my training required me to do. I supported the family, carried out my responsibilities, and appeared composed, as they later stated. But after he died, something inside me began to unravel. On the drive home, I broke down completely. I was only in my early thirties myself. I did not know how to process what I had witnessed. I had spent months watching a young husband and father die, and suddenly I found myself confronted with questions that no amount of professional training could answer. Questions about life, death, suffering, meaning, and what lies beyond the grave.
The next day, I happened to open an old blue trunk that had been sitting untouched for years. It contained old photographs, papers, and forgotten belongings from another season of my life. Buried in the bottom was a small white Bible. Years earlier, a well-meaning Christian had given it to me in the hope that I might read it and be “converted.” But I had little interest at the time. I had simply tossed that Bible into the trunk and forgotten about it for many years.
When the moment that The Holy Spirit had been waiting for arrived, as I opened that Bible, it fell open to a passage I had never intentionally searched for: 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. My eyes settled on verse 5:
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night or darkness.”
At the time, I knew very little about Scripture, but those words struck me with unusual force. Looking back now, I can see that I was living in darkness. Not necessarily a life of outward wickedness, but darkness in the biblical sense of not knowing. I did not know God. I did not understand death. I had no real framework for hope beyond the grave. I had encountered suffering face to face and discovered that all my nursing and psychological education and experience could not answer the deepest questions of the human heart.
Yet in that moment, God began shining light into my own darkness.
Years later, when I reflected on Paul’s words in 1 Thes 5:5, I realized that before a person can become a child of light, the light must first reach them somehow. (Rom 10:14). In my experience, God often does that in unexpected ways. Sometimes He uses a sermon. Sometimes He uses a conversation. Sometimes a song or a dream. Sometimes God uses a tragedy that forces me to confront realities I would rather avoid. In my case, He used the death of a young police officer, an old forgotten Bible, and a verse that seemed to be waiting for me when I finally opened its pages.
That experience taught me something I have never forgotten. The light of God is not merely information and facts that I collect to say, “I am right, you are wrong.” The Light of Christ is illumination. It allows me to see reality. It shows us all who we really are, who God really is, and where hope can be found when every earthly answer fails. The psalmist wrote it like this:
“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” (Psalm 119:105, ERV)
As children of light, we are people who walk by that light. We do not create the light ourselves. We receive the light from God through His Word and through His Holy, Educating Spirit. Day by day, Scripture illuminates our path. It exposes dangers, corrects errors, and directs our steps. Comforts us in our distress.
“Practical truth must be brought into our personal life, and the Word, like a sharp, two-edged sword, must cut away the surplus of self that there is in our characters.” (7BC 928.9)
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Heb 4:12-13)
Now, Paul’s statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:5 occurs within a bigger picture discussion about the return of Christ. He reminds believers that the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly upon the world. Those living in spiritual darkness will be caught unprepared. Yet believers are reminded that we are not supposed to be surprised. Earlier Paul wrote:
“But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness. That day will not surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4, ERV)
This challenges us all to consider whether we are living with spiritual vigilance. Are we walking in the light? Children of light are not asleep to spiritual realities. We recognize that history, as in HIS-STORY, is moving toward God’s appointed conclusion. We understand that Christ will return. Therefore, we seek to live thoughtfully, prayerfully, and faithfully, “in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)
Now, the very next verses after 1 Thes 5:5 continue with this thought:
“So, we should not be like other people. We should not be sleeping but should be awake and have self-control.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, ERV)
According to Scripture, being awake is more than some sort of astute physical awareness. It is spiritual attentiveness. Spiritual vigilance. It means paying attention to God’s voice. It means allowing His Word to examine my heart. (Heb 4:12). It means resisting the spiritual drowsiness that can come from becoming too comfortable with the world around me. Or with church accomplishments. Or perceived “spiritual prowess.” (Rev 3:17)
I think many believers can relate to this struggle. It is so easy to become distracted. Daily responsibilities, entertainment, so called social media, concerns about finances, political debates, troubles at Church, troubles at home, and countless other matters can compete to consume our attention. None of these things are necessarily wrong in themselves, but they can gradually dull our spiritual senses if we are not careful to keep them from becoming more important than God. Is there something in your life that you have allowed to become bigger than your Creator God? Something more important than Jesus?
Paul is calling us back to our identity. We are “children of the day.” Daylight is associated with visibility and openness. Being awake. Things are seen clearly in the daytime. Likewise, followers of Christ are called to live transparent lives before God. Hidden sins thrive in darkness, but they lose their power when brought into the light.
“If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.” (1 John 1:7, ERV)
What a beautiful promise. Walking in the light does not mean achieving perfection. It means living honestly before God. It means acknowledging our need of His mercy. The light does not merely expose sin; it also reveals the cleansing remedy and power provided through Jesus Christ. (John 1:12)
I am encouraged by that truth because every believer, including myself, still experiences weakness. We all still fall short. None of us are sinless. (Rom 3:23) Yet God does not ask me to hide my struggles. He calls me to bring them into His light where healing, forgiveness, and transformation can occur. (Rom 12:1-2) Paul also describes believers in Ephesians, using similar language:
“At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. So, live like children who belong to the light.” (Ephesians 5:8, ERV)
Notice again the progression. First comes our identity, then our conduct. Because I am now light in the Lord, I should live accordingly. I will be enabled to live in the Light. (John 1:12). My actions should increasingly align with who God says what I am. The fruit of light includes goodness, righteousness, and truth. These qualities are not produced through human effort alone but through the work of God’s Spirit within us. (Gal 5:22-23).
“The influence of the Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in the soul. We do not see Christ and speak to Him, but His Holy Spirit is just as near us in one place as in another. It works in and through everyone who receives Christ. Those who know the indwelling of the Spirit reveal the fruits of the Spirit–love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” {6BC 1112.1}
As I reflect on 1 Thessalonians 5:5, I realize that Creator, through Paul, was/is offering both comfort and responsibility. Creator wants to walk us along the path to transformation. Not conformity. Transformation into “the image of God,” by being “children of the Light.” (Rom 12:1-2)
The comfort is, that we belong to Christ. We are “children of light and children of the day”. We have been called out of darkness. We have been given understanding through God’s Word. We have hope concerning the future because we know the One who holds the future. Our responsibility is to walk consistently with that identity. Children of light should not love darkness. Children of the day should not live as though they belong to the night. We are God’s children. We are called to remain awake, alert, and faithful while waiting for our Lord’s return.
Every morning when the sun rises, it silently testifies to the reality of light overcoming darkness. In a similar way, God intends for His people to reflect His light in a dark world. Through our words, our conduct, our faithfulness, and our love, others should catch glimpses of the character of Christ. “Arise. Shine. For thy light has come and the glory of The Lord is risen upon you!” (Isa 60:1)
When I read Paul’s words in 1 Thes 5:5, I hear them as both a declaration and an invitation. God declares what His people are: “children of light and children of the day.” Then He invites us to live in harmony with that reality. I believe that through that text of 1 Thes 5:5, that God began calling me out of darkness and “into His marvellous light.” (1 Pet 2:9)
This message has been about demonstrating something important about 1 Thessalonians 5:5 and beyond. Paul is not merely talking about moral behavior or behavioural modification trickery. He is talking about an entirely different way of seeing reality. Before that Christmas Eve, when I stood in the very presence of death, for the first time, with no light to interpret it; I was in darkness. I almost couldn’t handle it. It was too much. All I could do then was to cry for three days. But this precious text became part of God’s answer to that darkness. And this is exactly the kind of testimony that will allow us to connect our own experiences of grief, confusion, and unanswered questions to Paul’s declaration that we are called out of darkness and into Creator’s “marvelous light.” (1 Pet 2:9)
“The wrath of God is not declared against unrepentant sinners merely because of the sins they have committed, but because, when called to repent, they choose to continue in resistance, repeating the sins of the past in defiance of the light given them.” (AA 62.1)
“People who believe in God’s Son are not judged guilty. But people who do not believe are already judged, because they have not believed in God’s only Son. They are judged by this fact: The light has come into the world. But they did not want light. They wanted darkness, because they were doing evil things. Everyone who does evil hates the light. They will not come to the light, because the light will show all the bad things they have done. But anyone who follows the true way comes to the light. Then the light will show that whatever they have done was done through God [or not]. (John 3:19-21).
“A soul filled with the love of Jesus lends to the words, the manners, the looks, hope, courage and serenity. It reveals the spirit of Christ. It breathes a love which will be reflected. It awakens a desire for a better life; souls ready to faint are strengthened; those struggling against temptation will be fortified and comforted. The words, the expression, the manners throw out a bright ray of sunshine, and leave behind them a clear path toward heaven, the source of all light. Every one of us has opportunities of helping others. We are constantly making impressions upon [one another] about [what we are]. The expression of the countenance is itself a mirror of the life within. Jesus desires that we shall become like Himself, filled with tender sympathy, exerting a ministry of love in the small duties of life.” {3BC 1156.6}
May we, God’s Church, His adopted sons and daughters, embrace the identity that our Creator God has given us. May we walk in His truth. May we remain awake and watchful. And may the light of Christ shine ever more brightly in our lives until the day we see Him face to face.
The path of those who live right is like the early morning light. It gets brighter and brighter until the full light of day. (Prov 4:18, ERV)
“For you are all children of the light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night or darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, ERV)
