this miracle of illumination. By Charles Spurgeon

2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 6 For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

This verse is a glorious declaration of the sovereign, saving work of God in the soul. It draws a parallel between the original creation and the new creation in Christ. Just as in Genesis 1, verse 3, God spoke light into the physical darkness when the earth was formless and void, so now, in the hearts of dead sinners, He speaks spiritual light into the chaos of our moral darkness.

This is not a mere invitation or offer. It is a divine act of sovereign grace. Man by nature is blind to the things of God, spiritually dead and alienated from the life of God. He does not seek God, nor can he grasp the glory of Christ in his own strength. The unregenerate heart is encased in spiritual darkness.

But then, by his own will and power, God speaks and light bursts forth. This light is not from within man, it is the very light of God Himself, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

What is this knowledge? It is not the accumulation of facts, but the Spirit-wrought apprehension of God's glory as it is revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is to see with the eyes of faith the beauty of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning, the One who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being. This knowledge humbles the proud, exalts the Savior, and transforms the soul. It is the difference between knowing about Christ and truly knowing Him.

This miracle of illumination is entirely of God. No sinner can generate this light, nor can any preacher manufacture it. Paul is exalting the God who alone gives life to the dead. As at creation, so in regeneration, the voice of God is effectual. He speaks, and light shines. He commands, and the heart lives. This is why salvation is all of grace, not of man's will nor of man's effort, but of God who shows mercy.

And where does this light lead us? To Christ. Not to experiences or signs or self-improvement, but to the face of Christ. This is where the glory of God shines most brightly, in the incarnate, crucified, risen Son. The more we behold Him, the more we are changed into His likeness. This is not merely the beginning of the Christian life. It is the essence of it. All true spiritual growth flows from the ever-increasing knowledge of the glory of God in Christ.

Dear believer, if you have seen the glory of God in the face of Christ, It is because God has sovereignly spoken light into your soul. Let that humble you. Let it also fill you with joy and awe, for He who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light will never let you return to the night. Fix your eyes upon Christ, the light of the world, and walk in the brilliance of His grace.

O God of sovereign grace, I was once in utter darkness, spiritually blind and dead in sin. But You, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, have illumined my heart. Thank You for revealing to me Your glory in the face of Your beloved Son. Keep me looking to Him, my light, my life, my Lord.