Light is an oft-used metaphor in the scriptures. In particular, Jesus is often described as the source of light. For example, in John 8:
12 ¶ Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
or in D&C 93:
2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;
Light from the sun includes all of the colors of the spectrum. When that light hits an object, like the apple in the picture on the right, the color of the object that we see is determined by the light that is reflected. Thus an apple appears red because it reflects red light. The apple does not shine with it's own light, rather, it shines with the light that it is able to reflect because of its own properties.
Similar to the literal light of the sun, Jesus is the source of all that is light, or good, in the world. His light shines on all of creation. Because of Jesus we do not have to walk in darkness. We can see the way through life as we work to return to our Father in Heaven.
Continuing the analogy, we have been commanded to be a light to others. For example, in 3 Nephi 12 Jesus commands:
14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Yet, as we saw in D&C 93: 2, Jesus is the true light that lights everyone in the world. I suspect that the way we can be a light to the world is to reflect Jesus' light. Like the apple, our color is determined by our characteristics. We can only reflect the portion of the full spectrum of Jesus' light that is part of who we are. For example, if Jesus is the source of love that is manifest in kindness to others, we can only reflect that light if we are becoming a loving person. If Jesus is the source of learning through the scriptures, we can only reflect that light if we love the scriptures.
The metaphor of Jesus as the source of light and us as reflectors of that light suggests that who we really are is made evident by which Christ-like characteristics are visible in us. After all, just as red light only reflects from things that are red, Christ-like characteristics are only visible when His light reflects off of people who have those characteristics.
With this imagery in mind, several verses in D&C 93 are interesting:
The metaphor of Jesus as the source of light and us as reflectors of that light suggests that who we really are is made evident by which Christ-like characteristics are visible in us. After all, just as red light only reflects from things that are red, Christ-like characteristics are only visible when His light reflects off of people who have those characteristics.
With this imagery in mind, several verses in D&C 93 are interesting:
31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.
The best use of our agency is to be transformed by Jesus Christ so that His light can shine as it is reflected in our lives. Then, we become part of the invitation to all people to come unto Christ.
