Living in the Light

“For all those who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

— John 3:20–21

There is something profoundly powerful about the idea of living in the light. Light reveals what darkness conceals. It illuminates the truth, exposes deception, and allows us to see ourselves and the world around us more clearly. In John 3:20–21, Jesus contrasts those whose actions cannot withstand the light of truth with those whose deeds reflect the goodness of God. For LGBTQ+ Christians, these verses carry a particular significance, especially for those of us who have spent part of our lives hiding who we truly are.

For generations, LGBTQ+ people have been told that our identities are something shameful, something that should remain hidden. Many of us grew up hearing that being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender was incompatible with being a Christian. We were taught, either directly or indirectly, that acceptance by God depended upon denying an essential part of ourselves. Some of us learned to conceal our feelings, carefully guard our words, and construct lives that would satisfy the expectations of others. We became so accustomed to hiding that secrecy sometimes felt safer than openness.

Yet there is an important distinction between hiding something because it is wrong and concealing something because others have made it dangerous to reveal. Jesus speaks of those who avoid the light because their deeds are evil, but that is not the same as someone remaining in the closet out of fear of rejection, discrimination, violence, or losing the people they love. There is no shame in protecting ourselves when the world has not made it safe for us to live openly. Being closeted does not mean that someone is dishonest, sinful, or lacking in faith. Sometimes, it simply means they are doing what they must to survive.

Perhaps, though, we have been looking at the darkness in these verses from the wrong perspective. What if the darkness is not the closet itself, but the prejudice, hatred, and condemnation that force LGBTQ+ people into it? What if those who make us afraid to live openly are the ones whose actions cannot withstand the light of God’s truth? When someone uses religion to shame another person, threatens them with rejection, or convinces them that God’s love does not extend to them, that person is not spreading the light of Christ. They are casting shadows over someone else’s life. They are creating the very fear and secrecy that keep people from living authentically.

There is a painful irony in the fact that some of those who most loudly proclaim themselves defenders of God’s truth are the very people whose actions drive others into hiding. They claim to stand in the light while making the world darker for those they condemn. They demand that LGBTQ+ people repent of who they are while refusing to examine the cruelty, hypocrisy, and prejudice in their own hearts. They speak of righteousness while overlooking the suffering their words and actions cause. Yet the light of God’s truth does not shine only upon those whom society has labeled sinners. It shines upon all of us, exposing our prejudices, our failures to love, and the ways we sometimes use religion to justify hurting others.

The opposite is equally true. Those who embrace LGBTQ+ people with compassion, acceptance, and unconditional love help bring God’s light into the world. They create spaces where people no longer have to hide, where honesty is met with understanding rather than condemnation, and where love is celebrated rather than feared. Their actions reflect the truth Jesus describes because their compassion is visible in the way they treat others. They demonstrate their faith not by condemning people but by loving them. In doing so, they help lift the darkness that others have imposed and allow God’s light to shine more brightly.

Jesus tells us that those who do what is true come into the light. Notice that He does not say those who are perfect come into the light. He speaks of those whose actions reflect truth and goodness. This should challenge all Christians to consider whether their behavior genuinely reflects the teachings of Christ. Does our faith make others feel loved or rejected? Do our words encourage people to draw closer to God, or do they convince them that they are unworthy of His presence? Do we create an environment where people can live honestly, or do we make them afraid to reveal who they are?

These are not insignificant questions. Jesus consistently challenged religious hypocrisy and emphasized love, mercy, and compassion. He reached out to those whom society marginalized, welcomed those whom others rejected, and reminded His followers that loving God and loving one’s neighbor were the greatest commandments. If our understanding of Christianity causes us to treat others with cruelty rather than kindness, perhaps it is our understanding that needs to change.

For LGBTQ+ Christians, living in the light begins with recognizing that we are beloved children of God, created with dignity and worthy of love. Our sexuality or gender identity does not separate us from God’s grace. We do not have to become someone else to be worthy of His presence. The love we are capable of giving and receiving can reflect the goodness of God just as surely as anyone else’s. We should never allow the condemnation of others to convince us that our authentic selves are something shameful.

Of course, living in the light is not necessarily the same as coming out publicly. Not everyone has the freedom or safety to be open about their identity. Some risk losing their families, their livelihoods, their communities, or even their lives. We must never mistake their need for privacy and protection for a failure of courage or faith. God knows who they are, whether the rest of the world does or not. They can live truthfully before Him even when circumstances require them to remain closeted.

There is also a responsibility for those who claim to walk in God’s light. If we truly believe that truth comes from God, then we must be willing to examine the harm caused when religious teachings are used to exclude and condemn. We cannot claim to embrace the light while deliberately refusing to see the suffering of others. We cannot profess the love of Christ while making people feel unworthy of that love. The light Jesus describes should illuminate our own hearts as much as it illuminates the actions of those around us.

For those of us who have struggled to reconcile our faith with our identities, finding that light can be a long and difficult journey. It may involve questioning teachings we once accepted without hesitation, confronting painful memories, or learning to believe that God’s love really does include us. Sometimes, the hardest step is not convincing others of our worth but allowing ourselves to believe it. And sometimes, the most powerful expression of God’s light comes through another person who simply says, “I love you just as you are.”

The beautiful promise of John 3:20–21 is that truth and light belong together. We do not have to fear God’s light because we are LGBTQ+. We can come before Him as we are, without pretending to be someone we are not. God already knows our hearts, our struggles, our hopes, and our capacity for love. There is nothing about our authentic selves that comes as a surprise to Him.

Perhaps the greatest lesson of these verses is that we should be less concerned with exposing what others have been forced to hide and more concerned with examining the darkness our own actions might create. If we truly wish to walk in God’s light, we should strive to make the world a place where others no longer have to live in fear. We should replace condemnation with compassion, rejection with acceptance, and hatred with love.

The darkness is not who we are, and the light is not something we must earn. Those who force others into hiding should examine the shadows they cast, while those who offer love and acceptance help illuminate the path toward freedom. God’s light was never meant to drive us into the darkness. It was meant to remind us that we have always belonged in His love.