Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth wrote: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)
It is pretty standard to use darkness to represent ignorance and light knowledge. We speak of a certain period in history as the dark ages because it was a time in which much of the learning of the ancient world had been forgotten and the revival of learning had not yet begun. Much of what makes our lives better than that of those who lived during the dark ages is a result of the light of modern knowledge.
But the knowledge of God is even more important because it has to do not only with this life but with eternity. As Christians we enjoy this light of the knowledge of God. But how is the rest of the world to know. In the next verse Paul said, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) Angels are not going to carry the light of God’s truth to the world. God has given us that responsibility. We who have this treasure of the light of the knowledge of God must carry it to the rest of mankind.
Claude