The following is the term paper I wrote in March 2019 for a class entitled "Teachings and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon". I'm pretty happy with it, so I decided to share it here! 

(Note: The style of this essay assumes that the audience is familiar with the Book of Mormon.)

The Significance of Light as Found in the Book of Mormon

Light is essential for many forms of life, from plants performing photosynthesis to humans producing necessary vitamin D from the sun's rays. Celebrations of light run deeply through human cultures. Across the globe, we associate light with knowledge, understanding, peace, and general good; we associate darkness with ignorance, hatred, worry, and general evil. This connection is found in our language as well: in English, words such as "enlightened" have been etymologically derived from the metaphorical sense of light as "knowledge, understanding, or insight" (Oxford English Dictionary). Light, as a literal presence and a figurative concept, is ubiquitous in our lives.

The Book of Mormon is no stranger to the symbolic usage of light. It explores light, with a number of connotations, throughout the text. Literal and spiritual light are found in the Book of Mormon stories that children are taught in Primary, but their significance is far from simple. Indeed, the more we look, the larger the diversity of ideas we find in the Book of Mormon's mention of light. In this paper, we will study light by examining its appearance in the Book of Mormon: namely in reference to intelligence, truth, and the love and power of Christ.

Light as Intelligence

When Christ visited the Nephites after His resurrection, He taught them the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount. One of these principles, found in both Matthew 6 and 3 Nephi 13, concerns light. "The light of the body is the eye," He explains to the Nephites. "If, therefore, thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light" (3 Nephi 13:22). What, however, is the light to which He refers? Following the footnotes on 3 Nephi 13:22, we travel to Doctrine and Covenants 88, where Christ explains this truth in greater detail to the Saints of this dispensation. "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light," He says, reiterating His teachings from 3 Nephi; He then adds to this by saying, "And that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things" (D&C 88:67).

Christ is here teaching His people, then, that light is analogous to intelligence and understanding. The more we seek the light of intelligence, the more we receive, and the more we can see. This light that we seek "groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24). Christ wants us to receive more intelligence so we can become brighter, even as bright as He is. In his April 2017 General Conference address, Mark A. Bragg teaches us that "Receiving light, continuing in God, and receiving more light are what we are created to do" (36). Our very creation is for the purpose of becoming bright. We are commanded to keep our eyes single to the Lord's glory, for in this we can increase our light and fulfill this objective.

Of course, this process of receiving light is not passive; rather, it is a dynamic interaction between us and God. Such a principle is illustrated beautifully in the story of the brother of Jared. One of the most widely known examples of light in the Book of Mormon, this account in Ether 2-3 tells of the brother of Jared working with the Lord to prepare for the Jaredites' journey across the great waters. The brother of Jared, wondering how his people can have light on their journey, asks, "Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?" (Ether 2:22). The Lord's immediate response (insofar as we read in Moroni's abridgement) is to respond with another question: "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (Ether 2:23). At times, the Lord gives His people specific instructions, such as He did on the construction of the vessels. At other times, however, He wants us to think of solutions. Then, as we focus on Him and exert our intelligence, we can receive even greater knowledge and blessings than if God had simply given us the answer. After the brother of Jared thinks of a solution and approaches the Lord with faith, we see that he receives the unparalleled blessing of seeing Christ in "the body of [His] spirit" (Ether 3:16). This account in the Book of Mormon teaches us that we can receive more light through our faith in and communion with God, until our intelligence and understanding grows so bright that we can see the Lord in Person.

Light as Truth

If light helps us see and understand, then what exactly are we seeing and understanding? This question leads us to another symbolic use of light: the representation of truth and revelation. Not only is spiritual light the means of our understanding, but it is the object of our understanding. Light represents eternal truth, which the Lord gives unto us as we are ready for it. Nephi teaches, "For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom, for unto him that receiveth I will give more" (2 Nephi 28:30). As we accept more of God's light, we will see more of His truth. We will become receptive to more divine revelation.

In Doctrine and Covenants 6, the Lord tells us that by gaining revelation, we are "enlightened by the Spirit of truth" (D&C 6:14-15). This enlightenment comes to us in a number of ways. Elder David A. Bednar metaphorically describes two "patterns of revelation": that of a light switch as it immediately chases away the darkness, and that of a sunrise as it slowly but surely floods the earth with light (88). Both patterns assure us that, eventually, we will be able to see the entirety of divine truth.

Furthermore, the Book of Mormon teaches us that revelation is a joyous and profound experience. A sunrise does not only give light, but it gives warmth. Much as the sun warms our backs, divine truth increases our joy. We understand this as we read the account of Ammon and King Lamoni:

Now. . . Ammon. . . knew that King Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God. (Alma 19:6)

Indeed, as soon as King Lamoni awakes, he praises the name of God, and the Holy Ghost fills the hearts of everyone in the room. Discovering divine truth brings a "marvelous light" into our souls. How could it not? The divine truth that we discover is that of the reality and power of Christ. He represents light; as the knowledge of Him enters our hearts, so does He.

Light of Christ

"You cannot speak of the light in the world without speaking of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ" (Bragg 38). Christ is the light that we seek through intelligence and revelation. His goodness and love infuse joy into our souls, much as they did for King Lamoni. The sunrise of revelation gives us the light of understanding and the warmth of Christ's power. We sing of this jubilant truth in many of our hymns, such as "The Lord Is My Light" and "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today":

There is sunshine in my soul today,

More glorious and bright

Than glows in any earthly sky,

For Jesus is my light. (Hewitt)

These lyrics teach us that Christ's light is brighter than any other kind of light we can imagine. The more we seek Christ, the more light and warmth we find in Him. Moroni exhorts us to "search diligently in the light of Christ" so that we "certainly will be a child of Christ" (Moroni 7:19). We are to search for understanding and truth in Christ so that we may become the sheep of His fold. Once we have become His children, we then have a responsibility to invite others into the fold. Christ tells the Nephites, "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold, I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do" (3 Nephi 18:24). As we follow Christ, we hold up a light for the world, that everyone may partake of His warmth and love. "Christ's light brings hope, happiness, and healing of any spiritual wound or ailment" (Uchtdorf 80-81). Such a gift is a desirable commodity for all who recognize its goodness.

Conclusion

Much as we need literal light to illuminate our world, we need Christ's light to illuminate our spiritual path. His light strengthens the light of our own intelligence and understanding; it reveals those essential divine truths that we need to know to return to our Father in Heaven. The writers of the Book of Mormon understand this, and they write of gospel light in a myriad of situations, associations, and delineations—more than just the three mentioned in this essay. This lovely diversity, however, is interconnected by the love and power of Christ. Without Him, there would be no divine truth. Without Him, we could not grow in intelligence nor in understanding. "He is the Light of the World," Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge says. "Either we follow Him and see clearly, or we don't and foolishly remain blind and in darkness still" (34). Thankfully, the Book of Mormon teaches us how to see clearly. May we ever increase our own light and knowledge by following Christ and partaking of His everlasting light.

Works Cited

Bednar, David A. "The Spirit of Revelation." Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, p. 87-90.

Bragg, Mark A. "Brighter and Brighter until the Perfect Day." Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, p. 36-38.

Corbridge, Lawrence E. "The Way." Ensign or Liahona, November 2008, p. 34-36.

"enlightened, adj." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/62444. Accessed 17 March 2019.

Hewitt, Eliza E. "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today." Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1985, no. 227.

Uchtdorf, Dieter F. "Bearers of Heavenly Light." Ensign or Liahona, November 2017, p. 78-81.