Jesus - the True Light of the world

Why Hinduism Falls Short of Truth: The Light of the World and the One True God

As Diwali approaches — the Hindu festival of lights — millions around the world will celebrate what they think is the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. It’s a beautiful theme, but it raises a deeper question: what is the true Light that overcomes darkness?

In Christianity, this question is answered not in a symbol, nor in a pantheon of gods, but in a person — Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God made flesh.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” – John 1:14

The Gospel of John begins with a profound claim: Jesus is not merely a messenger of God — He is God Himself. The same divine Word that spoke the universe into existence entered His own creation to redeem it. This is the ultimate meaning of light: the revelation of God’s nature, goodness, and truth in the person of Jesus Christ.

The True Festival of Light

In Jewish tradition, the Festival of Lights (Hanukkah) commemorates God’s miraculous preservation of His people and His temple. It reminds us that the light of God cannot be extinguished by darkness. Diwali, though rooted in a different worldview, shares the same longing — for light to triumph, for evil to be defeated.

But the Christian faith reveals the source of that light, not just its symbol. Jesus, the true Jewish Messiah, declared:

“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

This statement is absolute. It leaves no room for multiple “lights” or competing deities. There can be only one true Light, because there can be only one true God. Just as all life depends on light — for nothing living can exist without it — so all spiritual life flows from the one true Light, Jesus Christ. Christians are called “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), but only because they reflect The Light of the World—the very source of life and truth Himself.

Why Multiple Gods Are a Logical Contradiction

The ontological argument for God’s existence helps clarify this. God, by definition, is the greatest conceivable Being — omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. If there were more than one such being, neither could be truly infinite, since each would compete with the other’s knowledge, power, or presence.

Thus, the existence of multiple gods is logically impossible. True divinity cannot be divided or shared among competing deities. The moment you have two “gods,” neither is truly God.

This is why the Bible repeatedly affirms:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” – Deuteronomy 6:4

“Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.” – Isaiah 43:10

There is only one eternal, uncreated, self-existent Being — the “I AM” revealed to Moses (Exodus 3:14). Jesus identified Himself with that same divine name (John 8:58), making clear that He is not a lesser deity, but God in human form.

The Trinity is not a belief in three gods, but in one God who exists eternally in three Persons. God is one in essence and three in Person. To say He is one in Person and three in Person would be a contradiction. Likewise, to say He is one in essence and three in essence would also be a contradiction. But as it stands, God is one in Essence and three in Person — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

While this truth — this self-disclosure of God’s very Being — is not self-contradictory or logically inconsistent, truly understanding and accepting it requires the illumination of the Holy Spirit, who is only given through Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). And again to His disciples, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

The Human Nature of Hindu Deities

In Hinduism, gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, and Krishna are not only depicted in human form — being born, eating, and sometimes engaging in relationships or battles — but are, in their very nature, finite and limited. They appear to mirror humanity rather than transcend it, lacking the infinite, eternal, and self-existent qualities that define the one true God. Their finite and temporal qualities are not limited to their avatars; they are often integral to their very natures.

The God of the Bible, by contrast, created humanity in His image — not the other way around. The Hindu pantheon can be seen as a reflection of humanity’s spiritual yearning, but also of its moral and existential confusion: divine beings who err or even die cannot be truly divine.

By contrast, Jesus Christ experienced suffering in His human flesh, yet His divinity was never compromised. As Peter wrote:

“He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” – 1 Peter 3:18

His divinity never had a beginning, never had the potential to end, and remained fully God, even as His human nature was real and mortal, even undergoing crucifixion.

The Christian understanding of the incarnation is entirely different. When Jesus took on flesh, He did not cease to be God. He entered creation not out of necessity or karma, but out of love, to redeem what was lost. His humanity was real, but His divinity remained absolute.

“The true Light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” – John 1:9

Brahman, in Hinduism, is the closest concept to anything resembling the God of Christianity. However, Brahman is impersonal — an abstract, formless ultimate reality — lacking the personal nature, relational love, and self-revealing character of the God of the Bible. Unlike the Christian God, who entered His creation as Jesus Christ, Brahman does not personally engage with, redeem, or walk alongside humanity.

The Light That Has Overcome the Darkness

John writes,

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

This verse captures the very heart of the gospel. Jesus is not merely a light among others — He is the Light that has overcome the darkness of sin, death, and falsehood. Through His death and resurrection, He triumphed over the very powers that enslave humanity.

Unlike the gods of Hinduism, who require offerings, rituals, and sacrifices from their devotees to gain favor, the God of the Bible offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for His creation. This is what sets the Truth apart — the Truth of Jesus Christ.

In Christianity, it is not creation that rightly dies for its 'gods', but God who dies for His creation. Love, not fear or ritual, stands at the center of divine revelation through Jesus Christ. His cross and resurrection are the proof that light has overcome darkness forever.

Conclusion: The Light That Shines in the Darkness

The world doesn’t need another symbol of light — it needs the Light Himself. Diwali’s lamps, Hanukkah’s menorah, and every human longing for goodness and purity all point toward the ultimate reality revealed in Jesus Christ.

All other lights flicker and fade. But as John wrote:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

Jesus Christ alone is the true Light of the world, the Word made flesh, and the only God who both created and redeemed humanity. In Him, these festival of lights can find their true meaning and purpose.

A Call to Receive the True Light

If you’ve never placed your trust in Jesus Christ, the true Light of the world, you can receive Him today. The Apostle Paul wrote in His letter to the Roman church:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9 (ESV)

When the Bible says “Jesus is Lord,” it means that Jesus is God — the one and only true God — and therefore, Master over all creation. When you confess Him as Lord, you are declaring the truth of His Deity, and proclaiming His Lordship over your entire life. You cannot make Him Lord, but you can acknowledge His Lordship while there is still breath in your lungs.

Salvation is a free gift; it cannot be earned through rituals, good deeds, or religious striving. It is received by grace, through faith. If you truly believe that Jesus is God in the flesh — that He died for your sins and rose bodily from the dead — God forgives your sin, declares you righteous, and gives you His Holy Spirit, who lives within you and begins to transform your life.

Good works do not make you righteous; they are the fruit of the righteousness that God gives to every believer through faith in Christ.

This is the Good News: the Kingdom of God has come in Christ — the dominion of the King, who is Jesus. He calls you out of darkness into His marvelous light, from the Kingdom of Satan into His own eternal Kingdom which will never pass away, and in which there will be no more sin, suffering, pain, or death.

The Bible also calls us to repent — which means to have a change of mind. It’s turning from the path of following the world, and choosing instead to follow Christ. Repentance does not mean cleaning yourself up before coming to Him, but rather coming as you are, with a sincere desire to be made righteous, and trusting Jesus to walk with you and help you change as He works in your heart.

True repentance is faith working through love — a heart that believes, loves, and obeys because it has been transformed by the grace of God and by His love revealed on the Cross of Calvary.

If your heart is stirred today, simply turn to Him in faith. Speak to Him in your own words, confessing your sins, and professing your belief that Jesus is Lord and that He is risen from the grave. Receive the Light that never fades — the Light that has overcome the darkness. He wants to be your substitute. All the judgement you and I deserve for our sins was placed on Him, so that when we place our faith in Him as our Lord and Savior, we are completely forgiven, adopted as God's children, and transferred from darkness into light, with the absolute and joyous hope of eternal life in gloriously resurrected and perfected bodies.

"in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

- 1 Corinthians 15:52 - 57