Language is a tricky thing. In First John, we will find God defined in terms of essence. Here is our first: God is Light. It's not saying that God is like light, but God is light itself. In verses to come, we will find that God is Spirit and Love as well.
When we consider the nature of God, we are considering a spiritual reality more than a physical one. The physical reality we encounter in our lives comes from the Creator who transcends physical reality as we know it. But the spiritual quality of who and what God is cannot be fully conveyed or even known through our limited human construct of language. When explaining the fullness of God, we must find peace in perhaps the wisest three words we have in the English language: "I don't know". For we use the best words we can, but they always fall short. God is light is a good start though.
Readings: Daniel 7:1-28; 1 John 1:1-10; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 28:23-24
