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In Your Light We See Light: A Reformed Theology of Divine Illumination
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” —John 17:3
In Your Light We See A Reformed Theology of Divine Illumination argues that the doctrine of illumination is Trinitarian and participatory. We cannot know God apart from God. The Triune God transfers us from darkness to light, so we may see him, ourselves, and the world anew. Illumination is not merely cognitive; it turns a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. It involves life with God—hearing and being transformed by God’s word.
Paul C. Uyen begins with Scripture before retrieving the doctrine of illumination from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Reformed traditions, and revealing their areas of tension. Uyen articulates a Reformed perspective in conversation with other traditions.
In Your Light We See A Reformed Theology of Divine Illumination argues that the doctrine of illumination is Trinitarian and participatory. We cannot know God apart from God. The Triune God transfers us from darkness to light, so we may see him, ourselves, and the world anew. Illumination is not merely cognitive; it turns a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. It involves life with God—hearing and being transformed by God’s word.
Paul C. Uyen begins with Scripture before retrieving the doctrine of illumination from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Reformed traditions, and revealing their areas of tension. Uyen articulates a Reformed perspective in conversation with other traditions.
- GenresTheology
368 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2025
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 11, 2025
My endorsement in the book:
"This is a beautiful book. Paul C. Uyen's In Your Light We See Light is a standard-bearer on theological retrieval in service of positive, dogmatic construal. Uyen draws deeply from the waters of Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and the Reformed tradition on the economy of divine illumination to set forth a truly catholic and truly Reformed doctrine. Not only is this work a real triumph of scholarship, it is also profoundly edifying."
"This is a beautiful book. Paul C. Uyen's In Your Light We See Light is a standard-bearer on theological retrieval in service of positive, dogmatic construal. Uyen draws deeply from the waters of Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and the Reformed tradition on the economy of divine illumination to set forth a truly catholic and truly Reformed doctrine. Not only is this work a real triumph of scholarship, it is also profoundly edifying."
December 19, 2025
What happens when a person is brought from darkness to light? What is the process of this transformation? In In Your Light We See Light, Paul C. Uyen presents a Reformed theology of divine illumination.
The Economy of Illumination
In the foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, we are introduced to author Paul C. Uyen as a former gang member who is now a visiting professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Uyen’s book serves as an academic testimony to what has happened in his life.
Uyen begins by explaining that the contrast between light and darkness is the contrast between wisdom from above and wisdom from below, as introduced in Genesis. Uyen shares how we must receive a new heart and mind in order to be in the light and to see as God sees.
Uyen presents a shift in perspective—a way of seeing all things, especially Christ, no longer according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16)—in a process he calls “the economy of illumination.” This refers to God imparting knowledge promised to His people in the new covenant. It involves both an initial lighting that brings us into covenant union with Christ (2 Cor. 4:6) and ongoing lighting that draws us deeper into contemplative union with Christ, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). This illumination draws us close to God and brings us into union with Him. It is a deeply personal aspect of transformation.
Communion
Next, Uyen shares insights from ante-Nicene theologians, especially Clement of Alexandria. Clement reflects on Ephesians 5:15, suggesting that baptism is illumination—because it is where we receive the Spirit, who cleanses, unveils, and enables us to participate in the light of the Son, Light from Light, for communion with the Father, the source of light.
Contrasting traditions, Uyen notes that while in Catholic theology illumination may emphasize sacramental grace, in Orthodox tradition, illumination allows us to partake in God’s energies rather than His essence. It also opens up communion between us and God. In the Reformed tradition, the economy of illumination is the process by which God awakens the elect from sin and death through the Spirit, bringing them to life and union with Christ. The Spirit and Scripture work together to give us spiritual sight.
After examining these traditions, Uyen develops this definition: “Communion with God is a new covenant fellowship with God through union with Christ, which flows from the mind and will of God in eternity and is actualized through the person and work of the Son in the history of redemption for elect sinners who receive the gospel by faith through the Holy Spirit.”
Open the Eyes of Our Hearts
Through the example of Paul, we see the Trinity at work: the Father opens the eyes of our hearts to behold the Son—the image of light—through the Spirit, the presence of light. From God’s perspective, we are granted the sight of light. It is a transformation of both mind and will.
Uyen shares how we “put on” and live out the life of light in God—how we participate in this illumination: (1) Being illumined in reading Scripture, (2) Being illumined in praying Scripture, (3) Being illumined in obeying Scripture, (4) Being illumined in partaking of Scripture via the sacraments, and (5) Being illumined in singing Scripture. In this way, Uyen concludes, illumination is not passive—but participatory.
Uyen ends with the thought that the economy of illumination will continue to open the eyes of our hearts to behold the face of God, as His love and light never end. And in the afterword, Matthew Levering shares how Christians share the light with one another — the type of Christian I want to be. This is a magnificent book, enlightening the eyes to behold the glory of Christ.
I received a media copy of In Your Light We See Light and this is my honest review. @diveindigdeep
The Economy of Illumination
In the foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, we are introduced to author Paul C. Uyen as a former gang member who is now a visiting professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Uyen’s book serves as an academic testimony to what has happened in his life.
Uyen begins by explaining that the contrast between light and darkness is the contrast between wisdom from above and wisdom from below, as introduced in Genesis. Uyen shares how we must receive a new heart and mind in order to be in the light and to see as God sees.
Uyen presents a shift in perspective—a way of seeing all things, especially Christ, no longer according to the flesh (2 Cor. 5:16)—in a process he calls “the economy of illumination.” This refers to God imparting knowledge promised to His people in the new covenant. It involves both an initial lighting that brings us into covenant union with Christ (2 Cor. 4:6) and ongoing lighting that draws us deeper into contemplative union with Christ, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). This illumination draws us close to God and brings us into union with Him. It is a deeply personal aspect of transformation.
Communion
Next, Uyen shares insights from ante-Nicene theologians, especially Clement of Alexandria. Clement reflects on Ephesians 5:15, suggesting that baptism is illumination—because it is where we receive the Spirit, who cleanses, unveils, and enables us to participate in the light of the Son, Light from Light, for communion with the Father, the source of light.
Contrasting traditions, Uyen notes that while in Catholic theology illumination may emphasize sacramental grace, in Orthodox tradition, illumination allows us to partake in God’s energies rather than His essence. It also opens up communion between us and God. In the Reformed tradition, the economy of illumination is the process by which God awakens the elect from sin and death through the Spirit, bringing them to life and union with Christ. The Spirit and Scripture work together to give us spiritual sight.
After examining these traditions, Uyen develops this definition: “Communion with God is a new covenant fellowship with God through union with Christ, which flows from the mind and will of God in eternity and is actualized through the person and work of the Son in the history of redemption for elect sinners who receive the gospel by faith through the Holy Spirit.”
Open the Eyes of Our Hearts
Through the example of Paul, we see the Trinity at work: the Father opens the eyes of our hearts to behold the Son—the image of light—through the Spirit, the presence of light. From God’s perspective, we are granted the sight of light. It is a transformation of both mind and will.
Uyen shares how we “put on” and live out the life of light in God—how we participate in this illumination: (1) Being illumined in reading Scripture, (2) Being illumined in praying Scripture, (3) Being illumined in obeying Scripture, (4) Being illumined in partaking of Scripture via the sacraments, and (5) Being illumined in singing Scripture. In this way, Uyen concludes, illumination is not passive—but participatory.
Uyen ends with the thought that the economy of illumination will continue to open the eyes of our hearts to behold the face of God, as His love and light never end. And in the afterword, Matthew Levering shares how Christians share the light with one another — the type of Christian I want to be. This is a magnificent book, enlightening the eyes to behold the glory of Christ.
I received a media copy of In Your Light We See Light and this is my honest review. @diveindigdeep
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews