Jesus is the Light

A comedian once asked, “What is the speed of dark?” We know that the speed of light is 299, 792, 458 m/s. We know that light travels, it can be refracted, slowed down and even stopped. But what about dark?

Darkness is everywhere. It is static, stagnant and passive. Metaphorically speaking, darkness facilitates deception by concealing motives. However, darkness cannot displace light. Light displaces dark. Light penetrates the shadows and dissipates darkness.

The Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world. It is a dark world. Isaiah 60:2a says,  “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, ” and Isaiah 8:22 reads, “Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.”

Furthermore, John 3:19-21 reveals, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it can be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

God is depicted as light in scripture. 1 John 1:5 says, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” Furthermore, Jesus said, “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).

Our Sinful Nature

So what is it about our dark world that resists the light of God and causes people to retreat into the shadows and hide from the truth of God? Dark people with dark purposes prefer to operate incognito in order to maintain a sense of anonymity and to avoid accountability.

In truth, mankind loves their sinful nature more than they love God. It is our sinful nature that compels us to prefer the path of least resistance and coast through life without even wanting to learn about God. Learning about God requires effort and once we become informed about God there comes responsibility and obedience. 

The apostle Paul writes,  “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8-11).

In other words, Paul states,  “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:2). And later in the same chapter:  “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.” (Romans 6:13).

Life In The Light

In the sermon on the mount Jesus taught believers,  “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).

In John’s gospel, in the twelfth chapter, verse 46, Jesus is recorded as saying,  “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” And once again, John informs us that, “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5).

This is easier said than done for a fallen people, and Paul preached at length about the challenge of overcoming our tendency to follow the path of least resistance. “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and he adds in verse 6, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

If you have ever tried to share the gospel with an atheist you would have witnessed their complete lack of comprehension regarding God and how they will resort to wildly outlandish logic in an attempt to explain God out of existence. Worldly arguments to explain life often require more faith to believe than to accept that Christ rose from the dead. Nonbelievers are often willingly obstinate in unrepentance which darkens their perception of reality and results in spiritual blindness.

Worldview Vs Heavenly Perception

Worldly values and the devolution of the moral fabric of society are evidence that mankind defaults to loving darkness more than light. And as these values influence church leadership,  the resulting lukewarm faith of contemporary Christians leaves them vulnerable to slipping from light into darkness. The very thing the apostle Paul warned against. 

It is popular today to preach of the love of Christ and diminish references to the coming judgement.  Society prefers to continue in ignorance than to be reprimanded. Bible verses that emphasize acceptance are highlighted while those that speak of condemnation are ignored, often within the same passage. For example,  in John 12:47, Jesus says,  “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them , I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”

Along with the popular John 3:16 verse that says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Many modern Christians have grown to accept partial truth as uncritical consumers of the messages from their pulpits, and misinterpret the gospel to mean everyone is now saved.

The very next verses of these passages of scripture provide the context of their meaning. John 12:48, “There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not accept My words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” And John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

There is a real danger in not professing the full counsel of God’s word in much the same way as there is a very real danger in not permitting the full light of the gospel to shine in every corner of our lives. It is crucial to fully embrace Jesus, step fully into His light and surrender to Him. That is the essence of being born again. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).

Having a heavenly perception means focusing on the hope we have in Christ beyond our earthly existence and not getting caught up in societal passions and aspirations. Matthew 6:19-23 records Jesus teaching about the importance of storing up treasures in heaven because where our treasures are is where our hearts will be. Additionally, Jesus taught that our eyes are the lamp of our bodies and if we constantly focus on unhealthy images such as lustful entertainment, we will become filled with darkness.

Darkness cannot coexist with light and similarly faith in God simply cannot coexist with love for a dark world.  (James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-16). Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30). The late Charles Stanley posits a similar concept with the words, “Basically, there are two paths you can walk: faith and fear. It’s impossible to simultaneously trust God and not trust God.”