Light and Darkness

Dear Weekly Readers! God’s Peace!

The topic of this week’s article is Light and Darkness. This is so fitting considering the day we live in, with so much of the world living in open and outright sin.

Be encouraged dear believer, your Light (which is HIM) shines better in the darkness, so do not despair, rather let it shine.

Dear reader who does not yet believe, the Day of Grace still is today! Repent and believe the Gospel, and come out of the darkness and into the Light.

Please enjoy the article and May God Bless your Week! John R.


LIGHT AND DARKNESS

We are living in a world of darkness, no matter where we may be on this planet. We cannot avoid the reality of this darkness. To do so exposes our own darkness, even though we be disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Did not Jesus say to his own, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness” (Matt. 6:22-23).I believe what our Lord was speaking about is that our own grasp and understanding of God’s Word, and especially knowing Christ, is like darkness, how great is the darkness of unbelief!

There are, at least, two facts of this darkness with which we must contend. The first is the fact that because our hearts are evil by nature we commit evil deeds. We sin because by nature we are the enemies of God (Rom. 6:8). Then because of these evil deeds, we love the darkness because we do not want to be “found out,” either by being confronted or convicted of our sinful attitudes, words, or actions. We are no different than Adam and Eve. We try to hide from the Light! The Evangelist John in his Gospel wrote: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (Jn. 3:19-20). The only solution to our lying, deceiving ways is to come to the Light, as John continues—“But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (Jn. 3:21).

But this is exactly one of the barriers against truth with which we must contend. Man’s pride underlies his manifold ways to defend himself against the truth. Yes, the truth hurts, but it does not hurt as much as the lie! It hurts God, others, ourselves, and the whole world suffers on account of it. This is why we read in the Book of Revelation that “…all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). The reason this is so is because only the blood of Jesus can cover sin. As long as we are unwilling to admit and confess our sins, they cannot be covered by the blood of Christ. We read in Proverbs 28:13, “He that coverth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” God have mercy on us that we would be moved by His Spirit to humble ourselves and draw near to God that he may draw near to us (James 4:8).

The second fact of darkness with which we must contend is our natural inability to comprehend it coupled with a determination to overcome it. Again, we read John’s testimony of the Lord, “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (Jn. 1:4-5). Luther attests to the fact in his explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles Creed saying: “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him…” This, he goes on to say, is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Since this is the case, we need not despair if others to whom we preach the Gospel do not understand, for only God can open their ears and eyes. And, on the other hand, neither need we be afraid of those who oppose the Gospel, even to the point of killing us, for no matter how forcefully or viciously people may fight against the Lord, they cannot gain the victory. When our Lord said the gates of hell cannot prevail against His Church (Matt. 16:18), it is so!

Let us, therefore, go forth as soldiers of the cross proclaiming the mighty power of God by which the enslaved and imprisoned masses can be set free from their bondage of sin and death to live in the freedom and victory of our precious Lord Jesus Christ—the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

God’s Peace be with you!
Pastor Wayne Juntunen

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