Light, darkness and His glory

The Bible is full of metaphors and other figures of speech that help readers understand what God is telling us. One of the easier ones, at least for me, is light and darkness. I like light, but too bright hurts my eyes. Darkness is okay, but not total as running into walls or tripping over shoes on the floor is dangerous.

In the Bible, light suggests nothing hidden, no areas of confusion or being unable to see. Darkness is the opposite. Yet this metaphor goes farther than our personal experiences and represents much more . . .

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5–7)

Obviously, God is the ultimate light. He sees and knows everything. Because of sin and human frailties, I cannot do that. These verses suggest light and truth go together, but I’m not able to see and discern every lie. I mishandle the truth myself. I also fail to walk in the light that I do have, falling short of my own standards, never mind the higher standards of my holy God.

These verses tell me darkness is more than not being able to see. It is also not being able to have fellowship with God even though He loves me dearly. To remedy that, I must get out of the dark!

Another factor of darkness is how I can walk around in it saying I know and have fellowship with God, but that does not fly with Him. To say it is a lie. Practicing the truth is not only knowing it but walking by it, living the life that God’s truth describes and being truthful concerning where I am in that walk.

Another gauge of where I am walking is my spiritual relationships with other Christians. Fellowship is an interesting and often misused word. Christians can meet, sing, have coffee, and do all sorts of things together but no have fellowship. Genuine fellowship involves sharing the life of Christ with each other. If I am walking in the dark, that will not happen. Relationships will be superficial and mere ‘human’ (even fun) if they are without the precious openness and light of the Holy Spirit.

How does anyone get out of the dark and into the light? The answer is right after these verses:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

It is a simple answer — be honest about where I am. Yet if I am in the dark, how can I see where I am? This enlightening is the work of the Holy Spirit! He continues to bring light and life to all His people, correcting, encouraging, instructing, and drawing us continually to God, to the light. The enemy tells me lies — I tell myself lies — but greater is the One who lives in me, whose desire and task is to keep me in His care and walking in truth.

Many times, I have prayed, “Lord, You are the Savior. I need saving. Save me.” As Tozer says, the Holy Spirit comes with the light of truth in one hand and the blood of Christ in the other. What the light reveals, the blood cleanses.

^^^^^^^

Jesus, You are so wonderful. I was not like the moth drawn to the flame but was more like some horrid creature drawn to darkness, yet You took hold of me and pull me away from the fate of living lies in oblivion and thinking I was okay. You continually steer me toward the light and the truth — not only to show me where I was and am now, but to show me the glory of Yourself!