The Bible is replete with references contrasting light and darkness. We are told that in and through Christ, we move from darkness to light. Darkness is equated with confusion, deception, evil, and sin. The light is a reference to God's way, His truth, and the life that He gives. We are instructed by God's Word to walk in the light, live in the light, put on the armor of light, and be the light of the world. All this seems pretty self-evident, but it is not as simple as it sounds.
Darkness
Matthew 6:22-23 says, "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So, if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" In John's Gospel, Jesus references the fact that if people walk during the day (while it is light), they will not stumble. But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles because of the lack of light. These are sober words for any time and season, but they are essential in a situation in which darkness is readily accepted as light.
This acceptance is happening all around us. In the U.S., in particular, we live in a culture marked by a growing rejection of the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. We see the rejection of Biblical truth. We see many situations in which good is called evil and evil is called good. It is distressing to see this happening, and the problem is just beginning. The more significant issue is those who profess to be Christians accept and walk in the same darkness as the world.
Light
Think about the verses previously mentioned for a moment. "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness." Imagine for a moment that you are sitting in a dark room with your eyes closed. There is no light at all. You get up and try to walk, but you can't see anything. You stumble and fall, bump into things, and aren't even sure exactly what direction you are facing. You reach to turn on the light, but when you flip the switch, there is no light. The darkness intensifies. Now, there is a greater darkness than there was before. What a terrible situation to be in!
The world has rejected the light of God's truth. Leaders in the church are doing this too. A recent survey indicated that only about 6% of the population in the U.S. held to a complete Biblical worldview. Others had a partial Biblical worldview, allowing the darkness to creep in. The more we conform to the world, the more we walk in darkness rather than light. Whenever we accept what society labels true and good over what God's word says is true and good, we exchange the light we have been gifted for darkness. If the church "shines" darkness rather than the true light, how very dark the society will be.
Be The Light
The Church has the light of the revelation of Jesus Christ. The Church is called to brightly shine the light of the Good News, the truth of the Word of God. We are, as the body of Christ, the light of the world. As we see the approaching darkness, we must stand firm and shine the only Light that is the only hope of the world.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.