“From darkness to light…”
Someone once explained to me that God never created darkness. Darkness occurs when there is no light. Already in Genesis 1:3 we are told that God created light, yes even before the light bearers such as the Sun, moon, and stars were created. We also know that when God created, it was very good (v31).
Unfortunately, because of man’s fall into sin, sinful mankind has preferred the darkness to the light. We see it at the highest level of governments and in our communities and when we are not on our guard, it can so easily infiltrate our churches as well.
Through the OT narratives, God’s people so often turned away from the true source of light and life, namely, their Creator God, to follow idols and ultimately the way of death. And if it were not for God’s grace and mercy calling His people to repentance, no remnant would have been spared.
Even in the NT church, sinful people preferred darkness over light. The Apostle John wrote with the coming of Jesus, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil” (Jn 3:19). The Pharisees taught that the only way of salvation was through full obedience to God’s law. It was a yoke that God’s people could not carry and would ultimately lead to darkness if it were not for God’s grace to them in Christ (Mat 11:28ff).
Paul, when writing to the Churches of Galatia was staggered that God’s people had so quickly left the real gospel to follow a false gospel. The message of salvation in Jesus Christ alone had been twisted to a message that had to be completed by the works of sinful flesh! No wonder Paul was quick to call such preaching a false gospel for it only had the potential of sending people into darkness all over again! In fact, Paul states in unequivocal terms, “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Gal 3:10). There is no ‘good-news’ if salvation depends on us!
The same message of ‘darkness’ was being proclaimed by the Church before the reformation. Instead of the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ being proclaimed a dark message of purchasing indulgencies was being proclaimed so that loved ones might spring from purgatory. What an awful dark message to hear and live under.
We may wonder why this twisting of the gospel occurred. No doubt power, status, and greed drove much of this thinking, after all, how else would they raise enough money to maintain the clergy and build St Peter’s Basilica? Throughout Christendom, sinful mankind without the Holy Spirit is always inclined to go towards the darkness. The ‘fight’ of the Reformation never ends!
Jesus came proclaiming that he was the “…light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). As individuals and as churches we constantly need to bring the liberating light of the gospel to bear on the darkness that continually threatens to pervade our communities and the church. In that sense, we always need to be reforming, meeting the various challenges placed before us reminding ourselves continually about the central truths of the gospel as found in Scripture alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-9). Let us bathe in that wonderful good news and not allow the darkness to infiltrate. JZ.