The Difference Between Darkness and Light (2)

Considering again Ephesians 5:8—For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light—we see first what we were as unbelievers—darkness.

Second, we see what we are as Believers—light, which is the phos (English “phosphorus,” etc.) and refers to light itself, not merely a lamp, candle, or any other source of light. When we couple this with the words but now ye are, we see that as we were once darkness, we are now . . . light.

What seems obvious about darkness and light is that they cannot coexist. If you turn on a light in a dark room, darkness flees. But it’s not as obvious in practical application. People talk much about “gray areas” of conduct, avoiding the terms “right or wrong” and “truth or error.” But the Scripture contains no such “gray areas.” Conduct is either moral or immoral, good or bad, true or false, right or wrong.

Throughout history darkness has been characterized by ignorance and immorality, but a certain amount of enlightenment came when men grew in knowledge. For example, many historians refer to the 18^th Century as “The Age of Enlightenment” because men began to shun ignorance and superstition and seek knowledge and learning.

Again, all this is true historically only because it is true spiritually. Without doubt, it was the Reformation that began to bring light into the world. It was the reformers who proclaimed the light of the Gospel, and it was this that changed darkness into light. While not perfect, the Reformation did bring back the truth of salvation that had been lost for centuries.

Jesus Christ is, indeed, the only One Who brings light. He declared of Himself, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). The imagery here is unmistakable historically but is often missed in our day. When we realize where our Lord was standing when He uttered those words, only then can we see the full significance of what He was saying. The setting of this statement was the Illumination of the Temple ceremony that took place during the Feast of the Tabernacles (or Booths). That feast, which began five days after the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), involved the Israelites presenting offering for seven days while they lived in huts (booths) made of palm fronds and leafy tree branches to remember their journey in Canaan (Lev. 23:43).

It was at the end of the feast that the Illumination ceremony took place, which is described in The Mishna. The Torah, of course, was what the Jews called “The Law,” the first five books of the Old Testament. Questions arose concerning the meanings of these laws, so over the years an oral law called “the tradition of the elders” developed, which was eventually written down around A.D. 200and named The Mishna, which means “repetition.” We read there of four tall, massive golden candleholders that stood in the Temple treasury. On top of each was a large torch and bowl containing a hundred and twenty logs (app. 20 gallons) of oil. There was also a ladder for each candleholder, which a priest would climb, pour oil into the bowl, place a wick in it that had been made out of old garments, and then lit it. The Mishna records that “there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem which was not lit up from the light.”

It was on that spot, according to John 8:20, that Jesus stood when he uttered those words, “I am the light of the world.” What a scene! In essence, our Lord was saying, “While these great torches light all of Jerusalem, I light the entire world. Only if you know Me, will you know light.”

Such knowledge, however, is more that simply head knowledge, which is not enough. Why? Because ignorance comes not from lack of general knowledge, such as math, grammar, or other scholastic knowledge, rather from a lack of personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. If we are ignorant of Christ, we are ignorant of everything, simply because He created everything (Jn. 1:1-3).

Further, it’s the personal knowledge of Jesus Christ that really changes the heart and mind of man. This is proven beyond doubt by the fact that civilized cultures have always, at some time in their history, had a strong Christian influence. That is not to say that that culture is deeply devout in spiritual things, but rather that there is a basic concept of God and His Word. This is true in America. Though the founding fathers were not all New Testament Christians (some were Deists), they founded America on basic Biblical principles. It’s only Christ Who brings meaningful knowledge, morality, and ethics to any society. Apart from God’s Truth and standards, ethics are relative at best and impossible at worst. God is the only One Who gives us light, and we must start with Him.