"I form light and create darkness..." (Isa. 45:7, ESV).
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, ESV).
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV).
"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psa. 119:130, NIV).
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light, we see light" (Psa. 36:9, NIV).
"Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me" (Psa. 43:3, NIV).
"I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations" (Isa. 42:6, CEV).
This is the verdict: men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, and refused to come to the light, lest their deeds are exposed (cf. John 3:19). Woe to those who put light for darkness and darkness for light (cf. Isa. 5:20). Coming to the light is the same as coming to Jesus and coming clean. There is just enough light to see if one wants to and enough darkness to keep those in the dark who wish to stray there and not come to the light (cf. John 7:17).
It's true that seeing isn't believing, but believing is seeing because we believe in order to understand according to Augustine. No one is in total darkness (cf. Acts 14:17), but there is always a light to show the way for those who might repent. We all experience darkness on occasion because we shouldn't "... doubt in the dark what God told [us] in the light (attributed, Raymond Edman). Jesus came to bear witness of the light and enlightened every man. When we see the light, our lives are transformed, on a mission, and we see Jesus in action.
The reason we can't see God, who is Light, and dwells in unapproachable light (cf. 1 Tim. 6:16), is because we cannot even bear to look into the sun, one of His creations, much less see His glory. There is no darkness with God (cf. 1 John 1:5). It has been told of a man who lived in a dark cave and when he went outside was afraid of the light and went back into the dark cave where he felt secure and unseen. Newsflash: God sees in the darkness and nothing is hidden from Him (cf. Psa. 90:8). When we get saved we see the light and our spiritual eyes are opened, especially in reading the Bible.
Christians are called to be lights and not to hide our light but to let it shine and change the world with it collectively. We are the light of the world (cf. Matt 5:14). We are to be children of light, putting off the works of darkness, and to act like it as God's ambassadors (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20), and witnesses to a dark, fallen world that doesn't see the way, doing works of light. Our light is equated with truth (cf. John 3:21, "he that doeth truth cometh to the light"), and Amos accuses the people of "twisting the truth and stomping on justice"--the same thing is occurring today as we see Postmodern worldviews becoming predominate and people not even knowing what truth is, much less what a lie is--they seem to think that truth is what they prefer to believe or what works for them, and another person's truth has no power over them because it's all relevant.
It is unfortunate, as James Russell Lowell says: "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne." There seem to be no truths anyone is willing to die for anymore. Hosea 5:6 says that when people refuse the light, it's withdrawn from them. It is only by God's grace that we acknowledge the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) and the highest regard is to be well spoken of by the truth (cf. 3 John v. 12). It is the truth that sets us free (cf. John 8:32), referring to knowing the Lord, for Augustine said "all truth is God's truth" and Aquinas added that "all truth meets at the top," to discover the truth is to discover the God of truth in some manner.
We are to walk in the truth, or in the light figuratively because the Word of Truth is what sanctifies us (cf. John 17:17). God is light and in Him is no darkness, and therefore there is no fellowship between light and darkness and we are to come out from it and be separate or holy. "Come, ... let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isa. 2:5, NIV). When we walk and abide in the light, even as Christ is in the light, we have sweet fellowship with one another (cf. 1 John 1:7).
The fool walks in darkness though (cf. Eccl. 2:14), so we must show the way and be lights in a dark world, putting on the armor of light (cf. Rom. 13:12). If we say we are in the light, we ought to walk in the light (1 John 2:9ff). "The LORD is my light and my salvation..." (Psa. 27:1, NIV): everyone needs to see the light.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, ESV).
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV).
"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psa. 119:130, NIV).
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light, we see light" (Psa. 36:9, NIV).
"Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me" (Psa. 43:3, NIV).
"I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations" (Isa. 42:6, CEV).
This is the verdict: men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, and refused to come to the light, lest their deeds are exposed (cf. John 3:19). Woe to those who put light for darkness and darkness for light (cf. Isa. 5:20). Coming to the light is the same as coming to Jesus and coming clean. There is just enough light to see if one wants to and enough darkness to keep those in the dark who wish to stray there and not come to the light (cf. John 7:17).
It's true that seeing isn't believing, but believing is seeing because we believe in order to understand according to Augustine. No one is in total darkness (cf. Acts 14:17), but there is always a light to show the way for those who might repent. We all experience darkness on occasion because we shouldn't "... doubt in the dark what God told [us] in the light (attributed, Raymond Edman). Jesus came to bear witness of the light and enlightened every man. When we see the light, our lives are transformed, on a mission, and we see Jesus in action.
The reason we can't see God, who is Light, and dwells in unapproachable light (cf. 1 Tim. 6:16), is because we cannot even bear to look into the sun, one of His creations, much less see His glory. There is no darkness with God (cf. 1 John 1:5). It has been told of a man who lived in a dark cave and when he went outside was afraid of the light and went back into the dark cave where he felt secure and unseen. Newsflash: God sees in the darkness and nothing is hidden from Him (cf. Psa. 90:8). When we get saved we see the light and our spiritual eyes are opened, especially in reading the Bible.
Christians are called to be lights and not to hide our light but to let it shine and change the world with it collectively. We are the light of the world (cf. Matt 5:14). We are to be children of light, putting off the works of darkness, and to act like it as God's ambassadors (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20), and witnesses to a dark, fallen world that doesn't see the way, doing works of light. Our light is equated with truth (cf. John 3:21, "he that doeth truth cometh to the light"), and Amos accuses the people of "twisting the truth and stomping on justice"--the same thing is occurring today as we see Postmodern worldviews becoming predominate and people not even knowing what truth is, much less what a lie is--they seem to think that truth is what they prefer to believe or what works for them, and another person's truth has no power over them because it's all relevant.
It is unfortunate, as James Russell Lowell says: "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne." There seem to be no truths anyone is willing to die for anymore. Hosea 5:6 says that when people refuse the light, it's withdrawn from them. It is only by God's grace that we acknowledge the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) and the highest regard is to be well spoken of by the truth (cf. 3 John v. 12). It is the truth that sets us free (cf. John 8:32), referring to knowing the Lord, for Augustine said "all truth is God's truth" and Aquinas added that "all truth meets at the top," to discover the truth is to discover the God of truth in some manner.
We are to walk in the truth, or in the light figuratively because the Word of Truth is what sanctifies us (cf. John 17:17). God is light and in Him is no darkness, and therefore there is no fellowship between light and darkness and we are to come out from it and be separate or holy. "Come, ... let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isa. 2:5, NIV). When we walk and abide in the light, even as Christ is in the light, we have sweet fellowship with one another (cf. 1 John 1:7).
The fool walks in darkness though (cf. Eccl. 2:14), so we must show the way and be lights in a dark world, putting on the armor of light (cf. Rom. 13:12). If we say we are in the light, we ought to walk in the light (1 John 2:9ff). "The LORD is my light and my salvation..." (Psa. 27:1, NIV): everyone needs to see the light.
In summation, let's fulfill the Word of God in Isa. 60:1, NIV, saying, "[A]rise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has come upon you." It's a known, undisputed fact among believers that the closer you get to the light, the more imperfections are seen. Soli Deo Gloria!
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