Did you know there is a far superior kind of
light to that which emanates from the sun? It is described like this: “the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.”[1]
Do you know why so many people do not see
this light? It is because, “the god of
this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”[2]
Do you know why “the god of this world” is so determined to promote his evolutionary
religion throughout his earthly kingdom? Because he doesn’t want people to know
that, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine
out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”[3]
If this enemy of God and man can keep people
from believing that God began his work of creation with that glorious peal of
authority, “Let there be light!”[4] he can also keep people from seeing that this same Creator would
shine into our hearts to give us that greater light, “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
What do we do once we recognize that we have
been blinded by the lies of the god of this age? Jesus said, “I have come into the world as light, so
that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”[5]
Jesus makes it clear that “whoever” hears this good news and
responds with the “believes in me”
faith, will “not remain in darkness.”
Even the god of this age cannot hold in darkness whomever Jesus brings into his
light.
There is one other thing the god of this age
does not want us to know (amongst all the others, that is). Here is what is
waiting in the new home Jesus is making for his brothers:[6] “And the city has no need of
sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp
is the Lamb.”[7]
Do you see this? The first act of creation, “Let there be light!” gave us the light
to see that God created us as a creature who could know him. However, through
our willful sin, the god of this age has successfully blinded people to the
light of God revealed through his creation.
To resolve our darkness problem, God so
loved the world that he gave us his Beloved Son so that whoever believes in Jesus
as the Christ will not perish in the darkness, but will receive the light of
eternal life.[8] In that wonderful reality, Jesus came into the world announcing, “I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”[9]
When people receive Jesus Christ by faith,
we not only come to have light in the moment, we not only become the people
living in darkness who have seen a great light,[10] but we have Jesus’ word that he is preparing a home for us in which
there will be no need of the sun to give us light, or the moon to shine over
us, “for the glory of God gives it light,
and its lamp is the Lamb.”
We have two choices: the first choice, the
default program, if you will, is to fulfil what Jesus described as, “And this is the judgment: the light has
come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light
because their works were evil.”[11] We know that the god of this age actively works to keep us in such
blindness as this.
On the other hand, the gracious invitation
of God is that, “The true light (Jesus),
which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world,”[12] and, “to all who did receive
him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”[13]
The god of this age gives the world the gift
of darkness, and blindness. He deliberately blinds people “to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.”
On the other gloriously gracious hand, the
God who created the heavens and the earth gives us “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
The daily rising of the sun is a gracious
gift of God to present a wonderful demonstration of his glory. He called
material light into existence, and then gave us the sun, moon, and stars to
keep that light in constant display before the world he created. This material
light calls us into the spiritual, living light of God, through the abiding,
saving, shepherding light of our Lord Jesus Christ.
While coming into this light will also
expose all the sins we had hidden in the darkness, we have this overwhelmingly
gracious gift of God to welcome us: “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.”[14]
To walk in the light of Jesus Christ now,
leading to that glorious light of the Father and Son in our eternal home, gives
us all the motivation we need to turn from our darkness and into God’s light.
If you just can’t see this, and you have
been convinced of the evolutionary religion’s dogmas, but you wonder if there
is another light-filled dimension that you just haven’t discovered yet, call
out to God like this (no matter how unsure you are if anyone is listening):
“I
call to the Only True God who created the heavens and the earth, and to his
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom, and by whom, all things were made.
“I ask
that, if I am truly blinded by this person called ‘the god of this age,’ and
this is keeping me from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ the Lord, would you please shine in my heart to give
me “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
“I ask
you to settle this in my heart, whether there truly is a light in the One True
God that I have not seen simply because the god of this age has blinded me to
it. If there is light to see, and this light can be seen in the eternal Son of
God, Jesus Christ the Lord, I pray to have whatever work of the Only True God
is required for me to come to experience this as the ultimate reality in my own
life.”
There is no magic in these particular words.
God watches our hearts to see whether we have any sincere desire to know the truth.
Jesus the Christ said, “I am the way, and
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”[15] The god of this age works very hard to keep you from seeing that.
However, the Only True God is shining his light upon you to show you the glory
of Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life.
A long time ago, a blind man called out to Jesus
as he was passing by. Jesus stopped and asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man responded with
this request, “Lord, let me recover my
sight.”[16] Jesus is still passing
by, so to speak, spreading the good news of sight and salvation throughout the
world. If you ask him to do for you as he did for that blind man some time ago,
he will give sight to your blind eyes now just as he did for that man then.
And, of course, if you need help, please
ask.
© 2015 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
No comments:
Post a Comment