“I am the Light of the world.” These words, one of seven “I AM” statements spoken by Jesus, should be words of unimaginable comfort and hope to the world today. Jesus continues, “he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12). Not walk in darkness! Light! Life! Could there be anything better? Instead of bumbling and fumbling around in the grip of a black unending night, a cold sweat, afraid of what lies in the shadows, fearful, anxious, angry, full of hatred and bitterness, hopeless, desperate, overwhelmed by guilt and shame, defensive; you could lay it all down and opt for light, life, peace and joy instead.
People pay literally hundreds to thousands of dollars to hear someone (a false teacher selling junk) tell them how they can find the “light” within themselves or how they can become enlightened or how they can find illumination to penetrate the layers of darkness swirling in and around them, etc… How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m not religious: I’m spiritual.”? “I’m a seeker. I’m searching for enlightenment, for truth.” The problem with these “peddlers of falsehood and lies” is twofold: First, their message comes from the very pit of hell (2 Cor. 11:14)1 and second, even though they may not realize it, their 15 minutes of fame is over. They’re done. Finished.
Real, Genuine, Unshakable, Immovable Truth has already been bought and paid for. And it is free. For you and for me. For anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear. Now. Today.
Fact: There is no light in me apart from Christ. No truth. I was born in sin just like you. [Every single person on the planet has only one life and only up until the moment of their one physical death to make the choice to believe in Christ for eternal life (Heb. 9:27). Those who remain in unbelief will die in their sins. For the unbeliever, nothing changes when he dies, he remains a sinner for eternity (John 8:24). In scripture, light is the place of security and deliverance (Psalm 27:1; Is. 42:6; 49:6) and a figure for holiness, revelation, and truth (I John 1:5-7). The Light, Jesus, shines in the darkness. All darkness opposes Him, but in His sacrificial death for sin, He gained victory over darkness. Therefore, darkness did not, cannot, will not, overtake the light (John 1:5).] []Adapted from The Moody Bible Commentary
The redemption of the world itself is not what we fight for: The redemption of humanity: however, of human souls, that IS a mission worth fighting for. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10) and so, too, should we share with others about that good news – that Jesus saves. I can’t save anyone, heal anyone, fix anyone, restore, redeem or renew. That’s not my “job” as a Christian. My “job” is to speak the truth in love: Anything beyond that is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Social justice will not save the world. Anti-racism (which really isn’t), equity, diversity, inclusion, calling egregiously immoral and deviant behavior “acceptable” does not change anything: It only makes the world a more dangerous and threatening place to call home. Exchanging light for darkness, truth for lies, masking evil in the guise of Disney+, fueling fear, hatred and bigotry in the name of “racial equality and equity”, destroying the nuclear family; screaming, cursing, spewing racial slurs and vitriol, absurdity of every kind being espoused as the new “normal” are all ways (along with countless more) in which we, as a nation – a multicultural, multiracial community of people, have embraced darkness rather than light because our deeds are evil (John 3:19). Licentiousness (promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters) breeds chaos, anarchy (a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority or other controlling systems) and lawlessness (a state of disorder due to a disregard of the law); but liberty breeds peace, unity (NOT uniformity – pay attention!), and well-placed, welcome, healthy boundaries.
Our nation has sunk into the muddy, murky morass of a selfish and radically amoral culture (much akin to the town Vanity which is home to a huge Fair as described in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan). As Faithful and Christian make their way through the town they are mocked, mistreated, taken captive, brought to trial and one of them eventually killed – all because they do not bow to the degenerate nature of the surrounding culture. Christian and Faithful choose to remain obedient to the Truth – to, if I may, (in today’s language) hold on to their deeply held religious beliefs. This choice makes the people of Vanity angry and afraid, which results, as it always does, in defensive and ultimately destructive attitudes and actions.
The swirling mass of gross indifference to pre-born life, the vile hatred that bubbles and roils between people of differing skin color and cultural experiences, the false “religion” and distorted take on history that’s being peddled by “leaders?” such as Kendi (we’ll talk more about him later) only act to damage and destroy what little humanity struggles to stay afloat among the furiously twisting tempest of filth and incivility that progressive radical leftist ideologues are spewing in the name of “social justice”.
There are hard choices that need to be made by believers in the world today. The U.S. is becoming increasingly hostile to Christians, to parents, to women, to conservatives… and, of course, to Truth. Will you let your light shine in the darkness? I want to. I want the light of Jesus to shine forth, to dispel the darkness and to illuminate the Truth.
1Adapted from the Moody Bible Commentary: Like Satan, opponents of the Christian faith may claim to be Christians, but their mission is both false and deceptive. They may appear righteous and true, but it’s just a masquerade. They are not Christians at all, but servants of Satan. In the final judgment, their masks will be removed, and their works will be identified as evil.
