Light in a Darkened World

Nena Arias | December 11, 2017

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

Have you ever tried to imagine how beautiful and perfect creation must have been in the very beginning before sin entered into the world? I have. 

I have imagined that there are no dead leaves or branches on bushes, trees or flowers, and that gorgeous hues in colors that we have never seen before come through reflected from brilliant sunshine. I have also tried to imagine what it would be like if there was never any rain, thunder or lightning yet all vegetation received its moisture rising from the ground like Genesis 2:6 says, “But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground.” Can you imagine the perfection and bounty that would create in all the landscape that you could see in any direction? In a perfect world, there would be no ferocious animals because they would all be tame and approachable and maybe even talk, why not? I imagine there would be such unimaginable beauty, harmony and maybe even music permeating the entire earth. Light would be so pure and the air so clean it would invigorate us immensely with every breath. Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Yet, we know only too well how tragic was the change when sin entered the world through disobedience. The comforting fact is that God was prepared for all that too and he had already devised a plan to redeem that which was lost and restore it back to its original beauty and continue to share it with those of his creation that would so choose to enjoy it with him.

He told us about it in Genesis 3:15, one of the most important verses in the Bible, as he declared judgment on the old serpent, Satan, who tempted Adam and Eve into disobedience; then God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” We know that ultimate seed of the woman would be Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. This was the promise of a Redeemer. Meaning the Promised One, and the eventual virgin birth of Christ. 

After sin entered humankind, spiritual death and physical death was also manifested. The world went dark. The ugly manifestations of sin began with full force as we are told in Genesis of the murder of Abel, Adam and Eve’s second born, by his older brother Cain. Since then, the effects of sin never stopped or came under control until Christ entered into the human chain from outside of human history to be our Redeemer. He defeated sin and death and thus fulfilled the promise given in Genesis 3:15. He came to once again light this darkened world by being the light of the world and gave us a living hope that whosoever follows him will never again walk in darkness but shall have the light of life, of redemption, and to fully understand our existence from God’s perspective.

We no longer have to perish eternally but are given the opportunity to chose life with our heavenly Father forever, as John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

In order to accomplish the redemption of the world and the human race, God has already done all the heavy lifting but now you and I must “pick up the rear”, so to speak, if we want to be included in his eternal divine plan and share it with others so they too can be included. Now you and I, through Jesus Christ and his merits, must also be overcomers over sin and the death it produces. 

God is counting on us to also be light in this darkened world and show his brilliance along our earthly path to guide others back to him.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
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