What exposes darkness?
Does darkness expose darkness?
or
Does light expose darkness?
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6
Indwelling sin has been eating at man’s soul since Adam and Eve took the first bite of it in the Garden of Eden. Although we like to claim we have come a long way as a human race and made many advances, the darkness within still bellows like the dark smoke of a roaring wildfire.
Sin still has the same effect on man as it did when Eve first saw the fruit. Temptation often looks like a shiny apple hanging on a green tree. A person cannot help but look at it and consider what it will taste like. Our minds and hearts try to convince us that that shiny apple will fill us and make us wise. Why wouldn’t a person want to take a bite of this beautiful apple? So we reach out and pluck the apple from the tree and bite deep into the middle. Quickly, we realize that that shiny red apple, that we had been admiring for so long, is rotten, black, worm infested, and doesn’t fill us as we had so foolishly thought.
Before the fall of man sin did not reside within Adam and Eve. They knew nothing of darkness. God was their light and there was no darkness within them. Adam and Eve were in perfect harmony with their creator. Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). 1 John 1:5 depicts God as light, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” So, if man was made in God’s image and likeness than it is safe to say that Adam and Eve were clothed in His light and knew nothing of darkness. What great agony and anguish their souls must have suffered. Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presents of God because they were no longer clothed in His light. Their shame was exposed to the God’s great light and suddenly they knew of darkness, the darkness was within them.
The recognition of this darkness only is made know to those who draw near to the light. Darkness knows nothing of the depths of its darkness. Light exposes the depths of the darkness.
Job was a righteous and upright man who feared God. God, Himself exclaimed, in Job 1:8, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” By all accounts Job was forthright man; he was a mature believer and had his heart right with God. Satan brought upon Job great suffering. Job, whom was considered close to God, than knew the depths of darkness. It was all around him and soon the darkness moved from around him to within him. God seemed distant, Job exclaimed in 30:20 “I cry to You for help and You do not answer me; I stand and you only look at me.” Job wrestled, so to speak, with his darkness, he wrestled with God. In his wrestling God rebuked him saying, “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! (Job 38:19-21) God created light, He is the light to our souls. He asked Job if he knew the way to the abode of light and where darkness resides. He regards light and darkness as having a home. Job was humbled and in later text (Job 40:4) exclaimed: “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.” Through God’s rebuke Job knew the depths of his darkness. He knew his sin and he knew that he could not depend on his own righteousness but God’s righteousness. When Job came to the nearness of God’s light he knew his darkness, enough to exclaim, “I am vile!”
The depths of darkness that Adam, Eve, and Job discovered are revealed to all who come near to the Great Light. When we believe in Jesus Christ our sins are pardoned. We are saved by divine grace. His light does shine within us, revealing the depths of our darkness. We each may exclaim, “I am vile!”
Within the believer, there lays two natures. Each believer has the nature of a regenerated soul, through Jesus Christ, which is our spiritual nature that comes from right from heaven. It is as pure and spotless as freshly fallen snow, for God is the creator of it. Then there is our corrupt nature, which by the fall of Adam, has created a deep darkness, that lays in the depths an enemy, which never sleeps. The second nature is kept under by the new nature but is not completely removed until we have risen with glory and put off our fleshly nature. Paul in Romans 7:22-23 describes these two natures as being at war, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
Since there is, as I described an enemy within, and as Paul describes, a war within, we must vigilant. Although the enemy maybe quite for a while, evil still lies within, plotting an attack. For even, if the enemy is not waging war there is no “white flag” from either side. There cannot, nor will there ever be, a truce from either side because one is of God and one is of hell. There is nothing more dangerous or threatening to a Christian than that of their own heart. Yet, the world whispers sweetly follow your heart! False, that is where the enemy lays! Christian, if you be in Christ, follow Him. Don’t trust the deep, dark, depths, of your own heart. Trust the true light. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” -Jeremiah 17:9
We must know the danger we are in from having such an enemy within. If the enemy is not waging war, it is plotting for its next attack. Many a Christians takes for granted what a miracle it is to be kept in the faith. Christian, do you know that you are a miracle? We often take for granted the miracles we are surrounded with on a daily basis. The believer is a continual miracle. It is only through the blood of Christ that we can be daily renewed and kept in the protection of His loving arms. The adversary, the Devil, lurks around you waiting to devour you and the enemy lurks within. You are surrounded on all sides and have a traitor within! What a rich blessing it is to have God’s mercy, love, and light poured out on you daily. What a treasure it is to have a high King that takes up the sword on our behalf to subdue the enemy within. What a reward salvation is that Christ has won on our behalf.
What a godsend it is to have discovered this enemy within. It is impossible for a soldier to fight an enemy if he does not know where he lay. Only by God’s light can we discover this traitor that lurks within. We need to see the depths of the darkness to know the power of the light. We need to know that we cannot live without the light. There is honesty, humility, and power that comes with the realization that we are in despite need of the True Light. That True Light is that of Jesus Christ, who came to justify the ungodly. (Romans 4:5) “But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Jesus came to pardon even the most ungodly, darkest, depths of your soul. To confess that we are sinful and unclean and to know of the dirty rags that are found in even our best efforts is a pure blessing. The blessing that comes forth from the knowledge that we are poor, miserable, sinners, is that of knowing that God reaches down a shines light on even the darkest parts of your existence. These are the darkest, filthiest, wretches of your soul that you do not even dare let your most beloved friend know. God in all of his boundless mercy and love reaches down and says, “You are not alone.” You are then brought to your knees in sincere repentance at the foot of the cross because you know that that is the safest place you can be. God takes you in His arms and pours out His forgiveness and love upon you.
God in all of His love and mercy sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross. On that cross he took the darkness of my sins, your sins, and sins of the world on Himself. All four Gospels give account to this significant moment. The cross reveals the full extent and darkness of human sin. Luke’s account reads: “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When He had said this, He breathed His last breath.” (23:44-46) Luke gives three specific events that take place during Jesus’ crucifixion. Darkness was over the land when Jesus enters the judgement of our sin, in substitute of us. Where there is sin the judgement of God must be present. This darkness was significant because Jesus took upon Himself the world’s sin and therefore God’s judgement. Jesus who was sinless became sin and entered into the darkness. In that darkness he fought every enemy that resides with in us. There is no sin that you ever committed or can commit that Jesus hasn’t already taken upon the cross for you. He entered into the darkness so you can enter into His light. The second event that took place was curtain of the temple was torn. In the Garden of Eden God walked among Adam and Eve. When sin entered the world God clothed Adam and Eve and sent them out of the garden, out of God’s presents. He blocks the entrance of the garden with a flaming sword. Later on, the temple is built. At the center of the temple is a sacred place called the Holies of Holies, this is where God’s presents dwells. The Holies of Holies is so sacred that only the High priest can enter once a year to make atonement for sins of God’s people, through the sprinkling of blood. When Jesus tore the curtain in the temple he granted access to the presents of God through His own blood. Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) That is exactly what Jesus did when he tore the curtain. He granted access to Father and to His forgiveness through the sprinkling of His own blood. This is an open invitation to all who believe to enter into God’s presents. Then Jesus makes a loud proclamation, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” At that moment when Jesus drew his last breath forgiveness was released.
Jesus has set us free from the enemy of sin. His spirit dwells within us and He shines light on all of the enemy’s hiding places. There is nowhere for darkness to hide when you have His light within. Those that draw near to God’s light will have an awakened sense of the darkness that dwells within. Lay that darkness at the Cross and take heed to Jesus’ resurrection. The world’s sin that bound Him to the Cross could not hold Him. Just as Jesus rose, He promises the same for you. The enemy’s reign is over, Jesus’ reign has begun.
ashli87 