Pastor Herk continues: We are not called to isolate and hide the light of God, Christ and the biblical truth from the fallen world. We are neither to accept, affirm or participate in thoughts, words or deeds of the darkness of sin and unbelief. Darkness is a dead state of condemnation. In John 3:19-20 the Apostle states, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” What God calls “wrong” and “ evil” is wrong and evil. Expose it as such. Psalm 34:14 directs us to, “Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.” The Apostle Paul initiates in Philippians 2:14-16 “become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
The Apostle Paul charges in 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” The Greek word for “darkness” here is “skotos”, meaning of ignorance respecting Divine things of God and human duties, and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality, together with their consequent misery in Hell. As earlier said, Webster’s dictionary defines darkness as obscurity of truth in God and His Word; want of clearness or perspicuity, as utter darkness, therefore spiritually blind to that which is spiritually discerned. We are to interact and reason with unbelievers, yet we are to stand firm on the Word, Will and Way of God, not conforming to their godless ideology, blasphemous teachings or immoral behavior. Sometimes that is difficult, as darkness legalizes sin and criminalizes godliness, holiness and righteousness in spiritual warfare manifest in physical life. Isaiah 5:20 declares, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” We increasingly see this today.
So, how do Christians balance interaction with unbelievers without accepting their sin? How do Christ followers find a healthy balance that we can respect other people and tolerating their views without believing, acknowledging, embracing or resembling because we cannot stand for God and stand against God at the same time; that is an oxymoron against the Law of Non-contradiction. In this fallen world, the darkness all around is a heavy distraction, temptation, influence and burden sometimes. 1 Peter 1:13-15 directs us, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” The word “holy” here is “hagios”, meaning most holy thing, a saint (a people who are sanctified) sacred [set apart] to God which are not to be profaned. Give evidence that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, trusting and obeying the Word of God and living daily by the biblical worldview. God has given us an opportunity to minister gospel light into the lives of other people.
The second principle in Ephesians 5:7-10 that help us to be lights to the world is (2) Recall the way that you once were before repenting and accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but don’t go back to it and let it recur again. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth). Before salvation and becoming Christ-followers we were all different. In Ephesians 2:1-5 the Apostle Paul reminds us, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” We were transformed from darkness to light.
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment