Day 2: God's Creation is Good
Everything that God created is good. However, there was one thing that was not good. It was not man, because all that God had created was good. What was not good was that man was alone. God fixed that. And then in the New Testament there seems to be some further evidence that what God had fixed needed fixing again. We read in 1 John 5 that “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but 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. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let’s talk about darkness for a minute. Darkness is defined by Accurate & Reliable Dictionary as: A state of privacy; secrecy. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as, the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion. A state of distress or trouble. An unenlightened state; “he was in the dark concerning their intentions”. An unilluminated area; “he moved off into the darkness”. Absence of light or illumination. Absence of moral or spiritual values; “the powers of darkness”.
It could be uncertainty, fears, anxiety, not knowing just how things would turn out, being in the clutches of a terminal illness, a lie, deceit … Let us remember this, that God is Light. And remember that darkness was created only after God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning God transformed the darkness by creating lights in the sky. Remember also that as long as anything exists in the path of the light darkness is created. Remember also that God is light. God is our spiritual light. [Think of all the things that light does and ascribe that to God.] Since God is light when we are in the presence of God there should be no darkness or shadows at all, unless we have found a way to cover ourselves from the presence of the God while still being in the presence of God (like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden). And if we did find a way to cover ourselves from the presence of God we would have created such a deep darkness for ourselves that we would need help to get out of it.
The Gospel of John has a lot to say about help for deep darkness; and he has a lot to say about light. John 3:19 states, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” And the wisdom book, Proverbs, states that “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).
One thing we can say about Proverbs 4:19 is that wickedness is a state of separation from the awareness of the presence of God. Hence no (spiritual) light is perceived by the wicked and they stumble. Jesus once said something interesting to his disciples in John 11:9 when they were preparing to go to Jerusalem to visit Jesus’ friend Lazarus who was sick. He said to them, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." We Christians need light IN us. There is a difference between the light of the world and the God-light. The God-light that Christ speaks of is in us. The light of the world is the sun that rules the day and the moon that shines in the night.
The God-light that is in us would have allowed the disciples to see the need to visit Lazarus and to understand that Lazarus was not dead but asleep. In order for us to see such radical things we need to be in that Light and that Light needs to be in us; The Light of Christ, the God-light. The Gospel of John says that This God-light shines in darkness; and the darkness does not even comprehend it (John 1:5). This God-light is wisdom and insight and the courage to face the challenges of life and death and the world and the world to come. This God-light is the God who dwells within us, the light of the world.
Look at these verses of Scripture:
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’
John 12:35,36 Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’
Finally, as we meditate on these passages please pay attention to 1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God has chosen YOU as a royal priesthood and a holy nation, God’s own people and has invited YOU to out of darkness into God’s own marvelous light in order for YOU to proclaim the mighty acts of the one who has called YOU out of your darkness. Could worship be a way of proclaiming the mighty acts of the One who has called us out of darkness into the marvelous light of God?
Everything that God created is good. However, there was one thing that was not good. It was not man, because all that God had created was good. What was not good was that man was alone. God fixed that. And then in the New Testament there seems to be some further evidence that what God had fixed needed fixing again. We read in 1 John 5 that “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but 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. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let’s talk about darkness for a minute. Darkness is defined by Accurate & Reliable Dictionary as: A state of privacy; secrecy. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as, the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion. A state of distress or trouble. An unenlightened state; “he was in the dark concerning their intentions”. An unilluminated area; “he moved off into the darkness”. Absence of light or illumination. Absence of moral or spiritual values; “the powers of darkness”.
It could be uncertainty, fears, anxiety, not knowing just how things would turn out, being in the clutches of a terminal illness, a lie, deceit … Let us remember this, that God is Light. And remember that darkness was created only after God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning God transformed the darkness by creating lights in the sky. Remember also that as long as anything exists in the path of the light darkness is created. Remember also that God is light. God is our spiritual light. [Think of all the things that light does and ascribe that to God.] Since God is light when we are in the presence of God there should be no darkness or shadows at all, unless we have found a way to cover ourselves from the presence of the God while still being in the presence of God (like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden). And if we did find a way to cover ourselves from the presence of God we would have created such a deep darkness for ourselves that we would need help to get out of it.
The Gospel of John has a lot to say about help for deep darkness; and he has a lot to say about light. John 3:19 states, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” And the wisdom book, Proverbs, states that “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).
One thing we can say about Proverbs 4:19 is that wickedness is a state of separation from the awareness of the presence of God. Hence no (spiritual) light is perceived by the wicked and they stumble. Jesus once said something interesting to his disciples in John 11:9 when they were preparing to go to Jerusalem to visit Jesus’ friend Lazarus who was sick. He said to them, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." We Christians need light IN us. There is a difference between the light of the world and the God-light. The God-light that Christ speaks of is in us. The light of the world is the sun that rules the day and the moon that shines in the night.
The God-light that is in us would have allowed the disciples to see the need to visit Lazarus and to understand that Lazarus was not dead but asleep. In order for us to see such radical things we need to be in that Light and that Light needs to be in us; The Light of Christ, the God-light. The Gospel of John says that This God-light shines in darkness; and the darkness does not even comprehend it (John 1:5). This God-light is wisdom and insight and the courage to face the challenges of life and death and the world and the world to come. This God-light is the God who dwells within us, the light of the world.
Look at these verses of Scripture:
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’
John 12:35,36 Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’
Finally, as we meditate on these passages please pay attention to 1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God has chosen YOU as a royal priesthood and a holy nation, God’s own people and has invited YOU to out of darkness into God’s own marvelous light in order for YOU to proclaim the mighty acts of the one who has called YOU out of your darkness. Could worship be a way of proclaiming the mighty acts of the One who has called us out of darkness into the marvelous light of God?
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