Welcome once again to TMP column, today we will be looking into The Life That Dispels Darkness. What kind of Life should it be? How does this life come by? I pray that God will help us to find answers to these questions in Jesus name. Amen.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. God said, “Let there be light.” and there was light! God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Genesis 1:1 – 5b
Often times, the above scripture has being read for reference purposes but in this same scripture is hidden the manual and mysteries of life; let us consider this scripture closely.
Between V. 1 and 2 of this scripture, it seems to me that something went wrong after creation. Could it has being that God intended to create the earth without shape, form and void or is there something that went wrong after creation which God is addressing? I want to submit that something went on after creation which God came back to address in V.2, there was an issue that required Gods intervention, the chaos state, the void nature and the darkness in the earth was not Gods original intention for the earth, this is the reason why God came back to address the situation.
In V.3 we see God responding to the situation of the Earth through the introduction of the light, the light is Gods answer to the darkness that filed the earth. Looking closely to the creation account, you will discover that in V.14 of this same scripture, we see God creating lights aside from the light that we saw him call forth in V.3. You will also discover that V.3 addressed the light and darkness as a person ‘God called the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.’ The usage of a capital letter in this scripture suggests to us that the light and the darkness is a personality.
In John 1:1, we see John making use of the same phrase, “in the beginning” this suggests that John must have had an understanding of what went on in Genesis 1:1; with that understanding John writes:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Jn 1:1-8 KJV
From John’s account of the creation, we see that this light, which God called out to solve the problem of the darkness on the earth, was actually God himself. Remember that in Genesis 1:4 God separated the light from the darkness, this suggest that both of them cannot coexist; in John 1:5 we see the light shining on the darkness and the darkness made way for the light because both cannot live together.
We also see in V.8 that the light made mention of in this scripture is a personality, the usage of the phrase in the sentence “He was not THAT LIGHT” suggest a particular light that is being mentioned, a light that is different from the lights of the day that we all know.
Another thing we see in the book of Genesis is that the light responded to the issue of darkness by shinning, by manifesting. The light needed not to ask the darkness to make way for him, he needed not to introduce himself as the light, all he needed was to shine and the darkness will make way.
In Genesis 1:26 – 28 we see God requesting that a man who will take the image and likeness of God be made. A man whose duty on earth is to look after the earth which God has chased the darkness away from; to have dominion over the earth ensuring that the darkness that was sent away returns not.
What exactly did God mean when He said let us make man in our own image? Was God referring this mortal Body as the man in His image? Notice that in Genesis 2:7 God first formed man from the dust before He made it a living soul, this suggest that the actual man that God made in His image is not the body which we can all see but the spirit which is living in that vey body. This also suggests that no man has seen the actual you; all that we have seen is your carcass (the body) which contains the main you.
Notice that when a man dies, we can still see the nose, the ears, the hands and even the nakedness but the only thing that we will no longer see is You. Therefore, the man God made in His image is the spirit that God breathe into man.
God made this man in His likeness to dominate the earth; by dominating, he is to ensure that the darkness returns not into the earth, not by shouting to the darkness or rebuking the darkness but by manifesting, by shinning. This man can shine because in him is the ability (image and likeness of God) to shine like God.
Matt. 5:14 says that man is the light of the world while John 1:4 states that “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” meaning that there is a life that man need to have which when lived will shine as light that dispels darkness. A Life, which reveals the image and likeness of God in man; the same image and likeness that darkness could not comprehend.
Paul writing about this Life in 2 Corinthians 4:2, 5 – 6 states: Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God… For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. NIV.
This life that can shine is a life that has renounced secret and shameful ways of life; it is not the life that presents itself righteous in the public but dirty in the dark; it is not a life that claims to be holy but is full of secret sins inside. It not a life of deceit, deception and lies but a life that has resolved to be pure both secretly and publicly without any form of hypocrisy or compromise found in it; a life that set forth the truth; a life that Christ lives in, an exemplary life.
Notice that Paul said here ‘we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God’. Paul practically invited his audience not to judge his life by wonderful sermons of holiness that he preached but that they should look carefully at the life he Paul lives before them and allow their conscience to judge if his life is cohering with his massages.
John the beloved wrote also about this life in 1 John 1:5 – 6 saying, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. NIV
If we claim to be the light but in us are elements of darkness then we lie and have not the truth, God who gave us this Light has no darkness in him; if we truly bear his image and likeness, then we are also expected to be void of darkness.
A life that has in it darkness cannot dispel darkness, such a life is not in fellowship with Christ for where Christ is, there is no darkness at all.
God created man in His image that he will reproduce same image all over the world that everyone in his own corner will shine so that darkness around us will be dispelled. When we live our lives outsides, this purpose of creation, our existence becomes defeated and our mission unachieved.
May God help us to fix our minds back to his purpose and plans for our lives in Jesus name. Amen
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