What Does The Bible Say About Light And Darkness?

What Does The Bible Say About Light And Darkness? Brad compares and contrasts the two and reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Darkness Scares Us

Darkness scares us. It scares us from the time we’re young children, and throughout our lives. As a kid, do you remember ever calling out, Mom, I can’t sleep.  If you did, chances are it wasn’t that you had insomnia, or drank too much coffee….it was that you were scared of the dark.

BIBLE speaks of Darkness hundreds of times. And it’s never GLORIFIED or Celebrated.

In John 8:12, Jesus said

“I am the light of the world:  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12

Darkness is Scary

The Bible, from the earliest of passages, gives us indications that darkness is a scary thing. In Genesis, it says “And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, ( are you listening to this next part???)  an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”

Darkness being described as a HORROR. That’s chilling.  

1st John 1:5…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Light Came Into the World

As Christians, when we think of the light that came into the world, which is Christ, to say his name JESUS/ & the word DARKNESS… it’s like they don’t belong in the same sentence.  Polar opposites…. MAGNETS opposing one another.

Now (don’t do this if driving ) but for a real experience of darkness….If we Close our eyes, and Put our PALMS over eyes, and PRESS in firmly. We get a true sense of darkness, at least from an aesthetic experience. It’s DARKNESS PRESSING…ALL SIDES

And if we sit that way, our palms pressed firmly against our closed eyes, Darkness = Separation. Sense of sight removed.

More than sight…It Effects     HEART … our mind…  JOY …, …. our Psyche

BUT WORSE…Bible equates darkness with eternal judgement and torment and HELL

Speaks of the unrepentant being cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   Those words as a kid always sent chills, and they still do. Unsettling. Sad.

The Grace of God

Recently, I was asked by two dear friends; sisters, to sing at their moms’ funeral service. Their mom, who I knew as well, was a dear Christian lady, and had served faithfully in her church, and had been an inspiration to many. She had succumbed to a very brief, but brave battle with cancer. The sisters, throughout the course of their moms’journey from this world, into the place that God has gone to prepare for her, shared moments that gave me goosebumps. They testified to the grace of God throughout the entire process, and the strength that he gave their mother, to accept, and embrace the fact that her time to be called home with the Lord, had come.

Like many funeral services paying homage to a Christian, a CHRIST one…this was a true celebration of life. I left that day feeling so blessed to have been invited into that moment, to experience and bear witness first hand, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen…. his spirit bearing witness with our spirits…in that moment of grief, giving hope, promise, and comfort.

Amazing Grace

I contrast this, that same week, with my wife’s uncles’ death. A declared atheist, no service by a minister, no words of comfort, no rejoicing at things unseen. Only grief, and loss, and hopefully a realization to those present, that all things in the end boil down to the solemn truth, that whether rich or poor, prince or pauper, successful or meager, we all face death. weeping/wailing, gnashing of teeth.  

The beloved, and most well know Christian hymn AMAZING GRACE…. demonstrates the OPPOSITES of light and darkness

I Once was lost/but now am found, was Blind (darkness) but now I See (light) the light of Christ

LIGHT and DARKNESS…. Complete Opposites from Beginning.

GEN 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2nd thing mentioned is DARKNESS

2 And the earth was WITHOUT form, and void; and DARKNESS was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

VOID…  Without FORM (Darkness associated with a NEGATIVE connotation)

Remember OLD DAYS/ actual kodak paper Photos, (Color print was) bright,

…. NEGATIVES…dark, spooky quality.

SO, EARTH WAS IN DARKNESS Gen 2.

And God said, let there be light: and there was light. God CREATED heaven/earth,     DARKNESS was present…. and then the 2nd act of creation was LIGHT.

We noted that DARKNESS was the 2nd thing mentioned, not created.

It existed, in the absence of light.

• The color White reflects light it’s the presence of all colors,
• but Black absorbs light / absence of all color. 

REMINDED… of sin. Absorbing light, saturating our body…sin upon sin, blackness…. Absorbing any presence of light.

The bible says…men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,

So, from the very onset of creation, God defined light as good, and separated it from darkness.    That distinction remains.

So let’s be reminded today of the word of God, when it tells us,

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of DARKNESS, and let us put on the armour of LIGHT.

Why do you think Jesus died on a cross? Contact us! and let us know what you think.