Christians must be the Light of Jesus in this dark world
“But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:11)
I wrote part one of this 1 John section a week ago and found it too long for a single post. What follows is partly what I had already composed and partly a response to the events of July 13 in Pennsylvania.
Hate has no place in the heart and mind of a Jesus follower.
Full stop.
Read that again.
Hate has no place in the heart and mind of a Jesus follower.
The facts of July 13 are clear: a 20-year old man pointed a rifle at the head of former President Trump and pulled the trigger at least three times. The President turned his head and a bullet passed through his right ear. Another bullet struck and killed a 50-year old husband and father. Two other people were hospitalized. The shooter was “neutralized.”
Anything else reported or opined is speculation at best and fear-mongering at worst. In 24 hours, social media exploded with multiple points of view, few of them helpful. On one side were people claiming the event was staged, it was a result of Mr.Trump’s rhetoric or that it was a shame the shooter missed. On the other side were voices casting blame on the current President, the media, and the progressive movement. No one knows what motivated this young man. No one knows his political bent. The commentary surrounding this awful assassination attempt (per the FBI) is not grounded in compassion nor patriotism. It is rooted in blind hate. And hate dwells in darkness.
As believers in Jesus as Lord, we do not live in darkness, but rather, we have been called, set apart, and are being sanctified to live, work, and walk in the LIGHT of the world. Darkness has no place within us. Jesus loved the unlovable and so must we. Jesus died for the unrighteous, including each of us. Every human on the planet was created in the Imago Dei. As Christians we must be grieved by the evil in the world, knowing that those who walk in darkness do not know where they are going because they are blind. Our responsibility and calling is not to close the door to darkness, but to turn on the light.
Paul warned the Ephesians to be wary of those with empty words, words based on human reaction, human ideas, and human work. He wrote,
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord… Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:6–16, ESV)
No one questions the evil of our current day. It will continue to grow darker around us, so our role as light-bringers matters more each day. The Spirit of God changes us when we look to Jesus and reflect his light to the darkening world. John Stott taught,
“So it is by the indwelling Spirit Himself that we are being changed from glory to glory — it is a magnificent vision. In this second stage of becoming like Christ, you will notice that the perspective has changed from the past to the present, from God’s eternal predestination to His present transformation of us by the Holy Spirit. It has changed from God’s eternal purpose to make us like Christ, to His historical work by His Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Jesus” (Stott, 2009).
We are not part of the darkness anymore, but rather we are being conformed to be like Jesus, bent to the will of the Father. In our humanity, we use reason and emotion as portals to compassion, love, and right relationships with others. In our spirituality, we depend on sufficiency from God to administer the Spirit to a broken and blinded people whom God so loves (2 Corinthians 3:3–6; John 3:16–17). We are part of constant transformation as long as we walk this earth:
“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:16–18).
As transformed people, we cannot engage in actions or words intended to cause harm, even to those who oppose us, maybe especially to those who oppose us. When we fail, we confess, repent, and conform again to the will of God that makes us like Jesus. If we refuse to confess and repent, we may find ourselves in the darkness, not outside of salvation, but certainly outside of Christlikeness. Confession and its partner, forgiveness, keep us walking in the light. Henri Nouwen taught,
“Confession and forgiveness are precisely the disciplines by which spiritualization and carnality can be avoided and true incarnation lived. Through confession, the dark powers are taken out of their carnal isolation, brought into the light, and made visible to the community. Through forgiveness, they are disarmed and dispelled and a new integration between body and spirit is made possible” (Nouwen, 68).
We need, more than ever, to be Christians who look like Jesus, not like social commentators. Our presence in the world should illuminate and enlighten the darkness, not contribute to it by sowing division. “When we love like Jesus we are lifted outside ourselves. We shed self-interest. His brand of love sees beyond the normal range of human vision — over walls of resentment and barriers of betrayal” (Parrott). We are joint heirs with Jesus, not with nation, party, or leader. Our role in this world is to remember Jesus, proclaim his name, and walk in his light. We know exactly what that looks like. The prophet Micah spelled it out in the 8th century BCE:
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 ESV)
What does light look like? It looks like justice, delivering the weak and punishing the wrongdoer. It looks like mercy, showing compassion instead of doing harm. It looks like humility, conforming our independent human will to the holy and perfect will of God as Jesus did. It looks like love, or as Stott wrote,
“Jesus Christ, the true light, is the light of love, and therefore to be, or to live, or to walk in the light is to walk in love” (Stott, 1988, 98).
Resources
Aroney, Matt. “The More You See of Jesus, The More You Become Like Jesus.” Renovation: How God Makes Us Christlike, May 6, 2024, Redeemer City to City, redeemercitytocity.com/articles-stories/the-more-you-see-of-jesus-the-more-you-become-like-jesus/.
Cook, Jason. “Micah Six” Series The Minor Prophets. 14 July, 2024. Fellowship Bible Church, Roswell, GA
Mackie, Tim and Jon Collins. “How to Live with Jesus as Lord.” The BibleProject Podcast, produced by Dan Gummel and Camden McAfee, BibleProject, https://bibleproject.com/podcast/how-live-jesus-lord/.
Nouwen, Henri J. M. In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership. Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989.
Palmer, Earl F., The Communicator’s Commentary Series, Volume 12: 1,2,3 John; Revelation. Word, Inc. 1982
Parrott, Les. “How to Love Like Jesus in 5 Steps.” Ann Voskamp, 2018, annvoskamp.com/2018/09/how-to-love-like-jesus-in-5-steps/.
Stott, John R.W. The Letters of John. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 19, InterVarsity Press, 1964, 1988.
Stott, John R.W. “The Model: Becoming More Like Christ.” C.S. Lewis Institute, 2 Sept. 2009, www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-model-becoming-more-like-christ/.
Defaulting to Grace 