The antagonism between light and darkness is throughout the Bible. Darkness can be defined as “an absence of light.”

1. God is light

See Genesis 1:1-5. The universe was a “wreck and a ruin”. This is likely due to the rebellion in heaven of Satan and those fallen angels (demons). God creates order from disorder. God wills there to be light and it exists. The sun came later! The Creator is light, and in whom is no darkness at all. (See 1 John 1:5). Light is His nature. God is a person to be known and loved. To the heathen there is only darkness.

2. Darkness still exists

Darkness exists in the physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual. It brings with it an abundance of obscurity, error, depravity, sin and its consequence is death. But not a shade of these is “in him.” The Divine Light is subject to no spots, no eclipse, no twilight, no night because as the Source of light it cannot in any degree fail. Darkness hasn’t always existed and it will come to an end. See Revelation 22:5 “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”

3. The creation of light

See Genesis 1:1-4. God said the light was good and made sure it overcame the darkness. The physical creation began with the displacement of darkness. Light was the first product of the Divine creative energy, the earnest and condition of order, beauty, life, growth, and joy. Of all phenomena it best represents the elements of all perfection. It is light that is so important to life on earth which would impossible without the sun.

4. The cross and resurrection

There is a spiritual light that seeks to shine into the darkness of men’s souls. The cross and resurrection of Jesus was to allow mankind an escape from the bondage of darkness that has fallen upon creation as the Devil and his demons have had control on earth. There are so many so-called religions that say they have a way to enlightenment but are really darkness. They are not the true light. They are not the original but a copy and not a very good one! See John 1:9 – “and of the true Light, which lightens every man”. The true light has come and those who recognise are saved,

5. The early church and beyond

See Acts 26. Paul gives testimony to King Agrippa of how his life he thought he was doing the right thing but it turned out that he was doing the wrong thing. It was the blinding light of God that stopped him in his tracks and gave him a mission to reach the Gentiles and bring them from darkness into light. The darkness being the power of Satan and the light being the power of God. See Acts 26:18. The early Church talked about this light that would overcome the darkness and it has continued for the past 2,000 years! God was doing something special to reach the whole world (non-Jews = Gentiles) with the light of the Gospel.

6. The Christian life

There is no fellowship between light and darkness. See Ephesians 5:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14 and 1 John 1:8. What is true in creation is also true in the Christian life.

The light shines in darkness. See John 1:5. This sentence refers to the spiritual light which Christ, the source of life, offers to mankind. It has always been neglected since the fall, and is still neglected like a candle shining in a dark place. It is a light in the middle of a world of darkness. It succeeds in making the darkness more visible and thus is hated by unregenerate people as they want the cover of darkness. See John 3:19-20.

The natural heart of man has always been so dark since the fall, that the great majority of mankind have neither understood, nor received, nor laid hold upon the light offered to them by Christ. Yet, throughout all times and nations, the light has continually shined in the darkness. There are those who “hate the light” and “those who do the truth and come to the light” See (John 3:21).  The incarnation, birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus shows the resistance of the darkness to the light. Jesus warned that his Christian followers would face the same resistance but that the light would prevail. See John 8:12 and 12:36, 46.

Rock beats scissors and light beats darkness – every time!

Categories: John