Nate
and I went for a bike ride one evening when he
was seven and returned just as it was getting
dark. As we were putting our bikes into our
storage shed, Nate asked whether the shed was
dark inside during the day. I remarked that it
was fairly dark but that a small window in the
back let in some light. He then asked, "Why
doesn't the darkness flow out?"
Nate was not joking. He was
genuinely intrigued with the fact that darkness
doesn't affect light. Though I've often mused
over this before (it's a favorite analogy of
preachers), hearing the observation come
unprompted from a child's mind made it seem very
fresh to me. It is striking that darkness
has no effect on light. If you open the door
between a lighted room and a dark one, light
spills into the one but not vice versa.
So often Scripture compares the
power of Christ over Satan to that of light over
darkness. By the same token it speaks of his
power in our own lives as that of light
dispelling darkness. Yet we don't grasp the
impact of these parallels until we appreciate the
absolute power light has over darkness.
"The light shines in the darkness and the
darkness has not overcome it," John reminds
us in the introduction to his gospel (Jn 1:5).
Many Christians assume that light
and darkness coexist in about equal measure in
our Christian experience. While they wouldn't
deny that Christ's power is immense, they still
assume that the power of evil exercises about an
equal influence in their life--a perspective not
greatly different from the oriental yin-yang
philosophy. Scripture, however, puts matters on a
much more triumphant note. "I am the light
of the world; he who follows me will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life,"
Jesus declared (Jn 8:12). His light within us substantially
erases the darkness. His power is immensely
greater than Satan's. The Christian life, in
short, is to be lived in a spirit of victory, not
defeat.
A Matter of Emphasis
This
emphasis permeates biblical doctrine at every
point. It comes across strongly in the New
Testament teaching on our two natures, for
instance. In his insightful book, The
Christian Looks at Himself, Anthony Hoekema
notes that Christians typically think of
themselves as being partly in the old nature and
partly in the new. In reality, Scripture teaches
that we who are in Christ are primarily new
nature. This doesn't mean that we can't fall into
an old nature way of living. But then we are
acting contrary to whom we really are.*
Consider the absolute way in
which various biblical statements about our new
nature in Christ are worded:
"Knowing this, that our
old self was crucified with Him . . . that we
should no longer be slaves to sin." (Rom
6:6 NAS)
"Seeing as you have put
off the old nature with its practices, and
have put on the new." (Col 3:9-10 RSV)
"Therefore, if any one
is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
has passed away, behold the new has
come." (2 Cor 5:17 RSV)
"You are not in the
flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit
of God dwells in you." (Rom 8:9 NAS)
"And you, who were dead
in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, God made alive together with
him." (Col 2:13 RSV)
"But I say, walk by the
Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire
of the flesh." (Gal 5:16 NAS)
Each of these verses, in one way
or another, views our new nature in Christ as
antithetical to the old. We are not partly new
nature and partly old; we are either in the new
or in the old. If Christ has made us a new
creation, then the old nature has no ultimate
power over us.
Paul, of course, might seem to be
saying the opposite in Romans 7. "The good
that I would do I do not," he declares (v.
19 KJV). Yet a close examination shows that he
isn't describing the normal Christian life but
what happens when we attempt to live the
Christian life through our own strength rather
than the Spirit's power. It's the picture of one
who reverts to an old nature way of living,
denying his real nature in Christ. Paul shows
God's intention for the Christian life in Romans
8, not Romans 7. And there he makes clear that
one who responds to the new life in the Spirit
lives victoriously.
A Reason for Courage
Scripture, then, through many
forms of expression impresses on us that the
power of light is indescribably greater than that
of darkness. We need to meditate on this often.
The power of suggestion is enormous in our lives,
and our theological perspective to a large extent
determines the degree to which we draw upon the
power of Christ. If I believe that the power of
darkness in my life is equal to that of light,
I'll live like it. Convinced that I'm doomed to a
certain measure of failure and backsliding, my
experience will become a self-fulfilling
prophecy.
If, on the other hand, I
understand the power of Christ in my life to be
as great as Scripture declares it to be, I'll be
much more inclined to say no to temptations and
be willing to take the risks which walking in
faith implies. I'll also be more prone to give
attention to prayer and to make bolder requests.
As I take the sometimes scary steps to respond to
God's will, I'll be wonderfully surprised to find
that Christ empowers me and brings his blessings
to bear on my life in ways I never thought
possible.
Waking Up to All It Means
Nate raised the question about
light and darkness again with me sometime after
our bike ride. As I was putting him to bed one
evening, he asked where the light originated from
that was coming through his bedroom window. I
remarked that it came from the window of the
bedroom next to his. He then asked why the
darkness from outside didn't flow into the house.
It only seemed logical: if light can pour through
the window, why not darkness? Although I had
explained it before, it was still puzzling to him
that darkness has no effect on light.
By the same token, it continues
to seem unnatural to us to think that Christ's
power in us is as extensive as Scripture says it
is. Yet Scripture declares it to be as great as
that of light over darkness. We need to remind
ourselves constantly of this, then strive to live
accordingly at every point. The Christian life is
not meant to be a halfway experience.
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