Nate
and I went for a bike ride one evening when he was seven, and
then 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.
Scripture frequently compares the power of Christ over
Satan to that of light over darkness. By the same token, it
speaks of Christ’s power in our lives as that of light
dispelling darkness. Yet we don’t grasp the impact of these
parallels until we appreciate the absolute power that
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 Taoist 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 exceedingly 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 on Christian self-image, 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 by 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 fact 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 temptation and to find the
heart to obey God at points where I find it challenging to do
so.
My ability to think big about my life and my possibilities
will also increase by a quantum leap. I’ll find it much more
natural to trust Christ to meet my needs, even long-standing
ones, and to show me ways to solve “impossible” problems.
And I’ll be more willing to do those things that will help
me to best realize my potential for Christ and to employ the
gifts he’s given me--to take the initiative that walking in
faith implies, even when it feels risky to do so. I’ll also
be more prone to give attention to prayer and to make bolder
requests. As I take these 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. And that experience will
encourage stronger faith, which will benefit me in countless
ways--strength will lead to strength, in other words.
Waking Up to All It Means
Nate raised the question about light and darkness with me
again sometime after our bike ride. I was putting him to bed
one evening, with the lights off in his room, when he asked
where the light originated from that was coming through his
bedroom window. I explained that light from the bedroom next
to his was pouring out that of room’s window and into his.
He then asked why the darkness from outside didn’t
flow in also. Again, it only seemed logical to him: 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.
May this Christmas season be a time when we reflect often
on this unspeakable aspect of Christ’s power, and on his
ability to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine” in and through our life (Eph. 3:20). And may
our emphasis upon light in decorations at this time of
year be a constant reminder to us that Christ’s birth was a
time when “the true light that gives light to every man was
coming into the world” (Jn 1:9). Let us dwell on the fact
that Scripture not only describes Christ himself as light, but
declares that his light indwells us who believe in him--and
let us give careful thought to all that this means for our
Christian experience.
Of course, the most familiar image of light from the
Christmas story is the star of
Bethlehem
. God provided this great light, in part, for a practical
reason--to provide the Magi illumination in the darkness of
night, and direction to the stable where the baby Jesus was
lying. Yet I suspect God also meant it to be a symbol of the
unfathomable power Christ would exert in the lives of those
chose to follow him--a power comparable to that of light over
darkness. Scripture tells us that when the Magi saw this
light, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Mt 2:10
NAS). May we take equal joy in realizing that his light can
dispel the darkness in our own life at every point, if we
allow it to. And may we strive in every way to live
accordingly.
The Christian life is not meant to be a halfway experience.
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