Wednesday, February 18, 2009
John 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.
THE BEGINNING OF NEW LIFE
Babies are funny looking when they are just newly born. They're all little and scrunched up, wrinkly and trembling. Their little eyes are all squinty. Of all the changes that must be a shock to them, the light must be right up there at the top. Nine months in darkness, now bam! Brilliant light everywhere!
Have you ever noticed how much newborns just stare at things? When they're not sleeping, they just look. Observe. Take in the visual data that is streaming in through their eyes.
It's the same way with the reborn sinner. For the sinner newly born into the light of Jesus' family, there's a lot to see.
It can be a bit frightening for the growing Christian. In the light sins are right out there for everyone to see. For the Christian doesn't hide sins, but holds them out so that God can take them away. We confess our sins openly, fully confident that because of Christ, our heavenly Father will forgive.
We live by the truth, not by lies. We come into the light, not hang back in the darkness.
The Christian lifestyle is one that shows that God is alive and active in one's life; a lifestyle of seeking to live a godly life and asking God's forgiveness for every failure along the way. And there are lots of those.
The lifestyle of the spiritually dead is very different. They seek no forgiveness from God's Son. They see no need. They refuse to come into the light because the guilt and shame of sins they love would become visible.
That's what Jesus frankly described to Nicodemus.
