From Darkness to Light
- Michael E.B. Maher
- 10 hours ago
- 6 min read
Ephesians 5:8 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
We have seen thus far that the two conditions of human spirit is either spiritual life or spiritual death. There is a further aspect to the spiritual condition of men however, which is the aspect of spiritual light and spiritual darkness. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit introduces us to the concept of the spirits of men being either light or darkness, for in this passage the apostle Paul is referring to the spirits of men. And so we see that the spirits of men are either light or they are darkness and there is no other state that exists for the spirit of man, for men do not exist in a state where one part of their spirit’s are light while another part is darkness. It is either one or the other. Obviously we can see from this passage that the spirits of unbelievers are darkness while the spirits of believers are light. I want you to notice that in this passage the Holy Spirit does not refer to unbelievers as those who are walking in darkness, but rather He calls them darkness itself. In the same passage the Holy Spirit also calls believers light in the Lord. And so we see that the spirits of unbelievers are darkness, while the spirits of believers are light.
2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Holy Spirit reinforces the truth about the condition of the spirits of men, for He calls the unbeliever darkness and He calls the believer light. It is in their spirits that men are either light or darkness. Notice in this passage that the Holy Spirit contrasts light and darkness and then asks the question, what communion has light with darkness? The obvious answer is, none. And so the point is very clear that believers cannot fellowship on any meaningful level with unbelievers, for in the spirit they are complete opposites.
Matthew 6:22-23 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. (23) But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus is teaching us about the condition of the spirits of men. In His teaching the Lord uses the function of the natural body to convey a spiritual truth to us. When the Lord says that the lamp of the body is the eye, we can fully understand that concept, for when our eyes are open we can clearly see everything that is around us. However if our eyes are closed then we can no longer see anything around us. And so in that manner the eye of the body can be described as the lamp of the body. The Lord then goes on in His teaching to speak about the one who has a good eye having their whole bodies being filled with light. We know that good eyesight doesn’t fill the human body with light. So what is the Lord referring to when He makes that statement? It is at this point that the Lord takes the teaching out of the natural into the realm of the spirit. Scripture refers to the spirit of man as being the lamp of the Lord (Proverbs 20:27). And so the lamp that our Lord is referring to is the spirit and not the physical eye. In other words the Lord is saying that when the spirit is good then the whole body of the man will be filled with light. The light that the Lord is referring to is the spirit of the man. The Lord then goes on to say that when the spirit (eye) is bad then the whole body will be filled with darkness. Again the darkness that the Lord is referring to is the spirit of the man. And so the Lord tells us that if the spirit of the individual which God created to be light, is in fact darkness, then He declares that the darkness of that individual is indeed great.
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
There are numerous consequences for both those who are spiritual light and those who are spiritual darkness, and obviously as light is the opposite of darkness, so the consequences are also completely opposite to each other. In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus tells us that those who aren’t born-again cannot see the kingdom of God. The reason they cannot see the kingdom of God is because they are darkness and none of God’s word makes any sense to them, for God’s word is light (Psalm 119:130). On the other hand those who are born-again can see the kingdom of God, for they have become light and can therefore clearly see the truths in God’s word and understand them, because in Christ the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16).
1 John 2:9-11 “He, who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. (10) He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. (11) But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
Another consequence of spiritual light and spiritual darkness is the propensity for sin. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle John teaches us that one who is in darkness will stumble whereas as one who is in light with avoid stumbling. In context John is speaking about believers who choose to either walk in the light or to walk in darkness, and the stumbling that he is referring to is sin. And so John teaches us that when one walks in darkness that he will almost certainly end up committing more and more sin, as he cannot see where he is going and will therefore invariably stumble. In the same passage John teaches us that one who walks in the light will not commit sin, because he will clearly see the obstacles of sin in his path and thus avoid them. And so this truth becomes even more pertinent to those who not only walk in darkness but are themselves darkness, for they being completely blinded to the obstacles of sin in their path have no choice but to commit more and more sin as they stumble from one obstacle to the next. Those however who are light in the Lord have the ability to avoid all sin, for they can clearly see all obstacles in their path and thus avoid them.
John 3:19-21 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. (21) But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
We have seen that those who are darkness cannot avoid sin whereas those who are light are well able to avoid sin. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus gives us further insight into this particular truth however, for in this passage our Lord teaches us that those who are darkness do everything they can to avoid the light because they actually love the evil deeds that they do and do not want their deeds to be exposed by the light. In other words, they are not passive in the sins they commit, but rather take great delight in committing them. On the other hand, those who are light come to the light so that their deeds can be clearly seen that they are good and that they have been done in God. Clearly the motivations of those who are light and those who are darkness are completely opposed to each other.
Matthew 15:13-14 “But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. (14) Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
The destinations of those who are darkness and those who are light couldn’t be starker in their contrasts. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus tells us that those who are darkness are blind and are even being led by the blind. And so they have no hope, for their ultimate destination is to fall into the ditch. The ditch that our Lord is referring to in this passage is in fact the second death, i.e. the lake of fire and brimstone, where all unbelievers will be cast into at the end of the age (Revelation 21:18). Those who are light however, are not blind and neither are they led by those who are blind. And so their final destination is the eternal city of the New Jerusalem where they will dwell in the presence of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity (Revelation 3:12).
Michael E.B. Maher
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