Last time: God sent His Son into the world to save it. To save people. You and me. Christ our Savior. We all needed a Savior, someone to rescue us - from judgment. Because all people have already been judged, found guilty. But whoever believes IN Jesus receives a full divine pardon. Forgiven. They are no longer under the sentence of death - because they have believed in the One Who took the judgment on Himself. He paid the penalty of death in their place. Whoever does NOT believe in Christ - they continue under this judgment. They are guilty already. But what are they really guilty of?
[19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.] Yes, there are lots of crises in our world [financial, energy, health, environmental] - but nope, THIS is THE [krisis](which is the Greek word for 'judgment'): Light has come into the world, but people love darkness. What Light is this? John has already told us: the True Light that is shining in the darkness, enlightening every person [1.5,9]. This Light is God Himself, and the truth He declares - about Who He is, Who we are in relation to Him. John has also told us that the darkness did not lay hold of the Light. Did not eagerly take it, did not receive it. Why? Because people LOVE darkness. We love the darkness rather than the Light. Rather than the truth about God. Our fallen minds prefer darkness. Darkness is what? The [absence of light]. In other words, spiritually speaking, people tend to prefer places - any place - that is deprived of light. Where there IS NO light. Where it is NOT PRESENT. People are bent on finding AND CREATING spaces where God is not present. God-less. God-free.
So much of our freedom seems to be found in what is NOT present, isn’t it? We create these products - and spaces - which leave out things that we perceive as unhealthy or harmful to our well-being. Things we don’t want. Things we want to avoid. Gluten-free. Caffeine-free. Sugar-free. Fragrance-free. Tax-free. Duty-free. covid-free. Smog-free. [Smoke free] And so Jesus here is describing a contrived “[God-free zone]” [Rom 1.21]. People - many people - want a place, a space where there is no God. BECAUSE we want to be able to do what WE want. “Freedom = Do/Have whatever I want”. And God says, you want no part of Me? If you insist… [Rom 1.28]
Their deeds were evil, Jesus says. That sounds a bit harsh to modern ears, doesn’t it? The world insists that man is basically good. Or, that every person has good and bad in them and what matters is that they choose the good [i.e. ideas of yin yang/the force]. And maybe in the end, we just need our good deeds to outweigh our bad deeds? [weighed on a scale perhaps - by how much does our good need to outwiegh the bad? 51%? Nope - God's standard, the threshold for heaven, is 100%] But still, a blanket statement like, their deeds were evil? When we look around at our neighbors, it can be hard to really layer this statement on top of a lot of what we see, isn’t it? Sure, we see people doing really bad stuff in the news, but aren’t those the exceptions? Aren’t most people just trying to do the best they can? Like the old song - [Lord, I was born a ramblin' man, Tryin’ to make a livin' and doin' the best I can]. I mean, is Jesus saying that all people only always do evil things? For their deeds were evil. How are we to understand what Jesus is saying here?
John has already mentioned that Jesus knew/knows what is in us, in our hearts [2.24]. [Rom 7.18-19 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.] In the heart of every person is: 1) an awareness of what is right, of what God is like [Rom 1.19][the Light IS shining], AND 2) the bent, the inclination to live apart from God and what He wants [Rom 1.25]. In fact, this is unavoidable. Yes, we can see some vestiges of the goodness of God in most all of His image bearers, but in every one of us there is this place of darkness with a sign that says, God-free zone. We all want to be in charge. We all want [the remote] to our lives. And that is what the darkness is all about. Darkness only exists where there is no light. Darkness is that place where the Light of God’s presence is not welcome. Rejected. And the deeds of darkness, the fruit that naturally comes out of the hearts of those who are living apart from God, is [Gal 5.19-21]. The outcome of this life lived apart from God is death [Rom 1.32]. That, according to Jesus, is the Judgment.
Now some ask, well, what about those who “haven’t heard”? Is there some kind of exemption for those who - as far as I know - haven’t heard the Good News that Jesus came to save? A few thoughts:
- We CANNOT know what any person has or hasn’t heard. God speaks through His Word and through His people, yes. And He speaks through dreams and visions, and through angels, and through His creation. He spoke at least once through a donkey. It is fatally flawed thinking to build a straw man of unbelief based on speculation as to what a person has or has not heard.
- God’s Word is very clear that in fact every person in their heart has this general knowledge of God. The Light IS shining. [cf Rom 1.19-20]
- Also clear: God Who is Righteous and Fair will judge every person righteously and fairly. And here again is the judgment:
[19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.] Light has come into the world. Jesus is saying, that this light - and the failure to receive it - are universal realities. Everyone has the Light, and no one lives in light of the Light perfectly. In fact, every person at some point chooses darkness. We’re born into it. It is unavoidable.
Men - people agapéd the darkness. Give themselves to it unconditionally. And this is past tense. Cuz the Light - this is not a new thing - Light has already come into the world. [Rom 1.20]. But people love to live in spiritual darkness. We love to be able to do what WE want to do. Light: THIS is the Way, THIS is the Truth - walk in it. And people say, nope. Not gonna do it.
[20 “For everyone who does [foul-things] hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.][our bad deeds in fact are foul spiritual aromas] Exposed here means to be reproved. It is saying, that’s wrong. And who wants to hear that? You’re wrong. What you did is wrong. Nobody likes to hear that. And that’s why people hate the Light, cuz the Light shows up and shows off what is true and right - AND what is wrong [imperfections]. God, and His Word, the truth about Him, show us what is right AND what is not right. The Light is shining.
But we like to hide imperfections, don’t we? A little concealer on our blemishes? Our world prefers to cover it up, or maybe blame someone/anyone else, or maybe just deny it altogether, tries to tell us that there IS NO God, and there IS NO Truth. ["There is no absolute truth." Or, "truth is relative."] But you must depend on the existence of absolute truth to even try to say that there is absolutely no truth.
[21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his works may be manifested as having been worked in God.”] There is a small, densely-populated pocket of the universe where there is NO light. Only darkness. And death. No Truth, no Love, no forgiveness. What happens when we come to the Light? When we embrace the truth that there is a God Who made us and loves us? When I admit that I am wrong? For eyes accustomed to darkness, the Light can feel harsh. But we were made for Light. Light is the default condition for life. Before God created living things He created [light]. We come to the Light, to Jesus, to receive His love, His rescue, His forgiveness, we enter into life as it is meant to be lived. Full and overflowing. [No fear 1Jn 4.18]. And if/when we do come, we find that God is behind it all. He does the heavy lifting [Phil 2.13]. May the God of Light give us grace to come to and to walk in His Light today and every day...
Relevant verses
Rom. 1:28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking
John 3.24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
Rom. 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness
Rom 1.19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Rom 1.25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Gal 5.19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Rom. 1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
Is. 9:2 1aThe people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
Phil. 2:13 for it is aGod who is at work in you, both to will and to work bfor His good pleasure.
1John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but aperfect love casts out fear, because fear 1involves punishment, and the one who fears is not bperfected in love.
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