Darkness-Light, Evil-Good, Sin-Forgiveness
None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together, they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
Romans 3:10-12
Romans 3:10-12
As the story goes, a college student was challenged by an atheist professor with the question, “If God created everything, did he then create evil? If he created evil, how could he be a good God? If he is not completely good, why should I worship him?”
The student thought for a moment and then responded by asking his own question, “Does darkness exist?” The professor’s answer was, “Yes, of course.” The student answered, “No! Darkness is the absence of light. It does not exist on its own. The same is true with good and evil. God did not create evil. Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. When God’s goodness prevails, evil cannot be found. I worship a good God who did not create evil and gives me the strength to resist evil.”
We can never be righteous in our own efforts. No one is good or can live up to God’s standards. He is perfect, and he cannot tolerate anyone or anything that falls short of his perfection. When Christ’s Spirit enters us (we use the term” born again”), God doesn’t see Paul Veerman; he sees Christ in me instead. His goodness covers my darkness. Christ’s sinlessness takes away my sin. This is the Gospel.
John 1:5 says, “God is good, and there is no darkness in him.” Knowing this, a question arises for Christians. Can we be evil if we have God’s Spirit in us? The answer has to be “No.” God’s Spirit is light in us, and the darkness of evil should not be there. However, there is another question. Can we sin if we have Christ’s Spirit in us? The answer is different. It is” Yes.” Is this a contradiction? No. Remember, sin (darkness) is our default response, and we continually need to ask for forgiveness and rekindle the light of Christ in us. The brighter the Light shines in us, the less darkness (less presence of sin) there is in our lives.
Christ in me makes me sensitive to sin. If Christ were not in me (non-believer) and I were to let darkness prevail, evil could come and take over. We know what evil can do in a world when darkness prevails. Hitler, Putin, and Kim Jong-un are frightening examples. Evil reigns when goodness is absent. Sin leads to darkness that can lead to evil. Granted, most people are not pure evil. However, when we replace God with ourselves as rulers, we have made the gravest of errors. When we become our own god, we suffer the eternal consequences of that self-designated deity. We trade self-determination on Earth for an eternity with the true God. And what is our reward? Darkness now and forever!
Jesus breaks the cycle of our self-righteousness. I wake up every day preoccupied with myself, and every day, I need to humble myself before God. I’m born again in Christ and have a lifetime to make it right. My goodness is only found in his righteousness. And what is our reward? Living in THE LIGHT…forever.
The student thought for a moment and then responded by asking his own question, “Does darkness exist?” The professor’s answer was, “Yes, of course.” The student answered, “No! Darkness is the absence of light. It does not exist on its own. The same is true with good and evil. God did not create evil. Evil is the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light. When God’s goodness prevails, evil cannot be found. I worship a good God who did not create evil and gives me the strength to resist evil.”
We can never be righteous in our own efforts. No one is good or can live up to God’s standards. He is perfect, and he cannot tolerate anyone or anything that falls short of his perfection. When Christ’s Spirit enters us (we use the term” born again”), God doesn’t see Paul Veerman; he sees Christ in me instead. His goodness covers my darkness. Christ’s sinlessness takes away my sin. This is the Gospel.
John 1:5 says, “God is good, and there is no darkness in him.” Knowing this, a question arises for Christians. Can we be evil if we have God’s Spirit in us? The answer has to be “No.” God’s Spirit is light in us, and the darkness of evil should not be there. However, there is another question. Can we sin if we have Christ’s Spirit in us? The answer is different. It is” Yes.” Is this a contradiction? No. Remember, sin (darkness) is our default response, and we continually need to ask for forgiveness and rekindle the light of Christ in us. The brighter the Light shines in us, the less darkness (less presence of sin) there is in our lives.
Christ in me makes me sensitive to sin. If Christ were not in me (non-believer) and I were to let darkness prevail, evil could come and take over. We know what evil can do in a world when darkness prevails. Hitler, Putin, and Kim Jong-un are frightening examples. Evil reigns when goodness is absent. Sin leads to darkness that can lead to evil. Granted, most people are not pure evil. However, when we replace God with ourselves as rulers, we have made the gravest of errors. When we become our own god, we suffer the eternal consequences of that self-designated deity. We trade self-determination on Earth for an eternity with the true God. And what is our reward? Darkness now and forever!
Jesus breaks the cycle of our self-righteousness. I wake up every day preoccupied with myself, and every day, I need to humble myself before God. I’m born again in Christ and have a lifetime to make it right. My goodness is only found in his righteousness. And what is our reward? Living in THE LIGHT…forever.
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