Walk While You Have the Light

“So Jesus said to them, ‘The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’

“When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

‘Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’

“Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

‘He has blinded their eyes

    and hardened their heart,

lest they see with their eyes,

    and understand with their heart, and turn,

    and I would heal them.’

“Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:35-43 ESV)

Without going into all the details of who said what and for what reasons, right at this moment, I want to ask, “What is the central message here?”

Right now we have the light. We have Jesus Christ alive, no longer on this earth, but alive in heaven with God. We have the Scriptures in written form and in audio form, in some cases. We have the gospel of our salvation written down for us in the Scriptures all throughout the New Testament, but some in the Old Testament, too. And for those of us who believe in Jesus with God-persuaded faith, we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us.

So while we still have that light, or while we still have access to that light, or while the light is still available to us we are to be those who walk (in conduct, in practice) in that light (truth, righteousness, Christ, the gospel), lest darkness (wickedness, sin) overtake us (see also John 8:12; Galatians 5:16). We are to take advantage of the offering of salvation from our bondage to sin so that we can walk in holiness and in obedience to God.

Yet, the sad reality here is that, although so many have had the light shone to them, and they have heard sermons preached on the truth of the gospel, although not so much anymore, and they have the Scriptures available for them to read, and many have read some or all of the Scriptures, and even though Jesus has shown himself to them, and he died to deliver them from their slavery to sin, still they have continued in unbelief and in sin.

For belief in Jesus Christ is not words that we say or a prayer that we pray repeated after someone else. It is not an intellectual nor an emotional assent to who Jesus was and is and to what he did for us on that cross and via his resurrection from the dead. It is God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is persuaded of God to deny self, die daily to sin, and to follow our Lord in faithful obedience till the end of time (Luke 9:23-26).

Yet so many will not accept that as the gospel message even though that is what is taught all throughout the New Testament by Jesus and by his NT apostles. And so they create their own version of the gospel which requires nothing other than some man-created faith (not biblical faith), and which gives them permission to keep on in their deliberate and habitual sin while claiming Jesus as Lord and salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

Now, no one can use vv. 39-40 as an excuse for continued deliberate and habitual and often premeditated sin against God and against their fellow humans. For we all have a choice. The people listening to Jesus had a choice to believe in him or not, but so many of them chose not to believe in him, which then fulfilled the prophecy regarding their eyes being blinded and their hearts being hardened, which was their response to the truth of the gospel.

And why do so many people respond to the truth of the gospel today in the same way? Because they don’t really want to forsake their sins. They don’t want to have to submit to the authority of Christ. They don’t want to let go of their lives of living in sin and for self. They may want the blessings of God, and many do, but without doing what is required of them in order to receive those blessings, i.e. the promises of God. But it doesn’t work that way.

So, let’s go back to the beginning of this. We have the light only for a period of time to be determined by God, and we don’t know for how long. So we need to accept that light into our lives and walk in that light (righteousness, truth, Christ, the gospel) while we still have the light. For one day Jesus is going to return to judge and to take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, and then that light will not be available for those who refused it.

For the Scriptures teach us that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died so we would now live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies, and so that we will no longer walk in sin but in godly living and righteousness and in obedience to our Lord.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

And they also teach that if we claim to be in fellowship with God/Christ, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars. And if we claim that we know God, but we do not walk in obedience to his commandments (New Covenant), we are liars. And if sin is what we practice and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, we don’t know God, we are not born of God, we are of the devil, and we don’t have eternal life with God.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Matthew 7:21-23]

Therefore, genuine faith in Jesus Christ results in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living and us no longer making sin our practice. We should now be people of integrity, honesty, moral purity, uprightness, faithfulness, courage, and purpose who are committed to faithful obedience to our Lord regardless of what others say about us or do to us, and regardless of what others do, and what our circumstances may be – faithful to the very end.

Yes, we cannot do this in our own power and strength. And that is why Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross so that we will surrender our lives to him and let him have control over our lives and let him live his purpose in and out through our lives for his praise and glory. We just have to let go of self, put self on that altar of sacrifice, and surrender our lives to the will of God for our lives, and then walk that walk in his power from now to the end.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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