LIGHT VERSUS DARKNESS by J. E. Evans

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 10, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 40.

LIGHT VERSUS DARKNESS.

By J. E. Evans

BY J. E. EVANS.

God is the author and preserver of life. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” “In him is no darkness at all.” Life is the result of light; and since it was the word of God that first gave light, and made animal and vegetable life to appear, that word is, therefore, a life-giving word of light. The Spirit through Peter calls it the incorruptible seed. 1 Peter 1:23. And the Lord by his servant John says that this seed cherished in the heart of the believer will keep him from sinning. 1 John 3:9. “The wages of sin is death,” and death is the result of darkness. By this view we are brought to see and realize the important truth that anything which is in any way opposed to God’s word, belongs not to the Author of light, but to the prince of darkness.

“The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. Jesus said, “I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.” Ps. 40:8. His light and life were in the word, and we become the light of the world in so far only as that word is written in our hearts. This is the work done under the new covenant in the heart of every one who will yield to God. Heb. 8:10. It is true, as the poet says, “A glory in the word we find;” but this glory is found in the written word by those only who will read and believe, and there are many in the world to-day who will not read the word written upon paper, or engraved upon stone; yet the lives of all the professed people of God are carefully read, and if they see the Word made flesh again, they will also behold its glory. We are the epistles of Christ. We are to hold forth the word of life to a lost world, that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in this mortal flesh. May God give us grace to submit to the work of his Spirit, for we are “known and read of all men.”

The letter of the law is glorious, but its work to the sinner is only condemnation. The Spirit works in our lives that which the law can not impart. The law can minister only death. The work of the Spirit is life; therefore its work is more glorious, and the glory of the letter is eclipsed, or lost to view, in the glory that excelleth. Read 2 Cor. 3: 1-11. This is the experience of the people of God as brought to view in Rev. 18:1, and of the church as presented in Rev. 12:1. The woman was “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet.” In other words, the church, at the birth of Christ, saw more clearly the light of truth as it was then revealed in the Gospel. But the same light was enjoyed by all who lived in faith before that time, for the light of the moon was just disappearing in the overwhelming glory of the sun. When the Saviour died, the powers of darkness for a short time seemed to prevail, but this power was broken when the “Sun of Righteousness” arose.

“I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isa. 42:6, 7. “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Eph. 5:14. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” “And the gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isa. 60:1, 3. The glory of God is his character. Ex. 33:18-22; 34:5-7. Moses requested that he might see the glory of God, and the Lord said that he would make all his goodness pass before him, and proclaim before him his name. The name of Jacob was changed to Israel, and that of Abram to Abraham. The names indicated the characters of the men; so the name of God is expressive of his character, and, as given in the last reference, may be summed up in two words, justice and mercy. Christ came to reveal this character to the world. His name is “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matt. 1:23.

Generally speaking, a man’s character is expressed in his face. Moses could not endure to look into God’s face. The people could not bear the sight of Moses’ face when he came down from the mount bearing the character of God written in stone. And when Stephen was stoned to death, he showed the same love toward his persecutors as Christ did toward those who took his life, in the words, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Acts 7:60. “And all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.” Acts 6:15. The glory upon Moses’ face had to be veiled so that the people might look upon it; the glory which rested above the law of God in the earthly sanctuary, had to be veiled by a cloud of smoke from burning incense before the high priest could stand in its presence. And the glory of God was again veiled in the human nature of Christ, that we may look upon it.

Christ came to reveal to man the glory or character of God; thus he became the light of the world (John 9:5), and may be seen, not as the great electric light of Sydney, Australia, which is seen fifty miles at sea, but by all the world at the same time. And when we become acquainted with the life of God through faith in his word, which brings pardon of sins and the gift of righteousness, when our lives are controlled by unselfish ambition, and manifest only the life of Christ, then it is that we become the light of the world. Matt. 5:14. The light is in the

life, not in the profession. “The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.” “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be discovered.” John 3:19, 20, margin. “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness. . . . Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thess. 5:4-6. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.” Phil. 2:15, 16.

We have seen that the glory of God is his character. This glory was given to Christ, and he gives it to his people that they may hold it up before the world. John 17:1, 4, 5, 22. By beholding his glory veiled in human flesh many will be caused to look into the face of Jesus, and, by beholding, will become changed into the same image. When he appears, “we shall be like him,” and shall go to be with him, that we may there behold his glory, not with unveiled faces only, but with the unveiled glory of God revealed to the gaze of mortal eyes. John 17:24. Until this blessed consummation is reached, all who finally share its joys will be engaged in giving to the world the light they receive.

Louisville, Ky.