WALK IN THE LIGHT

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 13, 1904

WALK IN THE LIGHT.

THE world's wise men are groping in the darkness of this world for light. Their quest is often earnest and laborious, but they work under the obscure rays of human speculation. They seek light in the sparks that men have kindled, which, compared with the true light, is sheer darkness. All effort on such a basis can only lead away from the light further into the darkness.

ANOTHER view, and by far more hopeful, is that "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Then the only successful way to seek for light is to turn the face toward God. For the brief period that man heeded the counsel of God in the Garden of Eden, he walked in the light; but the moment he obeyed the suggestion of the adversary he turned his back on the light and started toward the darkness. The natural man has been traveling in that direction ever since, and of himself is unable to take any other course.

BUT God dedicated His only-begotten Son, and the Son dedicated Himself, to the work of making the true light once more accessible to the human race. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God." It was "in the beginning" that "God said, Let there be light; and there was light." "In Him [the Word] was life; and the life was the Light of men." "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

THE Word mentioned here "was made flesh, and dwelt among us." That was Jesus Christ, who says of Himself, "I am the light of the world; he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Thus, by following Christ, men may not only have their desire for light gratified in the fullest sense, but they may also gain eternal life. "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

THEN we have the written Word, given by the Spirit of the Word that was made flesh, and this written Word also contains light for those who will walk in the counsel and precepts that it contains. Peter, in testifying of what he saw on the mount of transfiguration, says, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise in your hearts." And Christ, in imparting instruction concerning Himself to two disciples on the day of His resurrection, made it emphatic by citing the prophets and "all the Scriptures." The following night, when the eleven apostles and others were present, in order to shed further light on the oral teaching given during His connection with them, He opened their understanding, "that they might understand the Scriptures."

DAVID testifies, "The Lord is my light and my salvation." He also says that "light is sown for the righteous," thus indicating its abundance for those who accept the righteousness provided for them through the obedience of Christ, which is the only righteousness recognized in heaven. But where is this light to be found, of which the psalmist testifies?—"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." And to this we may add the words of Solomon, "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day." This is because the light of God's Word shines upon it.

THERE are some, however, from whom this great light is veiled. Of them it is said that they are lost. The apostle Paul expresses it in this way: "But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Now the god of this world could not so completely shut out the light from them if they did not will to have it so, if they

did not wilfully reject the light of truth. Of this matter the Word says: "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 reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

HE that doeth truth must needs be walking in the light of the Word; for Christ has testified to the Father, before man, that "Thy Word is truth," and it is this by which men are to be sanctified. Now the prophet Isaiah says to the Lord's people: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall rise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

THIS shows that the light of the Lord, the true light, becomes the light of those who do the truth in their daily lives, and it shines out from them. Therefore the Lord says to them, "Ye are the light of the world." And because they are thus made the light of the world, He says to them, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." G.