April 30th, 2012
What a glorious morning, after a beautiful, gentle rain over the weekend. In anticipation of a proposed sermon series for late this fall, I’ll be spending some time in the Letters of John.
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. I John 1:5-7
I wonder what John meant by “spiritual darkness”. I heard a theory not long ago that advocated that there is no such thing as “darkness” – darkness is merely an absence of light. I suppose that might be true in a physical sense – and maybe also in a spiritual sense. Darkness may simple be an absence of God, not really an independent state, just a place, sphere where God is not present. I don’t want to get to philosophical, but I wonder if this is true.
I don’t think John was trying to be overly philosophical either, but wanting us to consider that it is impossible to say we are living in fellowship with God – while continuing to live also in spiritual darkness. I suppose the obvious reality of this is how some folks interpret darkness, and especially how they/we/I equate darkness with sin. It is pretty easy for me to point out how someone living in adultery while still claiming to be a “Christian” is an impossible coexistence. Like they might look at me and point out that my gluttonous eating or occasional alcoholic beverage qualifies as “spiritual darkness” and disqualifies me from claiming “Christian” as my faith.
So does Spiritual Darkness only mean disobedience to the 10 commandments, or the other OT laws, or some modern denominational definition of right vs. wrong behaviors and actions, or just what every individual determines is right or wrong for him/her? It has to be something more clearly defined than our cultural ambiguous definition of truth! Is Spiritual Darkness just a matter of degrees? Or is Spiritual Darkness a state of being completely aside from Spiritual Oneness with God (ultimate light)? I’m afraid I don’t have many answers – just more questions.
But this is what I want today: I want to walk in the light the best I can. I want to avoid spiritual darkness, whether of my own doing, or the devils. I want to live faithful to what I know and understand of Jesus. I want to avoid darkness and evil, untruth and distractions. I want to live in the light as God is in the light, I want to have fellowship with others, and I want the blood of Jesus to cleanse me from all sin. Is that too much to ask?