Come into the light
by Ruth Olsen
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This is the verdict: Light has come into the world … whoever lives by the truth comes into the light … (John 3:19,21).
Read John 3:16–21
God loves the world; he does not condemn the world but saves the world through Jesus. Whoever believes in him, who takes him at his word and trusts him, is given the gift of eternal life. And God’s desire is for all people to be saved, to come to know the One who is truth, whose truth sets us free (1 Timothy 2:4–6; John 14:6). That’s the Father’s heart for all humankind!
We are warned to not love the world, that is, the realm of sin with its cravings, lust and boasting, by which ‘the god of this age’ blinds people, to lead them astray (1 John 2:15–17; 2 Corinthians 4:4). The reason Jesus came was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8), that people may come to know the truth that sets us free (John 8:32,36).
So there’s tension, there’s a continuous battle from within and without, and we each make our choices every day, towards darkness or towards light. But John reminds us ‘… the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’ (1 John 4:4–6). I am deeply grateful to the Spirit of truth, our Helper, who leads us into God’s truth, revealing to us the things of God that change, heal and transform us, so that we reflect Jesus to others around us – his light shining through us. That’s amazing!
Daily we are invited to come into the light. That may seem scary, because light reveals things of sin or wounding or hurt in us that we prefer to keep hidden. Without realising or recognising it, we continue to do what Adam and Eve, our first parents, did – to hide from the Lord (Genesis 3:1–11). What light does Jesus throw onto Genesis 3? Hasn’t he dealt with the curse for us? (See Galatians 3:13). As he said to Nicodemus, ‘… whoever lives by the truth comes into the light …’.
Lord Jesus, light from God, who sets free from the curse and condemnation all who trust in you, we thank you, praise you, worship you, and bless you!
Ruth is Steen’s other half, lives in Adelaide, and loves reading. From the Bible, books on Christian living, biographies, especially of someone’s journey of faith, through to Reader’s Digest, the Inquirer section of The Weekend Australian, or travel information etc., many things are opened through reading. That’s also why she enjoys helping Afghani women learn to read and write in English, when they were denied that opportunity with their own language as children.
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