Christian Light
Matt 5:14-16. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Mark 4:21-23. And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luke 8:16-18. "Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
What does it mean to be the “light of the world”?
We are to “let our light shine” so that the people of the world may see our good works and glorify God (our Father).
Our light is our Christian witness through our actions. It is how people “see” us. In a field of pitch black, even a small pinpoint of light would be visible for quite a distance. What that light does will be manifestly evident to every person around it.
We are not to hide our light. Our light is not meant to be put under a basket or hidden away. In other words, we are not to “fake” being worldly. Let your Christianity show through! You will be different, and others will see it and be drawn to it. This is what God wants. If we do not illuminate the way, if we do not light the path, how will the unsaved come to know the Lord? Don’t get me wrong. God is omnipotent, and can do whatever He wishes. However, He has decided to us Christians as His personal lighthouses (so to speak). God uses Christians as beacons of hope in a world of darkness.
Also note that “nothing is hidden except to be revealed, nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light”. What does this mean? I’m not sure if anyone knows, and many scholars disagree, but note that it is all eventually revealed or brought to light. Perhaps a persons salvation is delayed for a purpose only God knows? Where at that time of salvation, said person will be even more vocal in their proclamations of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Perhaps a person is saved, but unable to be a beacon to others for whatever reason. At the point of revelation, however, their witness is all that much more potent? But know this – we are not to actively try to hide our Christianity. If God ordains a covering (for whatever reason), that is one thing, but we are not to cover ourselves.
The world is filled with darkness, and Jesus Christ came into our world to be our true light, but the world would not accept Him (John 1:9-10). Christians are to continue being light in this world of darkness. We are to be individual beacons where the light of Christ can shine through us - drawing the lost to Christ.
To cover that light would be to make ourselves like everyone else. It would be the same as being ashamed of the light of Christ, which is to be ashamed of Jesus Himself.
Mark 4:21-23. And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? "For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
Luke 8:16-18. "Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
What does it mean to be the “light of the world”?
We are to “let our light shine” so that the people of the world may see our good works and glorify God (our Father).
Our light is our Christian witness through our actions. It is how people “see” us. In a field of pitch black, even a small pinpoint of light would be visible for quite a distance. What that light does will be manifestly evident to every person around it.
We are not to hide our light. Our light is not meant to be put under a basket or hidden away. In other words, we are not to “fake” being worldly. Let your Christianity show through! You will be different, and others will see it and be drawn to it. This is what God wants. If we do not illuminate the way, if we do not light the path, how will the unsaved come to know the Lord? Don’t get me wrong. God is omnipotent, and can do whatever He wishes. However, He has decided to us Christians as His personal lighthouses (so to speak). God uses Christians as beacons of hope in a world of darkness.
Also note that “nothing is hidden except to be revealed, nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light”. What does this mean? I’m not sure if anyone knows, and many scholars disagree, but note that it is all eventually revealed or brought to light. Perhaps a persons salvation is delayed for a purpose only God knows? Where at that time of salvation, said person will be even more vocal in their proclamations of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Perhaps a person is saved, but unable to be a beacon to others for whatever reason. At the point of revelation, however, their witness is all that much more potent? But know this – we are not to actively try to hide our Christianity. If God ordains a covering (for whatever reason), that is one thing, but we are not to cover ourselves.
The world is filled with darkness, and Jesus Christ came into our world to be our true light, but the world would not accept Him (John 1:9-10). Christians are to continue being light in this world of darkness. We are to be individual beacons where the light of Christ can shine through us - drawing the lost to Christ.
To cover that light would be to make ourselves like everyone else. It would be the same as being ashamed of the light of Christ, which is to be ashamed of Jesus Himself.
posted by MarkD at 12:16 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home