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Bible students know that "light" is used in Scripture to represent that which is good, godly and
even God Himself (1 Jn. 1:5). "Dark" or "darkness" refers to things which are contrary to
God and His will for man, i.e., sin and worldliness.
I am always intrigued by the close parallels in the doctrine of Christ as found in the Ephesian and Colossian letters. They are parallel books. They give us a tremendous treatise on Christ and the church. Ephesians is the book dealing with the church of Christ, whereas Colossians is the book which deals with the Christ of the church. I want to address yet another parallel from these books in this article. The book of Ephesians offers an interesting contrast between light and dark. The contrast is fairly equal, as Paul makes reference to "light" five times and to "dark" four times. The light is found in chapters one and five; the darkness in chapters four, five and six. The discussions of light and dark in chapters five and six are parallel, where the discussions or contrasts between light and dark in chapters one and four are parallel. In chapters five and six, Paul's point is for Christians, as children of light, to oppose and expose and have nothing to do with anything that is dark, of the world. It is a spiritual warfare in which the Christian finds himself. In chapters one and four, we find an interesting connection between light and knowledge contrasted with the connection between darkness and ignorance. It is with these chapters that we want to deal. Paul sets the thrust of this epistle in 1:18 by saying, "Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18 ASV). Here he is setting forth not only the subject of his constant prayer to God on their behalf (v.16), but also his desire for their understanding of what has taken place and what they now possess as children of light. Here is the main point: their "enlightening" comes from or through knowledge. In other words, their knowledge of God and His will (through a knowledge of His Word) brings "enlightenment." This has always been the benefit and at least one of the purposes of the Word of God. Paul is merely confirming what David said in the Psalms, "The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psa. 19:8 ASV). It is God's commandment which brings this "light" to the Christian. What is the blessing of this "enlightenment through knowledge?" Hope and the inheritance as a child of God! Hope is a vital part of our salvation and helps to undergird our faith, "for in hope were we saved..." (Rom. 8:24 ASV). The parallel verse, or perhaps I should say the antithesis of this happy consequence (that knowledge brings enlightenment) is, "being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). Here we find Paul teaching the unhappy results of ignorance: darkness in understanding! When people do not or will not come to a knowledge of truth (2 Thess. 1:8; 2:10-12), they are darkened in understanding, become hard-hearted and cannot be saved. There are several reasons for this. Some are "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13 ASV). They have convinced themselves that they can "enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (Heb. 11:25), and then "quit at their convenience and pleasure." But when they find that they cannot cease such sin, they become hardened. Truly, "sin, when it is full-grown, bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1:15). Others become hardened because of their own selfish will. This is the underlying reason why God has charged all gentiles with sin, according to Paul in Romans one. Note the progression: "because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:21). When people fail to worship God properly, they succumb to their own "reasoning and speculation" regarding spiritual matters. Thus, they turn their backs upon God and His law, and "they refused to have God in {their} knowledge" (Rom. 1:28 ASV). Finally, although "knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them" (Rom. 1:32 ASV). Still others become hardened because of the teaching of others. This Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy four. In this case, those who became branded and callused did so because they first fell from the faith (the body of doctrine, the New Testament) and began listening to "seducing spirits and doctrines of demons" (denominational doctrines, etc.). They failed to "believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1), and "prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). How then are these two antithetical propositions in Ephesians related to the book of Colossians? The relation comes in at Colossians 1:13 ASV, when Paul says we were "delivered out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love." We must know and understand that no one can be translated out of darkness while yet in ignorance. By this I do not mean a person must know all things, but they must know some things. They must know and understand the sacrifice Jesus made for them, that is, they must know the gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, 1 Cor. 15:3,4). They must know that by standing in it and holding fast to it, they are saved by it (1 Cor. 15:3-4). They must understand the connection between the gospel and its portrayal and purpose found in their participation in it by means of baptism. If one does not understand the purpose of baptism, they are yet ignorant and are yet in darkness and have not been translated out of that darkness into the kingdom. They cannot be saved in this ignorance. Simply put: one cannot be taught wrong and baptized right and be added by the Lord to the church. When "Christ and Him crucified" is proclaimed (1 Cor. 2:2), sinners will see that "we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. Seeing it is God, that said, light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:5-6 ASV). They in turn will become "new creatures in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17) by "being buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so {they} also might walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). By knowing these things, a person leaves the realm of darkness and becomes a child of light (Eph. 5:8), having obeyed that form of doctrine whereunto they were delivered (Rom. 6:17). |