“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path…”
I remember taking a tour into a cave in Virginia several years ago. The guide turned his light off and we were in total darkness. I could not see my hand in front of my face. I think that this is the epitome of darkness. A lot of people are walking in the darkness and do not realize it because they are not walking in the light of God’s word –the Bible. The Bible shines a light on our path so that we will be careful not to misstep. God’s word can light the way for us in life if we will read it and heed it. God’s word sheds light on the true condition of humanity brought about by sin. If it wasn’t for the Bible, we would not even know what sin is. This is why so many people can be satisfied walking in the darkness, because their eyes, hearts and minds are hidden from the reality of sin. In fact, even if the Bible points to something as sin, people will still deny it. This is not just true of the world’s people but church people as well. It is fairly easy for us to justify our actions because they are our actions. We need to let the Bible shed light on all of our actions. That is why it is so important for Christians to read the Bible daily, and to heed what is written there. Let me take one example from church life where we do not follow the light of the Bible. When people in churches get angry with each other, it is sometimes as though the Bible does not tell us to love and bear with each other. Sometimes, or often, in the church we act just like the rest of the world. We give in to our anger and let it lead to hatred or bitterness. We need to shed the light of God’s word on our anger. God’s word sheds light on the true nature of God. I hear all kinds of opinions about the nature of God. There are those who see God as a grandfatherly old man who would not harm a flea. He just grins and bears it when we go our own way. On the other hand, there are those who see God as a cosmic old Meany who never smiles. On the one hand, God’s love is seen as doting and toothless, on the other hand, God’s love is seen as non-existent. Both of these are caricatures of God. The Bible reveals God as a God of love. In fact, the Bible tells us that God is love. (1 John 4:8) But what kind of love is it? I think that we could define it as tough love. God does not excuse us; in fact, the Bible tells us that God will discipline us when we misbehave. God is like a good parent, He will not let us get by with what He knows is ultimately bad for us. God is our ultimate judge, and He has already judged sin, but God’s judgment is tempered by His grace. The God of the Bible is a God of judgment, but He is also the God of grace. It is because of His grace and love that we can be redeemed from our sins. Grace can be defined as “getting what we do not deserve.” It is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the Prodigal son(s). When the younger son returns home, he experiences the grace of his father. Jesus is telling us in this parable that God will welcome us when we come to Him in repentance, no matter how badly we have behaved. God’s word sheds light on what God expects of us. I could write a lot on this, but I will settle for one example of God’s expectations. God expects us to come to Him by confession and repentance. We cannot demand that God love us, because He already does. We can’t demand that God forgive us; we can only turn to Him in sorrow for our sins. The Bible is filled with examples of people going astray and returning to God. In each case they confessed and repented. We cannot be forgiven by justifying ourselves in our sins, but we can be forgiven by confessing and repenting. The Bible makes that clear. I haven’t even touched the “hem of the garment” of this theme, but I think that enough has been written for us to agree that we need to walk in the light of God’s word. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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September 2021
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