Revealing Light

From: Echoes of Grace: 2012

The Bible tells us that God dwells “in the light which no man can approach unto” (1 Timothy 6:16¹⁶Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16)).

And God “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness” (1 Corinthians 4:5⁵Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)).

We all know there are many degrees of light, from the candle we might use when the power goes off to modern light fixtures that are as good as daylight. Recently a friend told us he had bought a very expensive LED flashlight, and he wanted us to see it. Now we also had a very bright flashlight, so we didn’t think that his could be any better than ours.

He came over, and we turned off all the lights, closed the doors, and shone our flashlight first. The warm yellow light filled the room, and it seemed our friend’s light could surely do no better. Then he switched his light on. Wow! The whole room was flooded with bright white light. To my surprise and embarrassment, the mirror that had seemed sparkling clean now appeared so badly streaked that it looked as though it had never been cleaned! This flashlight could be adjusted, and a sharp, narrow beam could put any item in the spotlight. When we switched the room light back on, the mirror again seemed shining clean, but now I was aware that it was not really clean at all. The bright light had revealed what was hidden before.

So what happens if you and I are like that mirror, appearing good enough to others? God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and [cannot] look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13¹³Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13)). All our secret sins are in plain view to Him, and He says none of us are righteous. We are streaked and dirty with sin, and we need to be thoroughly cleaned before we are ready for heaven’s holy light.

What are we to do, and how can we clean ourselves? We can’t. The good news is that, in His love and mercy, God Himself made a way by giving His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in our place. When we come to Christ to be made clean, He forgives our sin, washes us, and makes us fit to stand in the bright light of God’s presence. And we will never have to be ashamed!

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