Tag: God is light

Did God Create Sin?

~ Kathie at HisGlory SM ~ 4 Comments

“If God is the Creator of everything, did God create sin?”  It is a question many ask, especially when they are hurting.    When faced with such questions my mind turns to the testimony of John the apostle (I John 1:1,2 & 5):

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes . . . and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us . . .This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you:
God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

John’s passionate testimony is certainly credible.  Having followed Jesus for three years–sharing meals, watching crowds and individuals ebb and flow around Him, listening as He taught them privately as well as collectively, running to keep up with the pace such a ministry entailed–the youngest of the apostles took it all in.  It is recorded that of the twelve, only John was there at the foot of the Cross when Jesus died and it was John who was entrusted with the care of Jesus’ mother.   John surveyed the empty tomb and witnessed the ascension of Christ into heaven.  Having seen so much, John’s assessment of who Jesus was boiled down to this:

God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.

I do not pretend to be any sort of theologian, but my faith tells me that if God is light and there is no trace of darkness in Him“at all,” then most certainly there is no place for sin to reside with God’s Holiness. 

Much of what we do in the Counseling Room is sort out truth from lies, light from darkness and facts from feelings with the help of the Scriptures.  My primary goal in helping any Client is to build up their confidence in the Sovereign Goodness of God–to firmly establish a place for them to stand. Much of building their confidence in God is in helping them to recognize God’s voice as their Shepherd by digging into the Scriptures.  Here are some favorite “go to’s” we have come to savor regarding God’s Sovereign Goodness:

Psalm 139:7-12

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to You;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.

I John 1:7

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Psalm 104:1-3

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind…

Isaiah 30:15,16 & 18

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’
Therefore you will flee!
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you;
therefore He will rise up to show you compassion.
For the Lord is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for Him!

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. 
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Having dwelled in the depths of despair at various times in my life, I can attest to the veracity of God’s Sovereign Goodness.  What I have come to appreciate during those times, is that no matter how “dark” my life may seem, it would be so much darker without the presence of God’s Light to keep me on His path.  If you are in such a time, give thanks to God for the Light of His Presence.  Is it enough?  You bet it is!

My Dear Readers, 
What are some favorite Scriptures that have strengthened you with the assurance of His Sovereign Goodness?  Is God the Creator of evil?  I would truly love to hear from you!

All to His Glory!

The Light We Crave ~

~ Kathie at HisGlory SM ~ Leave a comment

While living in England, we rented a 150 year old flint and brick house in a small village in Suffolk county.  Soon after moving in I discovered a remnant of World War II: a black roller-shade still hung in a small window in the back of the house.  During the war, homes were shuttered and darkened in towns and villages across the Suffolk countryside to hide from German bomber runs.  I was told that a single lit cigarette could be seen from the air on a dark night so the danger was real.  I tried to imagine what it would have been like to hide in my own home, dreading being exposed to the terrors of bombs falling by even a pinprick of light!

It seems the reverse is true today.   We crave light as life around us gets darker:  moral decay blurring perceptions of what is right or wrong, jobs increasingly scarce, families losing their homes, the suicide rate continuing to climb among young people, wars and rumors of wars killing and displacing innocent people.  Rather than allow a paralysis of fear to completely overtake us, we look around for pinpricks of light to keep our bearings.  It helps to hear about the good that people do, like reports of strangers helping each other in times of need.  The problem is, for every act of human kindness comes a plethora of reports of  seemingly unimaginable human ugliness.  When I was in college I remember talking to a friend about “man’s inhumanity to man.”  My friend (an ex-Marine) looked at me soberly as he said, “Kathie, there is no such thing as “inhuman.”  Man is capable of doing all sorts of horrible things.” He was so very right.

So where can we find the light we crave in dark times?  I know of no better resource than the Bible to sort out the mysteries of life in this world and into the next.  Consider what the Apostle John wrote about light:

“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.“  (I John 1: 5-7)

The light we desire is not of this world, it is God Himself.  In fact, it is only because of God’s graciousness that we “crave” light at all.  I Peter 2:9 paints an amazing picture of the dramatic change God effects on those who surrender their hearts to the light of His Son’s love:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

In the light of Christ we are not only changed, we also discover Hope in this life and in the life to come.   What is totally amazing is that even though the world still is wracked by moral decay, the scarcity of jobs, families losing their homes, a growing suicide rate and, yes, war is as heinous and destructive as ever, it is the Light of Hope in Him that changes our perceptions forever.  It is nothing short of a miracle of grace!   I was touched doing my Journey Notes this morning by these words from II Samuel 22: 28-30,

“You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.  You are my lamp, O LORD, the LORD turns my darkness into light.  With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”

No matter what you may be facing, the light and love of Jesus will help you through even the darkest trial.  Stay close to Him so that His light and love are reflected through you to a watching, hurting world desperate for Light.  Jesus encourages us with these words from Matthew 5:13a & 16,

“You are the light of the world . . . let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

All to His Glory!