In Our Floundering Culture, It’s Time for the Church to Be a Light

What is darkness?

Spiritual darkness is the exaltation of human beings to believe they can run their own lives apart from God; it is self-dominance, an emphasis on personal independence along with rampant sexuality. Darkness is the view that if there is any meaning in life, it must be self-created; it claims that “you can be whatever you want to be,” and everyone should bow to who you are. It is the lie of Satan to Adam and Eve: You are worthy to be your own god, so reject God’s restrictions. Your problem is not sin; it is ignorance of who you already are. Darkness is celebrating evil.

What is light?

Light is the spiritual and moral illumination that comes from God; it is the biblical assessment of the bad news of human sin and the good news of the redemption God offers through Christ. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). To walk in the light is to have personal fellowship with God.

No matter today’s news, as believers we must not lose sight of our God, who is majestic, sovereign, and faithful to His Word. We are called to prove that while the cult of diversity might destroy our nation, it need not destroy the church. We, as God’s ambassadors, welcome people from all backgrounds, races, and religions to hear our message of the gospel of peace—a gospel that reconciles us to God and to one another. The gospel brings unity in the face of diversity; it brings forgiveness in the face of revenge and peace in the midst of chaos.

The church can be growing stronger even as our culture is declining.

We dare not forget who we are: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Even as darkness deepens with wars, anarchy, rampant immorality, or an economic meltdown, we must still declare the excellencies of God and His marvelous light. Or, to put it more emphatically, in war, anarchy, rampant immorality, or an economic meltdown, it is even more urgent that we declare the excellencies of God and His marvelous light!