Can Light and Darkness co-exist?

[SovereignGrace]

According to one poster on here, christians can be both Light and darkness. But this ideology...and that's exactly what it is...an ideology...is that Christians can be both darkness and Light. Well, let us delve into God's holy writ and see what He has revealed to us concerning the matter.

Jesus said Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”[John 12:36]
Here we can see Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the Light. We know He is the Light as He said "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."[John 12:46] True believers are no longer in the darkness, but have come to the Light, this Light being Christ. Then there are other sayings of His such as “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”[John 8:12] Jesus also said in John 11 that those who walk in the light(daytime) don't stumble, seeing they can see. It is those who are in darkness who stumble and fall, seeing they have no light to see where they are going. Even the Psalmist said Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.[Psalm 119:105] So those who are God's do not reside in darkness by bask in His Light.

Apostle Paul proclaimed this to King Agrippa “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’"[Acts 26:15-18] Apostle Paul was sent by God to proclaim His gospel, a message so powerful that God is able to use it to transfer those from the kingdom of darkness(where Satan rules, though God has limited his authority to the goats only...I.E...the world...the lost...) to the kingdom of Light(where God reigns supreme)[Colossians 1:13].

So dear readers, do not be deceived by those who say true saved peoples can dwell in darkness. We now live in the kingdom of the Son whom God the Father loves, Christ.

 

[HAMel]

Dwell in darkness or brush up against darkness?

For sure those who "dwell" in darkness are lost. They are lovers of darkness. That's all they know.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Dwell in darkness or brush up against darkness?

For sure those who "dwell" in darkness are lost. They are lovers of darkness. That's all they know.

We sin and never have denied it. But that does not mean we live/reside in darkness. By repenting when we sin, it shows we are in the Light, in Him. Sinners sin and gloat about it...boast about it...revel in it. They have no repentance in their life, as it is a gift of God.

 

[Alcott]

They must. or else we would either see nothing but light or nothing at all.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Huh? Please clarify alcott.

 

[SovereignGrace]

In a dark room, turn the light on and darkness leaves. There's either Light or dark, but never both.

 

[Alcott]

Huh? Please clarify alcott.

THAT needs clarification?
The reason we can see objects is because they reflect differing amounts of light; and where there are differing amounts of light, at different points in our range of vision less light is reflected-- which means there is some darkness, the absence of light, mixed in. All light or all darkness is everything [light] or nothing [darkness].

 

[Martin Marprelate]

According to one poster on here, christians can be both Light and darkness.

Darkness is the absence of light.
If you fit black-out curtains in your bedroom, but leave a tiny gap. you can see a beam of sunlight flooding in. But if you were to stand outside, you would not see the darkness flooding out.

Jesus is the Light of the world. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Nor is it possible that it should.

So darkness is not the opposite of light. It is the absence of light. Christ dispels the darkness.

That's probably not the least bit relevant, but I thought I'd say it anyway.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Good Post MM!!

 

[SovereignGrace]

Hoping to see this topic get to rolling, I will offer more biblical support to support the topic of the OP...

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."[Matthew 5:14]

I think this is Jesus referencing Zion, that set upon a hill that could be seen miles away. Jesus is telling them that their light, which is in reality, Christ, is seen by others. As He told them "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."[Matthew 5:16] We are also warned about having darkness when He said “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness![Matthew 6:22-23] But He then gave them this as a sign to who they serve when He said “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.[Matthew 6:24]

When one is unregenerate, they are in darkness, full of darkness, can not see where they are going because of residing in the world of darkness, which Satan is king of, his kingdom of darkness.

When one is regenerate, they are in the Light, full of Light, they can see plainly where they are, where they walk, because they reside in the world of Light, which Christ is King of, the kingdom of Light.

 

[Internet Theologian]

According to one poster on here, christians can be both Light and darkness. But this ideology...and that's exactly what it is...an ideology...is that Christians can be both darkness and Light. Well, let us delve into God's holy writ and see what He has revealed to us concerning the matter.
Jesus said Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”[John 12:36]
Here we can see Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the Light. We know He is the Light as He said "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."[John 12:46] True believers are no longer in the darkness, but have come to the Light, this Light being Christ. Then there are other sayings of His such as “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”[John 8:12] Jesus also said in John 11 that those who walk in the light(daytime) don't stumble, seeing they can see
. It is those who are in darkness who stumble and fall, seeing they have no light to see where they are going. Even the Psalmist said Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.[Psalm 119:105] So those who are God's do not reside in darkness by bask in His Light.

Apostle Paul proclaimed this to King Agrippa “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’"[Acts 26:15-18] Apostle Paul was sent by God to proclaim His gospel, a message so powerful that God is able to use it to transfer those from the kingdom of darkness(where Satan rules, though God has limited his authority to the goats only...I.E...the world...the lost...) to the kingdom of Light(where God reigns supreme)[Colossians 1:13].

So dear readers, do not be deceived by those who say true saved peoples can dwell in darkness. We now live in the kingdom of the Son whom God the Father loves, Christ.

What is the context of this person who says believers can be both light and darkness?

 

[SovereignGrace]

What is the context of this person who says believers can be both light and darkness?

It's me confronting this carnal christian heresy.

 

[Internet Theologian]

A sheep can wander away and can commit an atrocious act of sin, but will return to the fold and live a lifestyle of repentance. Many a sheep has done just that and their sorrow and lament for this sin is felt deeply in their heart. They are in a state of contrition.

Hogs and dogs are different, they appear to be sheep but then they 'return' to their wallowing and vomit respectively.

And then there are goats.

 

[th1bill]

THAT needs clarification?
The reason we can see objects is because they reflect differing amounts of light; and where there are differing amounts of light, at different points in our range of vision less light is reflected-- which means there is some darkness, the absence of light, mixed in. All light or all darkness is everything [light] or nothing [darkness].

Because of age, to many, still growing scars and who knows what else my memory isn't what it once was but in the scriptures I recall three times God warning us not to add nor to omit a singtle word to His Word. The two addresses I recall are Duet. 4:2 and at the tail end of The Revelation 22.

From shortly after my Salvation experience I have been impressed with God's ability to, noticeably, highlight any matter of His choosing and how He did that so it would never be lost for as long as God keeps His Word true.

I pray all in these forums pay attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit when reading their copies of the Bible but, and I find this a large exception, but when repeats a thought or a command I pray that all seeking the indwelling are seeing the one or two repeats as highlighting for the purpose of marking for importance.\

I feel, on the personal level this should stretch into our personal hermeneutics of scripture and in my case does.

When we read our Bibles, much of what is there is word for word truth and some is natural point of truth to Spiritual Point of Truth. These points, for my own understanding have required a good deal of personal submission, prayer and Holy Spirit led Bible Study.

This point about Light and/or the lack thereof by all Lost Men is viewed, only, from a Natural View Point y the Lost and I pray this is true, also, of many Spiritually Immature Children of God.

We learn, as we grow in the Faith, that when we are Saved, Marked Out or Indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, there can remain no darkness, we cannot be indwelt by God and by Satan/evil at the same time and there is the point the writer of the OP was making.

The Spiritual Realm is, in no fashion, comparable with the Natural Realm, the realm created solely for man to run his natural course in.

Jesus used Natural Light to illustrate a spiritua point in much the same fashion as did he with the parable of the Wedding Feast found in Matthew 22. And like every lesson Jesus taught us this is for our edifacation and understanding of the Spiritual Lessons.

Spiritulaly, Light equals zero Darkness.

 

[agedman]

In a dark room, turn the light on and darkness leaves. There's either Light or dark, but never both.

Perhaps the darkness flees, but it never leaves. It hides out in the corners, under the table, in the "less lit" areas.

The Scriptural principle is that the believer must always be aware that the area lit is clean and not leave that unclean hidden and dirty in the shadows of living.

Both Matthew and Luke record our Lord responding to the religious righteous remarking that they were in effect busy bussing the table top, and left the floor filthy (Luke 11, Matt. 23). Foundational truth maters as much as the filigree.

The believer is not just given the light, but also must learn the use of the light. By practice and experiential living, the believe will desire that the light be directed to shine into even the hidden areas to allow cleaning (Psalm 139).

A great waste of time is made both by believers and unbelievers who clean the darkness while in the darkness. For example, a believer may certainly have that "light of life," but either knowingly limit the light by preferring living in this world over possible martyrdom (Damus, 2 Timothy 4), or be immature in the walk and unable to bear the magnitude of the light (1 Cor. 3)

Salvation brings light. No doubt.

Maturity brings the ability to utilize the light, understand the light, and be joyful that the light is not merely a shining, but a pointer of direction, a stop signal, a crossing warning, a hazard warning, a lamp to light the path, a special illumination that even those of the world and worldly cannot ignore.

There are many believers who desire to have their light and hang their light out as that great chandelier in the concert hall dangling from the ceiling in which many will look upon with a sense of awe. They would bask in the praise of those around them, and have a sense of loss or uncomfortableness if not the center of attention.

Such have their place, but they are not nearly as important as they or others would consider.

Rather, the most important light to have is that wee little night light that seems so unimpressive, and not expensive, yet keeps one from stumbling in the dark. (taken from Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.)

"The unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple." Psalms 119:130

 

[David Michael Harris]

Put your hand to the plow and look back and you will understand about darkness.

 

[TCassidy]

Put your hand to the plow and look back and you will understand about darkness.

What does that mean?

 

[David Michael Harris]

Double mindedness. Do you think that the words of Jesus are meaning less?

 

[TCassidy]

Double mindedness. Do you think that the words of Jesus are meaning less?

I was not questioning the words of Jesus, I was asking for clarification on what you meant by a rather cryptic response. I am still not certain of the connection you are making between double mindedness and darkness.

 

[HankD]

According to one poster on here, christians can be both Light and darkness. But this ideology...and that's exactly what it is...an ideology...is that Christians can be both darkness and Light. Well, let us delve into God's holy writ and see what He has revealed to us concerning the matter.

Revelation 2
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

In this passage Jesus says "my servants" had been seduced and were committing fornication and a form of idolatry.

So, darkness was not only IN the church but being committed BY the servants of God.

HankD