Living as Children of Light
Luke 5:1-10:
1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little distance from the land. And He sat down and continued teaching the crowds from the boat. 4 Now when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5 Simon responded and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." 6 When they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat, to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, to the point that they were sinking. 8 But when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" 9 For astonishment had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and likewise also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people."
In Ephesians 5, the apostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More writes to believers about a great change that once took place in their lives. In the life of a believer, there is a “once” and a “now”; a ‘before’ and an “after.”
We read in verses 8 and 9: “for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)”.
Similarly, we read in 1 Peter 2:9 that we should proclaim the virtues of the one who “called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Here again we have these two sides: out of darkness—into his light.
In the Bible, darkness is an image of moral distance from God, a lack of awareness of sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More, and ignorance of God. It is the natural state in which every human being has been since the Fall. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, “For you were once darkness” (Eph. 5:8), we learn that as unbelievers we were not only in darkness, but we ourselves were darkness, i.e., completely characterized by this state. Thus, we were absolutely opposed to the nature of God, for He alone is “light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). As those who are darkness, we deserved nothing but hell"Place" prepared for the devil and his angels (demons) (Mt 25:41), but into which everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life will also be thrown (Rev... More, the “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12). Since the Fall, man has been “darkened in his understanding” (Ephesians 4:18). They are ruled by the “power of darkness” and lead a life characterized by ‘darkness’ and “worksAnother word for deeds or actions. God's works are perfect (Gen 1:31), men's can be good works (Matt 5:16) or dead (Heb 6:1). On the basis of his works, unbelieving... More of darkness” (Col. 1:13; Eph. 5:8, 11; John 3:19). This is an absolutely desolate and hopeless condition in which we all found ourselves by nature.
When the Son of God was here on earth, he said of himself, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). John introduces the Lord Jesus in this character in the very first chapter of the Gospel of John: "In him was life, and that life was the light of men ... This was the true light that, coming into the world, enlightens every man“ (John 1:4, 9) – that is, places every man in the light of God. And the people hated the Lord for it. They were in darkness, and even complete darkness, and their lives were marked by the ”unfruitful works of darkness." Therefore, they hated the light and did not come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed (cf. John 3:19). But it was precisely because we humans were in this state that the Son of GodThe term "Son of God" in the singular always refers to the Lord Jesus. On the one hand, He is the only begotten (unique) and eternal Son of God, who... More became man. The Lord says, “I have come into the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More as light, so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).
When the Lord was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Lord Jesus said, “This is your hour and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). The Lord was aware that He would be “delivered into the hands of sinners” (Matthew 26:45). Under Satan's leadership, man would give free rein to all his hatred and do to the Lord everything that was in his heart. This included all the Lord's physical sufferings, but also the mental anguish of mockery and contempt.
But then came the three hours of darkness upon the Lord (Matthew 27:45), during which he would no longer suffer from the “hands of sinners,” but from the hand of God because of sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More. During these three hours, the Lord was subjected to the relentless judgment of a holy and righteous God. During this time, God “made him sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He treated him as if he were the source of all the sins that people have ever committed. There God made the Lord Jesus, the righteous one, suffer for our sins (1 Pet. 3:18).
If we have already seen that we were once darkness, then that describes our condition as sinners. This includes the “worksAnother word for deeds or actions. God's works are perfect (Gen 1:31), men's can be good works (Matt 5:16) or dead (Heb 6:1). On the basis of his works, unbelieving... More of darkness,” that is, the sinful deeds we committed in this state. Because of both—because we were sinners and because we sinned—the Lord Jesus had to go to the cross in the three hours of darkness; so that there could be a “but now” in your life and mine.
“But now,” Paul continues in his letter to the Ephesians, “you are light in the Lord.” Through the work of the Lord Jesus, God has called us “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. 1 John 2:9). Now there is a “once” and a ‘now’ for every believer, not just for the Ephesians: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8). As such, we have been made fit for the presence of God. Today we can and may have fellowship with Him (cf. 1 John 1:3-5) and will enjoy this for eternity in the Father's house.
But now that we have become “light in the Lord,” this also places us under responsibility, for Paul continues: “Walk as children of light.” When we speak of “walking,” we always mean our way of life, our behavior. That we are children of light is one thing. It is, as it were, the positionThe Christian position cannot be separated from Christian practice, but a distinction must be made. "Position" means how God sees us now. In the eyes of God, we are "in... More we have in the Lord Jesus before God. But this also requires appropriate behavior.
As “children of light,” we are to reflect the nature of God in our practical lives. To do this, it is necessary that we “put off the worksAnother word for deeds or actions. God's works are perfect (Gen 1:31), men's can be good works (Matt 5:16) or dead (Heb 6:1). On the basis of his works, unbelieving... More of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12). We are to remove everything in our lives that does not fit with the nature of God. As “children of light,” there is also the “fruit of light” (Eph. 5:9), which consists of “all goodness and righteousness and truth.” It stands in contrast to the “unfruitful worksAnother word for deeds or actions. God's works are perfect (Gen 1:31), men's can be good works (Matt 5:16) or dead (Heb 6:1). On the basis of his works, unbelieving... More of darkness” (Eph. 5:11) that characterized us as unbelievers.
What a tremendous difference between “then” and “now.” Indeed, a difference between “day and night.” When we were darkness, we were far from God and deserved the “uttermost darkness,” hell"Place" prepared for the devil and his angels (demons) (Mt 25:41), but into which everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life will also be thrown (Rev... More. But as “children of light,” we have come close to God and are allowed to have fellowship with Him in His presence.
Let us never forget that the Lord Jesus had to enter into the “power of darkness” and ultimately into the three hours of darkness on the cross for this.
This spurs us on, but it also makes us aware that we now have the responsibility to behave as “children of light.” May it be that this ‘once’ and “now” truly characterizes us and that our entire behavior shows that we are children of light.
