I had a former colleague (now retired) who said, “People aren’t in the business of making bad decisions”. HIs point was that most of us make choices that seem rational at the time, even if learning more about the situation later shows that some of these choices aren’t good at all!
Although Jesus came to enable salvation for the world (and we can appreciate verses like John 3:16-17), we cannot accept those words and – at the same time – say that there isn’t any judgment for those who do not believe in Him. After all, in the next verse, the Bible says otherwise:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:18 NIV
We might think that it would be irrational not to accept what can save us, but the next few verses explain why this happens:
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John 3:19-21 NIV
People like darkness better than light, and this includes their preference to do evil things over coming to the “capital L” Light, Jesus Christ.
Did you ever have a relative that said, “Nothing good happens after midnight”? While there are those who brazenly practice sin in broad daylight, there’s a reason that we associate a lot of evil things in this world with the dark. Darkness hides a lot of sins from other people, although it doesn’t hide them from God.
And, even among people who know that God is willing to take them back – and that He has even made the way for them to do so, at great cost to Himself – there are some individuals who don’t want their sins to be made known, and would rather try to hide from God (like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, after they had sinned – see Genesis 3:8).
Here is where I think that Christians need to show unbelievable forgiveness to others, just as we have been extended unbelievable forgiveness by God. When the church becomes known as a place where sins can be brought out into the light of day, and the community surrounds repentant sinners to help them heal (and not to condemn them!), I think that many in the world would flock to a place where they could get better and not feel shame.
Verse 21 here is also a reminder for Christians to embrace the light of God, and be willing to “let our little light shine”, as the song goes. If we are doing anything evil that we would prefer to keep in the dark, let’s bring it out to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ, with confidence that they will help us heal, rather than making things worse.
The Lookout (cited below) puts it this way: “Coming out of spiritual darkness into light takes vulnerability, but the result of doing so is a life that can be lived free of fear and pleasing in the sight of God.”
Let’s live in the light, not so that people will think that we are impressive, but so that they will see God working through us!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for December 10, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, December 10, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 