Darkness

“for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light”.   Ephesians 5:8 

Darkness – In Greek – skotos.  The ancient world used the imagery of dark and light not only to describe natural events but also to signify opposite forces of power and mystery.  There are many ancient cultures where darkness is associated with chaos, evil and death.  The use of this particular word in the New Testament derives its coloring from a Hebrew word.  In the Old Testament Hebrew language, God’s creation begins with light overcoming the darkness.  Darkness is not a separate, resistant force since God is the Lord over both light and dark, but darkness does represent destruction, the realm of the dead, terror and punishment.  God’s revelation and creation pierce the darkness with light that discloses truth.  In the New Testament, many of these themes are repeated.  The end of human history will be accompanied by a cosmic darkness.  Darkness is used to describe the hearts of men who are turned away from God’s truth.  Darkness is often associated with sin.

This verse from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians uses the darkness as a metaphor for sin.  But it also implies that when we were trapped in our own sins, we were blinded to the truth.  Darkness in us kept us from seeing what was real.  This is a great lesson of recovery.  When my world seems out of sync, when I am struggling most with compulsive temptations, it is often because I have let my inner darkness blind me to the truth of God’s healing and God’s love.  If I look only on the inside of myself, I often find a deep black pit.  This is the place where my addictive cravings are most powerful.  But letting the light shine into me reveals of my secrets and breaks the bondage that the dark has on my life.  Paul asserts that even though we used to be trapped in darkness, we are now children of light.  This is the new foundation for our behavior.  Each day we can leave the dark behind and look into the light as new creations.

There is a good reason to stay out of the dark.  In the dark, you can’t see what you’re really doing even when you think things are fine.  Walk in the light and you’ll be able to see the world as it really is.