Come to the Light

"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed."

John 3:18-20

At Teen Camp this week I used an illustration of what it means to "come to the light."  I told the kids to imagine we had a party at an abandoned home with music pumping, people were drinking, dancing, and increasingly rowdy.  People at the party started vandalising the house by smashing bottles, breaking furniture, and punching holes in walls.

Suddenly a guy runs into the party, shuts down the music, and informs us of approaching police cars.  The lights are quickly turned off and a hush falls over the crowd.  The tyres of the cars crunch gravel, brakes squeak, and the baying of dogs ring out.  The faint sound of a chopper can be heard in the distance.  A beam of light pierces the darkness and is fixed upon the front entrance, and the voice of a constable is heard over a speaker.  "OK kids, we know you're in there.  If you come out the front now, no harm will come to you.  You have 10 seconds until we send in the dogs."

In this situation, what would you do?  If you've ever watched an episode of COPS, you know one tactic is to trust your own legs, to climb out the back door and attempt to futilely run from the "eye in the sky" with heat-sensing cameras.  After inevitably being caught the arrested would face additional charges.  Some might choose to barricade the door and arm themselves with whatever they could find.  Others might try to climb into a dark spot like an attic, a closet, or under the floorboards to escape.  But what of the dogs?  And the additional squad cars and firepower?  In this situation, the best possible outcome is to demonstrate faith in the safety promised by the constable, walk towards the snarling dogs and drawn firearms, and come into the light with empty, raised hands.

This scene is an illustration of what God requires of sinners.  We are condemned already, our lives forfeit because of sin.  God has made a way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ:  if we confess our sins, repent, and ask God for forgiveness and salvation, He will justify us.  All our sins will be forgiven and our guilt washed away.  But if we try to hide our sin, blame others, claim ignorance, or try to escape by running we will be bound and cast into outer darkness and eternal torment.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one can be forgiven or see the kingdom of God without Him.

The question remains:  will you hate the light and choose darkness or come into the Light of Life in full surrender?