By Ken Blue
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”, Colossians 1:13.
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5.
Two worlds exist in one. They are like our moon; with one side always dark, and the other always light. We get a hint of this when God called “…the light Day, and the darkness he called Night…” Genesis 1:5. That dark side has a Prince who rules over all within his kingdom of darkness. Throughout Scripture we see this comparison. Righteousness is equated with light, and unrighteousness is equated with darkness.
It is obvious also that these two are contrasted as “understanding” and “ignorance.” Notice the usage in Ephesians 4:18. “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart…” The “understanding” is “darkened” through “ignorance,” and “blindness.”
Paul accused his nation of the malady which contributed to their lack of salvation. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Romans 10:1-3. Two key words describe the source of their problem; they lacked “knowledge” and they were “ignorant.” God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Hosea 4:6.
There are two great hymns that shed more light on the subject. One is, Amazing Grace. The words are, “…I once was blind, but now I see.” The other is, At the Cross. “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light…”
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.
It is nothing short of a miracle. We come into life ignorant, blind, and lost. We are in a world of darkness. We live on the dark side of the moon. But God, who called the light out of darkness, has shined in our heart and dispelled the ignorance, the blindness, and the darkness, in which we lived. Not only has He delivered us out of darkness, He had translated us into His marvelous light! It is called “the kingdom of His dear Son.” He has moved us from darkness to light.
We discover that people are not lost because of personal sin, but because of the ignorance, blindness, and unbelief in their heart. Faith in God’s Word is the switch that “turns on the light.” If you will “believe” Him, He will call you out of a world of darkness to light! These two worlds exist. Are you still in darkness?
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.