Darkness HATES the light

¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ 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.

Liberating Light

Jesus said, “…I am the light of the world…”.  EVERYTHING that Jesus did was done in the presence of a great cloud of witnesses.  This was give great honor and glory to God.  Jesus frees us from the bondage of sin.  Sin tries to get us to hide what we are doing, for fear that others will see it and will judge us (or, in many cases, become witnesses when we are prosecuted for our crimes).

There is a difference between privacy and secrecy.  The marital relations between married people is to be practiced privately (it is the non-God approved physical relations among humans that are [generally] performed secretly…).  Passwords are to be private, because others shouldn’t know them (whereas hacking for passwords is done surreptitiously).  There are many other examples where things are considered private, but not secret.

When we operate in secrecy, we don’t wish anyone (even God!) to know what we are doing.  Even in the military ranks of most nations, there is a need to keep information compartmentalized because its public knowledge could possibly compromise a nation’s security.  But to keep something secret is something else.  If a military plan is created where its contents will not be made known to the highest members of military command, that usually indicates that it is not good.  God has NEVER once said in the Bible that “the end justifies the means”.  On the contrary, God expects holiness and righteousness to reign and rule in our lives, and if there are consequences, then God will take care of them.

Jesus exposed the deeds of darkness.  He never once engaged in them, for He WAS light.

Danger of Darkness

Darkness provides the veil and cloak of secrecy that evil so greatly desires.  Evil does not want to be seen.  It is much more effective working from the shadows, out of the public eye, where it can steal, kill and destroy.  Darkness becomes a place where people begin to justify what they are doing.  Because the light of truth is not revealing the nature and origin of their plans, many people don’t even realize that they have given over control of their lives to darkness.  Their fear keeps them in bondage, and they grow even more evil as the very voice that prompted them to do something in darkness is now condemning them and threatening them with it.  How terrible it is to be caught in the cloak of secrecy!  For when the truth reveals what has happened, the destruction and ruination that follows is inevitable.

Evil Exposed

Light exposes the evil in darkness.  By its very nature, light provides the resource necessary to reflect the nature of something.  And human beings, in their carnal nature, are salacious and gossipy creatures, greatly desiring the next morsel of impropriety and humiliation in the lives of others.  For some reason, this makes people feel good about themselves.

Everything that we do should be done in the light of truth.  If there is any doubt as to whether or not something would be perceived as inappropriate or damaging, it should be discussed with trusted, respected, Spirit-filled people who can ascertain if a decision or direction would cause harm to someone.  In every case, application of light into a dark area will cause the truth about circumstances to be illuminated and exposed.  It is better to expose something before it happens rather than deal with the consequences of it after it happens.

Tantalizing Truth

People have been lied to and deceived for so long and with so much, that ANY revelation of truth is received and embraced.  Since human beings were created in the image of God, we desire truth, even though our sin nature desires what it wants, which is to be ignored by truth and the light.  Otherwise, it cannot have its way.

Glory to God

Secret Societies DO NOT bring glory to God.   They clothe their actions in secrecy, in an attempt to make members feel as though they are special, because they have secret knowledge and support from their likewise-sworn members that ALL others (who are excluded) do not.  This is a divisive tool, used by the enemy of our souls, to divide us so that we can be more easily conquered.

Under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God, Paul the Apostle penned these words:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

The information in the Bible is freely given to anyone who wants to learn (it costs money to print Bibles, so they may not necessarily be “free”, but anyone with access to the Internet can access the Bible for no additional fee).  The manual for most secret societies is closely guarded and members swear that they will not show it to others.  How can God be given glory if the deeds of men are done in darkness?

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

If you would like a more in-depth analysis of the compatibility (or lack thereof) of Christianity (discipleship in Christ) and Secret Societies, please take the time to read the analysis performed by the Christian & Missionary Alliance on the subject.

Qualifying Question

Let’s ask a question:  Am I shining light into the world, or cloaking it with darkness?

A short prayer of preparation:

Father in Heaven, You have brought Light into the world.  Help me to be light for You.  Shine Your glory through me, that others would be attracted to the light like moths.  I pray that Christ would be so apparent in my life that His character would be winsome to all who see You working in and through me.  Father, give me the strength to turn from any darkness in my life.  This may cause me financial, emotional, and relational distress.  I pray, Father, that as I turn ever more in alignment with You, that You would deal with all of these other issues.  Help me to seek you with abandon, that nothing would come between You and me.  This I ask in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Want more?  Why not try A. B. Simpson or A. W. Tozer?