No Light Without Darkness

"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1:5

Recently I've taken to laying out in my backyard in a lounge chair around 10 PM. Being farther away from city lights, I get a great view of the stars and sometimes catch a shooting star streaking across the sky.  The darker it gets the more brilliantly the stars shine until even the milky way is visible. When the sun comes up every single one disappears. Only darkness allows us to see them.

In much the same way, only the darkness of sin reveals the greatness of God to us. Only in understanding our own depravity do we see what Christ has done and come to understand how much we need Him.

Our own salvation or sharing the Gospel with others simply can't be done without first revealing the darkness inside us all. Once a person has had all the lights turned out on them and they see themselves for what they truly are do they come to see Christ. No one can even begin to comprehend what Christ has done or their need of Him without first pointing out the darkness. It's how we, and all those before us, came to a saving knowledge of Christ. As the sky darkens at night and the stars become more brilliant against it, so does Christ against our own sin.

We sometimes treat sin in ourselves and in the world like a pest, something that can be brushed off or we make excuses for it. I know I've done it. We have popular teachers disregarding sin and refusing to preach on it because it offends. A primary work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of sin (John 16:8). If teachers aren't teaching on sin then how can the Holy Spirit even be involved in their ministry? If a Pastor preaches very little on sin something is terribly wrong. Man's depraved condition must be dealt with first and foremost. The pointing out of sin, the pointing out we are all depraved and separated from God is the plowing of the heart true repentance needs to take root. Without it no one can come to repentance, true and saving faith or see God.

How could any of us even love God without the backdrop of our depravity? It's impossible.

"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus loved much because she was forgiven much. She loved much because she understood the extent of her own wickedness and what she'd been forgiven of. Without understanding our own sin and shining a spot light on mankind's sin we can never love God nor can any other man. Man's depraved condition is a crucial element to our own salvation and sharing the Gospel with others. Christ and the meaning of the cross is magnified against our own wickedness. Without it...we're still lost. Without it in our witness we're just the blind leading the blind.