The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

John 1:9

Man, the carnal man, lives in darkness.  All mankind has turned aside from the truth, the true light, and has gone to corruption.  There is nothing wholesome about man, and nothing good in what he can do.  Ever.

The Spiritual Man, however, as Paul described, has died to it.  He has died to himself, to the world with all its desires, and has died to himself.  The case is so edged that Paul states that he is crucified to the world and the world is crucified to himself (Galatians 6:14).

Jesus, God Himself, is the only true light.  By the measure of His stature, we understand what humanity was truly created to be and what that image of the invisible was originally intended to resemble.  He truly is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being (Hebrews 1:3).

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:19 NIV

This is the verdict, the judgement (NASB), or the condemnation (KJV).  This is, that light, the true light had come, and men loved the darkness.  They honestly preferred the shame, the mutual condemnation and judging each other, they preferred the coveredness, lest their own nakedness was exposed.

This is the ruling against sinful man.  Jesus Himself said that He had not come and spoken to them, and shone their light against them, they would not be guilty of their sin (John 15:22).

They stood convicted.  They stood exposed by the Great God of heaven, shining the brightest spotlight, Jesus Himself, against every recess of their corner.

And, their condemnation was that they loved hiddenness, darkness, and evil.  They chose wickedness.

Today, we are that light.  The church is that light, and we are individually.  We shine the darkness into men’s hearts and lives.

When the church shines the light of the Gospel of Jesus into the streets and into the lives of the world, and it is in the whole world, so all men are without excuse, for the light has come, then they all stand condemned.

For their evil works, for the darkness in their own heart, because Jesus came to divide and separate the wheat from the tares.

It is only the Gospel light that illuminates every man.  It is the life, it is the wholeness of the truth.  Apart from Jesus, there is no light, yet in His light, we see light (Psalm 36:9).

When we shine with the light of Christ, when we proclaim His glorious and marvelous name, we inject light into the Earth.  By it, men’s sins are revealed.  The true condition and nature of their being is made manifest, and they can see, in part, that which they really are.

The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Psalm 14:2-3

Yet, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  So, as the church arises in Christ’s righteousness, as the church arises in the glory and light of the Gospel, the glory that they fell short of, all of man can look, and see their depravity.

When, in the character and nature of Jesus Himself, a single saint arises and stands against the flood, they demonstrate to a corrupt world that they are corrupt.  When the church stands up, and makes a stand for righteousness, they are a beacon on a hill, a bright and shining light.  The world should see our good works, and glorify the Father in heaven.

With their multitude of false gods, with their plethora of devices and machines.  It is the true revelation of the Gospel light that shatters every yoke.  There is no salvation in Islam.  There is no justification in Bhuddism.  There is no help in Hinduism, only bondage, decay, and chains.  And, there is no light in Judaism, for they have rejected the true light that they were promised, for which they still, supposedly wait.

For, when the church is alive, and the church is free, it lives on the hill of God (Psalm 27:1-3).  It is accompanied by countless heavenly hosts (Hebrews 12:22), and it is all glorious, shining with His light (Ephesians 5:8)!

This witness, a church that is free, is the witness to the world.  And, when we get our message clear, that God loved the world and has provided exactly one true and living and permanent way out of the corruption and decay of the world, Jesus Christ (John 3:16), and that those who do not follow Him are damned already (John 3:17, Mark 16:16), the convicting power of the Holy Spirit breaks through their life, proves to them that their own self is thoroughly corrupt, and at the name of Jesus, salvation breaks through into a human heart to save his soul.

The simple truth is, there is salvation in no other name.  God has provided no other name under heaven whereby men might be saved (Acts 4:12).  For, that which another might call salvation is really not, for they cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven, nor enter it (John 3:3-5).  Though they might speak a part of gospel language, they do not see the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free (Galatians 5:1), and are blind (Matthew 15:14).

It is only the blood of the Eternal sacrifice that purges away sin, and for those who have tasted of this freedom, this liberty, and this glory, there is no comparison to this life.  Like Paul, we do suffer the loss of all things.  For, we lose everything of this world to accept Him, and there is no fellowship between anything of this age and of that, for this Earth will be consumed with fire.

For to be carnally  minded is death, but to be spiritually minded, to think and act and behave by the Spirit, is life and peace in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:6).

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:  Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Ephesians 5:8-14