September 5, 2009 LIGHT AND DARKNESS, AND THE LOVE OF GOD by Russell S. Miller Printer Friendly Version "Giving thanks unto the Father, Which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son..." (Col.1:12-14). When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of "the tree of [the] knowledge of good and evil" (Gen.2:9) they fell into sin themselves, and plunged the whole human race into sin (Rom.5:12). Having been warned, "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen.2:17) they were disobedient, and so, we are no longer perfect, but sinful, and in need of the Saviour. While it may take 70 or 80 years, from the moment we are born, we begin to die, and "dying thou shalt die". Consequently mankind, that's all of us, was blinded by the devil's lie, and as such, walks in darkness. "In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (IICor.4:4). If a man is dying, and you have the means to help him, would you let him die? So God, Himself, places a "very high value" upon us all. We are of "eternal worth" to Him. He sent His "Eternal Son" to pay for our sins, Himself, at the extreme cost of His own life's blood (Rom.8:31-34; Eph.1:7) that we may now, by faith in Christ, walk in the Light of His Word. Why else would God have sent His "only begotten Son" into this sin cursed world to die on a cruel cross for our sins? Therefore God will not, and cannot, accept your "good" works in substitute of Christ's "finished work of redemption" on Calvary's cross. It's not "good works", then, but rather a matter of whether or not we believe God's Word. It is what Christ did on the cross that God accepts (Rom.3:25), and as we accept Christs redemptive work on our behalf (Eph. 2:8,9), God "accepts" us (Eph.1:6). Do we believe the truth of the Word of God or the devil's lie? God loves us, each and every one of us, with an everlasting, an eternal, love. How much He loves us: "BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US" (Rom.5:8). "BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED..." (Acts 16:31). To the Reader: Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface: "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles." We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.