John 3:19 - Without Christ People Love Darkness More Than Light.
John 3:19 (NKJV) And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
John 3:19 (NLT) And the judgment is based on
this fact: Gods light came into the world, but
people loved the darkness more than the light, for
their actions were evil.
John 3:19 (MSG) "This is the crisis we're
in: God-light streamed into the world, but men
and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They
went for the darkness because they were not
really interested in pleasing God.
COMMENTARY PEARL
When People Love Darkness
George Washington said, It is better
to offer no excuse than a bad one.
We start using excuses very early in
life. Maybe as a student, you discovered the
well-worn classic that has been used by generations:
The dog ate my homework.
As the years go by, you start getting new
excuses to rationalize your behavior, such as
Everybody was doing it.
Then, as you get a little older, you
discover other excuses like The alarm didnt go
off, Traffic was really bad, and The
check is in the mail.
People also come up with excuses as to
why they dont come into a relationship with
Jesus Christ. They call them reasons and might
even classify them as questions. But when you get
down to it, they are nothing more than excuses.
Maybe you know what its like to share
the gospel with someone who barrages you with a
mass of arguments and difficult-to-answer
questions. However, there is only one reason that
people arent putting their faith in Christ. It
isnt because theyre necessarily struggling
with the gospel message philosophically or
intellectually. Nor is it because theyre skeptics or
agnostics.
It is not about whether there are
contradictions in the Bible. Instead, these are excuses.
Theyre attempts to cover up the real reason, which
is this: they love darkness and dont want to
change.
Jesus said, And the judgment is based
on this fact: Gods light came into the
world, but people loved the darkness more than the
light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil
hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear
their sins will be exposed (John 3:19-20 NLT).
Deep inside they know that becoming a
Christian will require change. So, they hide behind a
well-worn excuse. They dont want to turn from their
darkness. They dont want the wind of the Spirit to
blow into their lives and bring about change.
They dont want to be born again.
Notice Jesus said that people loved
the darkness more than the light. It is not
only that they tolerated darkness or lived in it.
They loved it. And there are people today who
love sin as well.
What is the worst sin a person can
commit? According to the Bible, it is unbelief.
Unbelief is a choice. It is hearing the facts of the
gospel and saying, Im choosing not to believe
that. I dont want to believe that.
This is not to say that people dont
have legitimate questions. There are people with
skepticism about the Christian faith. Yet Jesus always
will reveal Himself to the genuine seeker.
However, some people think they can
continually put off coming to Christ. But they need to
know something. There comes a point of no return
in the human life. And if they continue in a
pattern of rejecting Jesus Christ, they can go
beyond that point.
We cant change the fact that people
love darkness. We can only pray that they will
see their need for Jesus Christ. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
John 1:4, 5 - JESUS; The Light, Shines
Through Darkness.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231109-0937.html
John 8:12 - The Second I AM; Jesus the Light
of the World!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230705-1013.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/