| The Christian Life | May 1941 |
The Light of the World
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”—Matthew 5:14
THERE is an old adage which states that “there is enough in the 5th chapter of Matthew to save any man.” Actually, however, there isn’t sufficient information in this chapter to make salvation available for anyone, for the simple reason that in it. Jesus gives no hint of the necessity of accepting the redeeming power of His blood. In the 6th chapter, 53rd verse of St. John’s Gospel the Master makes it plain that unless one eats His flesh and drinks His blood he can have no life in him; but there is no hint in Matthew five of this prerequisite to salvation.
Nor does the 5th chapter of Matthew, or the succeeding chapters of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, present very much information concerning the divine plan of salvation in general. The Sermon on the Mount does not appear to have been given to explain the divine program for the recovery of a lost race from sin and death, but seems to be rather in the nature of instructions to regulate the conduct of those who are called to co-operate with God in the carrying out of His purposes. These instructions are very comprehensive, covering all phases of the Christian life; including a formula for prayer.
It is important to note the chronological setting of the Sermon on the Mount. It was given at the close of the Jewish age and the beginning of the Gospel age. Throughout the centuries of the past God had been represented in the earth by the Jewish nation, and particularly by the religious leaders of that nation. The scribes and Pharisees even in Jesus’ day still “sat in Moses’ seat.” The Master recognized this and on certain occasions instructed those whom He healed to report the matter to these leaders. God had promised that the whole nation of Israel would be a “kingdom of priests” on condition of faithfulness to Him. While they failed to actually obtain this high honor, yet, through the centuries during which God was dealing with them, they were, in a limited sense, the “light of the world.” Their teachers “encompassed sea and land” to make proselytes, and while the proselyte was worse off than before his conversion, yet the fact that these efforts were made reveals the Jewish viewpoint respecting their destiny as a teacher nation.
But now the time had come when the Jewish nation was to be cast off from divine favor, and no longer to be recognized as in any sense of the word representing God among men, New “ambassadors” were to be chosen, in fact, were already being chosen, and to a nucleus of these Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount in which instructions were given to guide the conduct and activity of this new teacher nation, the “holy nation” mentioned by the apostle in I Peter 2:9. Peter reminds us that the divine purpose relating to this “holy nation” is that “ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
The same thought is implied in the Master’s words, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” Yes, this is the true position of the church in the world, but in order to be a part of this light-giving “city” it is necessary to observe and to obey the instructions given by the Master to govern the conduct of His ambassadors. Thus Jesus emphasizes both the qualifications and the object of the Christian calling. These are vitally related to each other, and every follower of the Master should endeavor to keep both clearly in mind and govern his life accordingly.
HIGH STANDARDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus contrasts the standards of conduct which governed the Pharisees with those which were to govern the newly appointed ambassadors of light. Heart-searching indeed are the rules of conduct Jesus lays down for those who, from then on, were to be the “light of the world.” It is not the thought that adherence to these high standards would in itself constitute one a light-bearer, but rather that unless one does strive earnestly to attain these standards the light of truth would be obscured by his unrighteous conduct. It is often said that one’s life constitutes the most effective witness for the truth that can be given. This is true only in part for those who are thus called to righteousness must demonstrate it by making known the glad tidings of the Kingdom.
One may live a life that is beyond reproach, yet if he says nothing about God’s plan his neighbors would never learn that plan from him. One may be just and loving and kind in his dealings with his neighbors, yet such exemplary conduct would not in itself reveal what one believes concerning God’s loving plan. If our neighbors are to learn from us that the wages of sin is death and not eternal torment it will be necessary to make known this fact by words, oral or printed.
And when we realize that the object of our calling is that we may show forth the praises of Him who has called us to this position of high favor in the divine program, we will know that letting our light shine is not intended by the Lord to be merely an incidental item in our lives but is that which calls for all the self-sacrificing effort we can possibly devote to it. This thought is made clear by the apostle, saying, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. … Now then we are ambassadors for Christ.”—II Cor. 5:17-20
It will be noted from the passage just quoted that the “all things” which become new in the life of a Christian are the things that are “of God, who … hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” The obvious thought here is that having become “new creatures” we have been given a new vocation in life, which is that of being ambassadors of Christ. This vocation is to be the thing of primary consideration in our lives. “All things” are supposed to be comprehended in it. That is, every detail of life should be governed by this one great purpose of life. Whatever time or strength we may find necessary to spend in order to properly discharge earthly obligations that may rightfully be ours, should be done as unto the Lord, and always with the thought in mind that such activity is merely our avocation; our vocation being that of serving as ambassadors of Christ.
ACTIVITY IMPORTANT—RESULTS INCIDENTAL
When we say that the present object of the Christian life is to let our light shine and thus to be the light of the world, we should keep in mind the difference between our self-sacrificing activities, and the results of those activities. The Christian is not commissioned to convert the world in this age, hence the result of the witness that is given to the world by his light-bearing activity is only incidental to the main purpose of his efforts. Being an ambassador for Christ is not incidental to the Christian life. All that we have and are should be devoted to this vocation. The chief result of this sacrifice to God will be the making ready of the prospective bride of Christ, of which we may become a part if we are truly faithful. As we let our light shine to reach and build up the body members of the Christ, the world receives a witness.
In the great economy of God He has arranged that our preparation for the future work of reconciling the world will be accomplished through our self-sacrificing ministry of the truth now. The church is prepared for joint-heirship with Christ through the operation of the spirit of the truth, and in the divine arrangement each ambassador of Christ serves as a channel of truth through which the message is communicated to others. The life-giving power of the truth depends upon both its inflow into the heart and its outflow for the blessing of others. If the truth has lost its vital, energizing power in our lives, it may be because we have permitted it to become stagnant through a failure to tell it out to others.
If we continue to receive the truth and fail to give it out to others it becomes less of a power in our lives because the spirit of the truth is that of giving for the blessing of others. The great hub, or center, of the divine plan is expressed in the text, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) If we quench this spirit of the truth—the spirit of giving—we will lose its vitalizing power and thus cease to grow as Christians.
So, if we are true followers of the Master, we will rejoice to let our light shine. If we have caught the real spirit of the truth we will not view our light-bearing sacrifices as something we “must” do, but rather that which we delight to do. The truth reveals God’s loving purpose to bless all nations, and if we have caught the true spirit of that message we will be glad to lay down our lives to bless as many as we can even now. By thus demonstrating our hearty appreciation of God’s plan to bless others, we prove our worthiness to share with the Master in the world-wide work of blessing in the next age.
NEITHER BARREN NOR UNFRUITFUL
In II Peter 1:4-11 the apostle presents the same outline of the Christian life as Jesus does in His Sermon on the Mount, but, of course, with much less detail. Jesus emphasizes that the church is as a “city set on a hill,” and that as members of that church we are to let our light shine before men. Strictly speaking it is not our light, but the light of the Gospel that does the shining; but it shines through us if our characters have been made pure and transparent through the “washing of water by the Word.” So Peter says that we should add to our faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. Then he adds, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Without this proper background of Christian character, as outlined by the apostle, and set forth in more detail by Jesus, we would, indeed, be barren and unfruitful as ambassadors of Christ. Peter’s use of the word “For,” indicates that the purpose of our having the knowledge of Christ is that it may bear fruit, but that it can bear fruit only if it is used by those whose own lives have been brought into conformity with the high standards of righteousness required of those who serve as ambassadors of light.
“LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE”
Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16) A very similar thought to this is expressed by the apostle in I Peter 2:12: “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” In the verse just preceding this we are admonished to “abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” While the following of this admonition is merely a negative righteousness, yet it is a necessary prerequisite to an honest conversation. That is to say, the good works which glorify God consist not only of refraining from sin, but also of active participation in good works for the purpose of blessing others. The good works in which we are to be principally engaged is that of letting our light shine before men.
But let us not suppose that, as a result of showing forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, the worldly minded will, at once, be caused to glorify God. They will not. The world did not glorify God because of Jesus’ good works, and we can’t expect that our ministry will be appreciated any more than was His. The servant cannot expect to be above his Master. St. Peter gives us the proper viewpoint of this by explaining that it will be in the “day of visitation” that the world will glorify God because of the witness that has been given by the ambassadors of Christ.
Yes, that will be the time when “all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called” will have their real opportunity to seek after the Lord. (Acts 15:17) Now the darkness hateth the light, and as we let our light shine we’ll meet with opposition and persecution. One here and there may be attracted to the light, but for the most part we should expect either cold indifference or open hostility, opposition to the message. But even so, our efforts are not in vain for we have the assurance that in “the day of visitation” those to whom we witness will glorify God because of the present light-bearing activities of His people.
“BUSHELS” THAT MAY HIDE THE LIGHT
Jesus warns against hiding our light “under a bushel.” (Matt. 5:15) Satan, the prince of darkness, is always on the alert to deceive and mislead us, especially with respect to doing the will of God. To be faithful ambassadors of Christ calls for sacrifice, and the flesh rebels against sacrifice. This means that the Christian is easily appealed to with arguments and suggestions which, if they are accepted, will serve as “bushels” to hide the light of the Gospel which should be radiating from our consecrated lives.
Throughout the age many of these “bushels” have been in the form of false doctrines. If Satan is able to distort the truth so that it becomes error in our hands he is happy to have us active in proclaiming the error. But there are those in the earth today who are holding the truth in its purity, and to these Satan is continuously presenting arguments as to why they should not let their light shine. These arguments appeal to the flesh because they offer an easier way of living the Christian life. It is cunning, but misleading sophistry which presents the Christian Life as one only of morality, Bible study and prayer.
It would be equally wrong to suppose that we can be acceptable Christians simply by being active in telling others about the Kingdom, while neglecting to purge ourselves from the filthiness of the flesh, neglecting Bible study, and neglecting prayer. Our own unrighteousness and our lack of knowledge of God and of His truth could easily be a “bushel” to obscure the light of the Gospel that might otherwise shine out from our lives.
A frequently-used argument which appeals to the flesh and often serves to dampen zeal for making known the glad tidings of the Kingdom is that such efforts do not accomplish anything. A class may hold one or more public meetings, and if several people do not embrace the truth as a result, Satan is quick to assail our zeal and faith with the discouraging suggestion that nothing is accomplished now by letting our light shine, hence this is the time to “stand and wait.” If not on the alert against Satan’s wiles we will be inclined to seize the “stand and wait” “bushel” and with it hide our light.
Then there’s the “great works” program which also may become a “bushel” to hide our light. The arguments used in connection with this “bushel” are often very cunning, and mixed with a measure of truth. Those who know the truth know that this is not the age for converting the world. They know that it is during the Kingdom period that the knowledge of God’s glory will be caused to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. These know, furthermore, that no one can earn joint-heirship with Christ by the amount of work he is able to do for the Lord. We know, too, that it is by grace that we are saved, and not by works.
All of this every enlightened Christian should know. But every enlightened Christian should also know that it is a fundamental of the Christian life to be an ambassador for Christ, and as such, to be the light of the world. It is a fundamental teaching of Christianity that those who are saved by grace, shall use their redeemed lives in unreserved, sacrificial service of the truth, showing forth the praises of their God. There is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that the importance of this fundamental element of true Christianity should ever be minimized. Dispensational truth does not change it nor set it aside. The only thing which the Scriptures indicate can limit it is the “night in which no man can work.”—John 9:4
When Satan presented temptations to Jesus he backed them up by quoting Scriptures, and he employs the same method in seeking to turn us aside from the course of true faithfulness. One of the favorite Scriptures he uses in asking us to cover our light with the “great works” “bushel” is the statement of the Master in which He foretells that at the time His Kingdom is to be established many would come to Him saying, Have we not done many wonderful works in Thy name? Jesus says to these, “I never knew you.” This Scripture is used to imply that the time would come when it would be improper to lay down our lives in serving the Lord. The implication is given that those who have ceased to work for the Lord, and who are standing and waiting are the ones whom the Lord will recognize as His own when the final test comes.
This is misleading sophistry, which offers the flesh a seemingly palpable excuse for ceasing the work of sacrificing the flesh and its interests. The Master’s words, when thus used, are grossly misapplied. The account shows that the “wonderful works” claimed by those whom Jesus rejects are not efforts to make known the glad tidings of the Kingdom, but activities not authorized for the Christian. Casting out devils, is one of the “wonderful works” catalogued in this prophecy. True, there is also mentioned the work of “prophesying,” or preaching, in the name of the Lord. But it is obvious that those who combine their preaching with attempts to miraculously heal the sick and to cast out devils, are not sufficiently acquainted with the true Gospel of the Kingdom to be able to preach the truth. It is for this reason that their preaching and other activities do not win divine approval, and not because they are doing the work at the wrong time.
WITNESSING TO THE FEARFUL
As the day of God’s vengeance becomes increasingly foreboding and darker, those who are faithfully letting their light shine will find that more people, on the average, are willing to listen to the message. Fear is one of the motives back of this desire to know what the Scriptures say concerning the outcome of present world distress. Jesus said of this time that men’s hearts would be filled with fear as they look forward to the things coming upon the earth. The discouraging suggestion may be made to us that the apparent increase of interest in the truth is due merely to fear, hence that our efforts, after all, are not worthwhile.
But this, too, is an unscriptural viewpoint. In Isaiah 35:4, where the day of vengeance is mentioned, and where the fear of the people caused by the troubles of that day are also noted, the Lord’s people are admonished to “say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you.” From this we learn that even though people do listen to us because of their fear, the Lord wants us to give them the message of salvation—the Kingdom gospel. The result of thus faithfully complying with the divine mandate to give such a message is to be left in the Lord’s hands. So dear ones, let us not permit this “bushel” to interfere with letting our light shine forth on a benighted and sin-weary world.
Another “bushel” which is sometimes offered us, with the suggestion that we use it to hide our light, is the argument that if we are actively engaged in disseminating the truth we are liable to neglect our own spiritual interests. This is a very subtle argument because there is a possibility that it may be partially true. It is quite possible to lose our sense of spiritual balance and spend so much time working for the Lord that we do not have time for sitting at His feet to learn of Him. In this way, we may become spiritually impoverished. However, the fact that there is a possibility of this kind, should not frighten us into going to the extreme of standing by while the light goes majestically forward, leaving us in measurable darkness—our understanding to that extent being deficient.
STUDY AND ACTIVITY
True spiritual growth depends upon both study and activity. We may continuously fill our minds with the truth, yet if we keep it to ourselves, it will not be a vital power in our lives. For the new creature to grow and remain healthy it needs not only to continue partaking of the spiritual food of the Word, but it must also have exercise. Little good will it do us to learn perfectly of God’s plan to bless all the families of the earth through the Christ, if that knowledge does not inspire and impel us to do all in our power to bless others now even as we have been blessed. Any viewpoint of the truth which may lead us to believe that God isn’t pleased to have us tell it to others, represents a departure from the real spirit of the truth, no matter how firmly we may still be holding to the doctrines. Let us not’ permit the “self-first” “bushel” to hide our light.
As long as there is opportunity to let our light shine, it is never too late to do so. The dark night of the world’s great time of trouble is now rapidly settling down upon the nations. In many parts of the earth it is no longer possible to proclaim the glad tidings. But where it still can be done what a privilege it is to proclaim these Kingdom joys! It is still our privilege to be the “light of the world.” When the Lord permits circumstances to develop which will make it impossible to continue proclaiming the glad tidings, then we will know that His time has come for us to stop. This will mean that the church’s deliverance draweth near.
But as long as the Lord is holding back the winds of strife in any part of the earth, it means that there is still some sealing work to be accomplished. It is not for us to arbitrarily decide that the “four winds” have been loosed, and upon the basis of this decision, cease to let our light shine before men. When the “four winds” are actually loosed it will be impossible to preach the truth, and there will be nothing we can do about it except to follow the leadings of the Lord, humbly bowing to His will.
Let us look to Jesus as an example of light-bearing. Jesus was the light of the world, and He faithfully bore witness to the truth right down to the very end of His earthly ministry. Even when hanging on the cross, suffering excruciating pain, He told the thief about the hope of paradise being restored upon the Kingdom’s establishment. Here is an example of light-bearing under most difficult and painful circumstances. May it be a lesson to encourage us to be faithful even at the cost of self-sacrifice and hardship. Indeed, if we let our light shine only when it is convenient and pleasant for us to do so, we may well question the depth of our consecration vows.
Of Jesus it is said that He is that “true light, which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) The church shares with Jesus in this arrangement of being a channel of light. The time when “every man” will be enlightened is during the future Kingdom period; hence it should not be expected that our present light-bearing will scatter much of the darkness of this world. However, we are to let our light shine, for God has a present purpose to be accomplished by it. A part of that purpose is to attract those who truly love the light, and who are willing to die for it when they find it. Another part of that purpose is that the world might have a witness.
Through Noah, God gave the world before the flood a witness of what was impending. The fact that the witness was not heeded did not release Noah from the responsibility of giving it. So today, another world is ending, and God’s new world is soon to be established, and we are given the great favor of being God’s witnesses in telling the people of these events. Not many will hear, but O what joy there is in telling it! As we examine our hearts today, do we find that we truly appreciate the privilege that is ours of being the “light of the world”? Are we doing all we can to hold up the light so that it will be like a “city set on a hill” that cannot be hid?