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INNER LIGHT
What a person believes is dear to him. Belief systems motivate people
to act. For instance if a person believes that good works results in
salvation they will try to work their way to heaven. On the other hand, if
they believe that salvation is by grace they will seek to learn if they are
recipients of God's grace. Whatever a person's belief system is they hold it
to be the truth. For them it is the truth and many people have died down
through the centuries rather than give up their beliefs – their truth –
their inner “light.”
The Lord Jesus spoke of men's belief systems when He said,
“Take
heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness,” (Luke
11:35). It is possible, then, that a person's inner “light” be wrong. It is
possible that a person can be quite confident that they know and understand
the truth while actually believing lies. In such cases that person's inner
“light” is actually inner “darkness.”
These words of the Lord Jesus are based upon these two facts: one,
there is such a thing as truth; and, two, it is possible to know the truth.
That truth exists and can be known is a basic teaching of the
Bible. Jesus said to His disciples, “And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free,” (John 8:32). These words of the Lord
also indicate that there is such a thing as truth and that it is possible to
know it. But as the first verse quoted above warns, it is possible that
those things which a person believes and holds dear are actually error.
The importance of the truth is seen again in the future condition of
those who do not love the truth – those whose inner light is actually inner
darkness. There is a city which in the future shall be the habitation of
Christ and His bride. Outside of that blessed place and refused entry into
it are people classified as “...whosoever loveth and maketh a lie,”
(Revelation 22:15). What! Is it possible that some people love lies? Is it
possible that some people love lies so much they make it their business to
make and promote lies? Sadly it seems so! Outside of the blessing of God
now, they shall remain so throughout eternity.
Whether an individual is a church member or not, each one of us
believes certain things regarding God and eternity. We believe something
about salvation even if we deny the existence of heaven and hell. In that
case we deny the existence of those things, but in doing so indicate what we
believe – and that we do indeed have an inner belief system. Each person
thinks they believe the truth. They think they have light in them. So the
words of Jesus spoken long ago are still appropriate:
“Take heed
therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” |