And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s 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. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. (19-21)
When I was a new believer in college (and more zealous than wise), I went with my Campus Crusade for Christ group to Daytona Beach, Florida for a “Spring Break” evangelism conference. We would learn about evangelism and discipleship during the day and then go out practice what we learned in the evenings. Suzie and I were dating at the time, and if you know anything about Daytona Beach during spring break, it is also Biker Week. Every motorcycle enthusiast in the country descends on the town of Daytona Beach, Fla. and they (along with the college students on Spring Break) are there to get wild and get drunk. This made for an exciting place to do evangelism because you never knew whether you would meet someone who wanted to hear the gospel or just beat you up.
I remember one night being on the street with Suzie by my side and trying to share the gospel with a massive bear of a man who was covered in tattoos and a huge beard. As I walked up to him and asked if I could talk to him about Jesus, he towered over us and bellowed, “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY!!!” The verses above came to my mind and I answered, “Can I tell you why you don’t want to hear… because your deeds are evil and you fear coming to the light because your evil deeds will be exposed!” (Remember… more zealous than wise 😊) I wish I could tell you that he fell to his knees and repented right there on the spot, but alas, he did not. Instead, he balled up a fist and started towards us. I got the hint and moved on to find someone a little more open and less inebriated.
While I could have been more tactful, it doesn’t change the fact that what I said was true. There is a reason why people stay in sin; they don’t run to the light, instead, they actually run away from it. Those who are filled with the light of Jesus love the light and long to be in it because they want that light to shine through them to others. Those who don’t want to be exposed avoid the light for all they are worth. This is why salvation is completely a work of God. Nobody volunteers to expose all their ugliness inside for all to see; people come to Jesus (the light of the world) because they are drawn to Him by the Spirit of God. He does a work in their heart, He helps them see who they are and He grants them repentance. When someone reaches out by faith to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord it is because the light of God has penetrated the darkness of their heart and they have finally understood the truth. Our natural, sinful bent is to avoid the light… if you love the light then God deserves all the credit for that.
