Defining Darkness

I have been meditating on this verse:

"This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:5-6)

I'm a visual person. So, as I was thinking about all of this, I got an image in my head. This black square is the world. It is dark. Full of darkness. It is the world without any Believers.

There is no light at all. It's like the first instant when the lights go out. Utter darkness. Let's add some Believers.

What a difference! It's like the lights in the ball park, lighting up the field as though it were day. 

But, this passage says that some Believers have fellowship with darkness. Maybe, a lot of fellowship. Maybe, a little. 

This is probably a more realistic picture of Believers in the world, but my head says, "Well, a dim light is better than no light." We've all been in a blackout with a flashlight that had dying batteries. It isn't real bright, but it's better than nothing! 

Yes, there is a difference between the darkness and the Believers who fellowship with it, but it's pretty subtle. Those can hardly be called lights. 

When I was backsliding, I remember I would define my right standing with Christ by comparing myself to the world. Next to the world, my compromise (sin) wasn't bad at all. 

When I compared myself to other Christians, I would mock those that seemed to shine brighter. They were legalistic, or judgmental, or old fashioned. Or, boring. Hadn't they heard of grace? I remember saying, "God can't expect me to follow what the Bible says. That was a totally different time and culture!"

I really did say that. And, lived it, too.

In Matthew 5:14 Christ tell us that we are the light of the world. In verse 16 He says that it is by our light they will come to know Him. If we are using the darkness of the world as our light meter, we're in trouble.  

OUR LIGHT METER
I chose a triangle to represent God, because the triangle often represents the Holy Trinity. So, here is God and the world.

"God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." 

I think that's really clear! James 1:7 tells us that God is the Father of lights, and this is no variableness. He is all light. No shades of grey. 

Are there little compromises, or big sins, blotting out the light of Christ in your life? Have you been measuring your light by the darkness? I must constantly go back to Christ as my light meter. I cannot compare myself to anyone else—no other Believer, or sinner—only Him. And, next to Him, I can truly see where I need to repent.