When I was 14 years old, my mother, father and I went to Mammoth Caves in Cave City, KY.
These caves were old underground rivers, and they were so large that in many places it would fit a semi-truck. It was an amazing experience.
As we walked, we had descended about a half mile below the surface of the earth and there were plenty of lights so we could see. But, in a very wide-open area, the tour leader wanted the group to see how dark it is in a cave. With much warning, he assured us of what he was about to do. Then he turned off the lights for thirty seconds.
When the lights went out, it was a darkness I had never experienced before. It was a dark you could feel. It was a complete, 100%, absence of light. There was much more amazement than fright.
When God created the world. The very first thing God does in Genesis is says, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
What was the very first thing God did in the New Creation? What is the new creation? “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
And the first thing done by God in this creation is creating light.
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
For believers, there is a darkness from which our Lord delivered us. It is a darkness that cannot see any good in Christ. The darkness will cause a few even to deny his existence. It is a darkness that will cause others to recognize that Jesus was a good teacher or a good man.
But this darkness is blinding just like the cave.
However, just as God spoke light into the world, the passage states that for those who believe, God has created light in our hearts to love Christ. To find beauty in Him. Because of the word of God, we are a new creation.
The first act in the creation of the world was light shining out of darkness. The first act in the new creation is light shining out of darkness.
S.D.G.