John 3:17-21 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Colossians 2:9-15 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Jesus did not come into the world to expose sin: the Law did that. He came to deliver mankind from sin. Sometimes we try to find deliverance by trying to meet the demands and tenants of the Law. In our human strength, we work hard to fulfill requirements and standards in which we believe: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” (Colossians 2:21) But following regulations and outward standards does not bring freedom from sin or purity of heart and deed. And, of course, none of us truly want to keep the whole law, a law so rigid and righteous that thieves, adulterers, and those who disrespect parents face death. God based his new covenant on grace alone, free to all who would accept Christ as Lord, recognizing that only the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit brings true righteousness. As we vicariously partake of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, we die to sin and come alive in Christ as joint heirs with him. As the Spirit raises us to heavenly places IN CHRIST, we become like Jesus, no longer bound to this world's limitations or enslaved by sinful inclinations. As heaven-bound new creatures, our righteousness rests in Christ alone with our faith and trust in him: his finished work and his total sufficiency to present us spotless before the Father. Truly, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. What grace, what love, what victory!

Without Christ and the revelation of grace through the Spirit, many people think right relationship with God comes through good actions, appropriate lifestyle choices, and being able to obey items on a list of rules they try to keep. When they are good, God accepts them; when they are bad, He rejects them. Since the fleshly nature is weak and prone to err, these people face condemnation or they chose to see only what they want to see and ignore the state of their hearts, becoming self-righteous, complacent, and judgmental of others who do not keep their particular list. Whether we perform good or bad deeds, whether we think we are better than others or worse, nothing but faith in Christ saves anyone. The Bible confirms the evil continually at work in the hearts of men and women. As Paul declared: For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Romans 7:18 KJV) The Law spotlights the innate, intrinsic flaws or imperfections of the unredeemed, even those who outwardly appear most holy. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Viewing our hopeless condition, Paul asks later in Romans: O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (7:24-25) Even though as believers our human nature keeps us from perfection in ourselves, we have a glorious hope in and through Christ: hope for joy, peace, and victory over sin. Today's scriptures confirm that the unredeemed exhibit their self-willed, sinful nature, their proclivity to love evil more than God's righteousness. Lost in the darkness, unregenerate people fear, reject, and avoid the light. Oftentimes the bondage to self, the desire to have all this world offers, and a hatred of the light remains so great that people knowingly refuse God's free gift of righteousness through Jesus. Yet God seeks to save the lost; He pursues the lost sheep on the dangerous precipices of life. And He uses us as his hands extended to the angry, the rebellious, the haughty, the confused, the broken and defeated ones.

In our obedience to Christ's call, He often takes us where we do not want to go. He asks us to love the unlovely, to go where the lost congregate and to let our lights shine. Many times we find people do not want us around when they partake of what the world offers. They resent our presence at a party and our lack of participation in their activities. We may not say a word or offer a look of reproach, but people caught in darkness resent the light in us and claim we are self-righteous or project a holier than thou attitude. The mere presence of a believer in the midst of foolishness, drunkenness, and debauchery brings conviction because God is faithful. The world, the flesh, and the devil fundamentally reject Christ as the Savior and want to entice people to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow they may die. Through Christ, God reveals that the things of Earth are vain and false, evil and corrupting. He shines light on such darkness that He might break through with his grace and mercy, with his salvation plan for all who will believe. Rejoice in Christ your Savior and live for him today. As you walk where the Spirit leads, you may face sorrow and rejection; yet many will want what you have and choose light and life in Jesus Christ our Lord and soon-coming King. Praise God, forever.