From Darkness to Light: A Born Again Reflection from A Sweet Savor Bible School

We were once in the realms of darkness, but when we are born again in the Lord, His light shines on us.

In Acts 26:18, Paul said that he was sent by the Lord to the Gentiles to “open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God.”

This verse reminds me of Plato’s allegory of the cave. So I’ll share the summary of the story and how that relates to our born again experience. In the story, a group of prisoners were living in a cave. They were chained facing the wall their whole life. And they watched the shadows projected on the wall and believed them to be real. One day, one of the prisoners was freed to see the light outside of the cave. He saw the beautiful world and realized the shadows are only illusions.

Just as the prisoners in the cave were bound with chains, we were bound to sins. Have you had experience of spending hours looking at social media, watching youtube or going after other fleshly desires? You might have tried to get away with those bad habits, but no matter how hard you’ve tried it seems like you’ve failed every time. Why? Because We were living in the realms of darkness and the power behind this world is so strong. The darkness hindered us from seeing the things of the Lord and realizing the purpose of our own human life. We craved after power, fame and things of this world, like the prisoners having their eyes fixed on the shadows.

However, when the light of the Lord shines on us, our eyes are opened. The world no longer attracts us. We were able to enter into the Lord and look at the heavenly things. This light also scatters the darkness of our ignorance. Maybe We once thought ourselves as decent human beings-- didn’t murder or steal (didn’t break the law)., but when the Lord shines light on us. We say O Lord I’m so wretched. We see the sinfulness and impurities in our life. But the light doesn’t stop there, it frees us. We might be struggling with sins, but when we call upon the name of the Lord, his light shines on us and delivers us from the constraint of our flesh. So saints next time when you are angry at those around you—your family or your friends, don’t forget to call O Lord Jesus He can open your eyes and shine his light on you!