When u hear the word darkness, what comes to your mind, what do u relate or equate it to? No wrong or right answer because I’m asking for your interpretation or understanding of the word. Growing up, darkness has been related to evil (wicked or depraved) and I truly got that point of view from the world’s painted picture & thought of darkness. And to be honest even in the body of Christ I and many others continue to see darkness this way without ever questioning/seeking knowledge for even the word darkness. In no way am I trying to sale to u that darkness is good as light, for we know that God said, “light was good” (Gen.1:3). But did he ever say dark or darkness was evil. I recognize darkness can be harmful, but in its true element I believe its “nothing”, and in it evil can be manifested. Turn off the lights and its dark, but until or if something evil happens, darkness is simply “nothing”. In the beginning the Word states that the Spirit of God hovered over the surfaces of the waters, which where darkness was. God Himself in Spirit lived or moved in the body or atmosphere of darkness. Me personally, I believe first, that God never would nor will live nor dwell in nothing evil. And further more if the Spirit of God lived or moved there then surely it wasn’t without spiritual light or life, because the one who is life & light was present. By the grace of God, He gave a physical light to the dark world. Now let’s take a look at the biblical definition of darkness. Keep in mind the world didnt become evil until after the fall of mankind (Adam & Eve). The main definition of darkness relating to Gen. 1:2 is the absence of light. We know light to be the first gush of creation (Gen. 1:3), also to mean frequent source of energy (Matt.4:16; Luke 2:32; John 1:7-9); it also represents and is represented by God (1John1:5), truth & knowledge (John 1:7; Luke 2:32; Psalm 43:3). I went thru a few scriptures to see if I can replace the word God with Satan, and darkness with evil. In the aspect of trying to credit darkness to evil, I couldn’t. First, such as God created light. Can I say Satan created darkness. No, it’s impossible. Satan is not the creator of nothing but only the author of confusion. Meaning, he only takes what was already created & meant for good & distort it to use for evil by giving man a false image or meaning of something, and upon our lack of understanding & too much of our worldly knowledge we irrationally buy into what Satan is selling. Darkness is only harmful to us because of its absence of light/truth, but its far from evil. Just as many men & woman who are morally good people but are lost because of the absence of Christ in their life is not necessarily evil but are not good as fresh fruit. Just as light can be added to darkness so can Christ be added to the life of unbelievers. To say darkness is evil, is to say night is evil. Nah, bad things tend to happen more often at night because people believe their evil can be hidden. To say darkness in its essence is from the devil, is to say he created the place where the Spirit of God dwelled and so he is the creator of night. Darkness just as people only lack a potential that only(Jesus Christ) light can give. Spiritual darkness is to be living/walking blindly or in a state of blindness or confusion. Living in darkness is to live in the absence of God (w/out fellowship w/Him), to live outside of truth, and this will lead to evil acts. The difference between darkness in 1John 1:5-10 and Gen.1 is the difference between physical state and spiritual state. Both are without light, one w/out physical light and one w/out spiritual light. Both are states that creates a blindness, so both are in some sense bad for us, but the evil in the two is what lies ahead in this state of confusion or absence of light/truth. Prisons & projects (low income housing) are’nt evil, but what goes on in them are, just as other places & things. Remove the evil and those are good as any other place. My days & nights shall be blessful & good, and in the darkest places shall I declare the goodness of God right there where darkness lies(PS.23:4). This is important to me because I truly want to know God in His full attribute & glory and not limit Him in nothing by giving Satan credit for something he has no power nor control over. So in order to understand God relating to light I must understand Him relating to darkness. There is no darkness in God because He is infinite in knowledge, knowing all things and He is light. I don’t want to be in darkness because it adds nothing to my life, but I’m not fearful that darkness is evil, because I don’t believe it to be. It has no form of good nor evil. We just add to it by belieth. I choose to just add light.
Davin L. Wallace
DOC #1101851
