September 30 - Light and Darkness 빛과 어두움

September 30 - Light and Darkness

 

“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” - Ephesians 5:14

 

Ephesians 5:1-21 continues Paul's invaluable instructions on how Christians should live out their faith. Rather than imitating the world or being controlled by worldly things, Christians must be filled with the Spirit. Specific flaws such as sexual immorality, crude speech, and wasting of time are discouraged. Instead, believers should submit to one another out of respect for Christ, providing a powerful witness to the world. 

Paul concludes his contrast of darkness and light with the statement, "Anything that becomes visible is light." When sin is exposed (Ephesians 5:13), change can occur, and sins can be forgiven. Believers must confess their sins to be in fellowship with the LORD (1 John 1:8–9).Paul then refers to a shared saying with the phrase, "Therefore it says." The following words are often understood as an early hymn or poem known to both Paul and the Ephesian believers. These words may have been known to others, particularly if this letter to the Ephesians was intended for multiple churches. The Greek words translated as "sleep" and "dead" share the same rhyming ending. The third phrase ends with the word Christos or Christ to end the hymn. The usage is intended to communicate that when we turn from our sins to the LORD, Christ brings us to life and "shines" on us, again connecting with the theme of light.

 

Paul says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). Evil is cultivated and nurtured in the darkness. The yeast of sin rises in the darkness to be spread to the world. On the contrary, light brings life. Even in the dark underground, if there is an artificial electric light, it can cultivate plants. When a person receives light, one’s injured body gets healed quickly. Light wakes someone from sleep. We seem to be immune to the sound of the rising sun that wakes nature. Also, light has the power of stretching to penetrate. Light will penetrate even a small space to shine its light. Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Thus, Paul said, “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible” (Ephesians 5:13). 

 

Therefore, we should not have anything to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather, we should expose them (Ephesians 5:11). We know how difficult it is to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness in today’s world. We live in post-modernism, where people can no longer acknowledge absolute truth. Christians naturally must tolerate, ignore, and accept people’s lifestyles in darkness. The world's reality is understanding people and letting them live without interference according to what they believe is right and wrong. Instead, people point to Christians who judge the world in the moral and ethical view as degrading Christians who disheartened people. 

 

The issue is how God speaks to us through the Bible. If the Scripture says a particular act is a fault, we cannot see it according to what we believe is wrong and right. Adultery, lying, materialism, no concern for the poor, child abuse and luxury life are all sins. We should shine the light of moral principles wherever and whatever we do. People, ‘negative,’ ‘narrow-minded,’ ‘judgmental,’ ‘too spiritual,' or ‘too stubborn,’ might tell us. Positively, we need to live as children of light, but we should not have anything to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness; rather, we should expose them. When we have the life of light, God’s compensation will knock on our door (Ephesians 5:14). 

 

Today’s Prayer: The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt regarding sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). Pray that your non-Christian acquaintances will be so convicted, repent, and claim the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. 

Prayer Pointer: I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.  - Mary, Queen of Scotland

Bible Reading: Isaiah 19-21; Ephesians 2

 

 

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9월 30일 - 빛과 어두움

 

“잠자는 자여 깨어서 죽은 자들 가운데서 일어나라 그리스도께서 네게 비취시리라” - 엡5:14

 

바울은 에베소서 5:1-21에서 그리스도인들이 세상에서 어떻게 믿음으로 살아야 하는지를 교훈하고 있습니다. 그리스도인들은 세상을 본받거나 세상적인 것들에 의해 지배당하지 않아야 하며 항상 성령으로 충만해야 합니다. 성적인 부도덕함, 누추하고 더러운 말과, 시간을 낭비하는 것과 같은 세상적인 것들을 버려야 합니다. 그대신, 신자들은 그리스도를 의지하면서 서로 복종하여 세상 사람들에게 복음을 증거해야 합니다. 바울은 어둠과 빛의 말씀에서 "드러나는 것마다 빛"이라고 끝을 맺습니다. 죄가 드러나면(엡 5:13) 변화가 일어나고 죄용서함을 받을 수 있습니다. 믿는 자들은 주님과의 교제를 위해 자신의 죄를 고백해야 합니다(요일 1:8-9).

 

그리고 바울은 "그런즉"이라는 단어로 함께 공유하고 있는 말을 언급합니다. 다음에 나오는 말씀은 바울과 에베소의 신자들에게 알려진 초기 찬송가나 시로 알려지고 있습니다. 여기의  말씀은 여러 사람들에게 알려졌고 특히 에베소인들에게 보낸 이 서신이 여러 교회를 위한 서신이었다면 더욱 그런 것입니다. "잠자는” 것과 "죽은 자"로 번역된 헬라어는 같은 운율의 결말을 공유하고 있습니다. 세 번째 구절은 찬송가의 마지막을 위해 그리스도라는 단어로 끝이 납니다. 이것은 우리가 죄에서 주님께로 돌이킬 때 그리스도께서 우리를 다시 살리시고 우리를 "비추신다"는 개념을 전달하기 위한 것입니다. 그리고 다시 빛의 주제와 연결합니다.   

 

바울은 "너희는 열매 없는 흑암의 일에 참여하지 말고 도리어 책망하라"(엡 5:11)고 말합니다. 악한 일은 어둠속에서 배양되고 성장합니다. 죄의 누룩이 어둠속에서 자라나서 온 세상에 퍼집니다. 반대로 빛은 생명을 가져옵니다. 어두운 지하에서도 인공 전등만 있으면 식물을 배양할 수 있습니다. 사람은 빛을 쪼이면 상처난 몸의 부분이 속히 치유됩니다. 빛은 사람들을 잠에서 깨웁니다. 우리는 자연을 깨우는 떠오르는 아침 태양의 빛과 소리에도 면역이 되어있는 것 같습니다. 또한 빛은 침투하고 뻗어 들어가는 놀라운 힘이 있습니다. 빛은 작은 공간에도 침투하고 빛을 비추어 줍니다. 어둠은 빛 앞에서 존재할 수 없습니다. 그래서 바울은 "책망을 받는 모든 것은 빛으로 말미암아 드러나나니 드러나는 것마다 빛이니라” (엡 5:13) )라고 말합니다. 

 

그러므로 우리는 열매 없는 어둠의 행위와 상관이 없기 때문에 어두움의 행위들을 폭로해야 합니다(엡 5:11). 우리는 오늘날 세상에서 열매 없는 어둠의 행위를 폭로하는 것이 얼마나 어려운지 압니다. 사람들이 더 이상 절대적인 진리를 인정할 수 없는 포스트 모더니즘 시대에 우리가 살고 있습니다. 그리스도인들은 어둠속의 사람들의 생활 방식을 관용하고 자연스럽게 받아 들입니다.  사람들을 이해하려고 하고 서로 간섭 하지 않으며 개인적인 옳고 그름에 따라 살아가는 것이 오늘날의 현실입니다. 오히려 세상 사람들은 그들의 도덕적, 윤리적 관점에서 세상을 판단하고 사람들을 좌절 시키는 타락한 기독교인들을 지적합니다. 

 

문제는 성경을 통해 하나님꼐서 우리에게 어떻게 말씀하시는지 아는 것입니다. 성경이 어떤  행위가 잘못이라고 하면, 우리의 신념에 따라 옳고 그름을 판단할 수 없습니다. 간음, 거짓말, 물질주의, 가난한 자에 대한 무관심, 아동 학대, 사치스러운 삶은 모두 죄악입니다. 우리는 어디에서 무엇을 하든지 도덕적 원리의 빛을 비춰야 합니다. 세상은 우리에게 '부정적', '편협한', '판단력', '너무 영적', '너무 고집이 센' 사람들이라고 말할지 모릅니다. 긍정적인 의미에서 우리는 빛의 자녀로 살면서 열매 없는 어둠의 행위와 아무 상관이 없는 것들을 폭로해야 합니다. 우리가 빛의 생명을 가지만 하나님의 보상이 우리의 문을 두드립니다(엡 5:14). 

 

오늘의 기도: 하나님께서 죄, 의, 심판(요 16:8)에 관해 세상에 죄가 있음을 깨닫게 하고 당신이 알고 있는 믿지 않은 자들이 죄를 깨닫고, 회개하고 예수 그리스도의 죄 용서함을 믿을 수 있도록 기도하십시오.  

기도 지침: 나는 존 낙스의 기도가 만명의 군대보다 더 두렵다. – 메어리, 스코틀랜드 여왕

성경 읽기: 이사야 19-21장; 에베소서 2장