22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! ~ Matthew 6:22-23CSB
A phrase I’m hearing more and more as a defense for “Christians” to live as the world without getting too much backlash from the Church is “Going to the party isn’t the problem. Even Jesus partied with sinners. You just gotta leave before the Devil shows up.” Is there any truth to this statement? I would say, no, not really. Jesus never partied with anyone. Jesus ate and drank with sinners, and that’s about it. The key, though, is actually paying attention to what Jesus did when He was around sinners. Jesus always found the opportunity to correct their way of living.
Jesus wasn’t out there getting drunk, dancing inappropriately, smoking weed, seeing others talking harder drugs, and having orgies in the back, all while listening to filthy, nasty music filled with cusswords, debauchery, and sexual immortality. No. Jesus sat and had dinner with people, and if He didn’t outright correct their behavior verbally, His presence alone convicted them enough that they repented directly to Him. Jesus never enabled darkness to continue; why? Because while He was in the world, He was the Light of the World. Now, we have taken that same position that He left when He ascended on High. What does that mean for us?
We don’t justify our actions by twisting the Word of God in order to party and cater to our flesh. No. We stand firm on our faith and be the light of the world. Paul put it best when he said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Therefore, we must emulate Christ and what He did. Where, when, how can we witness to anyone at a party? Who are we saving there? Let’s be honest; we’re there for our own fleshly desires and nothing more.
How can we leave a party before the Devil shows up if we don’t know what the Devil looks like? If we struggle with who Jesus is, how can we feel confident that we notice our enemy when he blatantly lies, deceives, and even transforms himself into an angel of light? It’s impossible. How can we reach the lost of we’re right next to them doing the same thing? We can’t. Darkness cannot drive out darkness. It will just lead to more darkness. We are called out of the world so that we might call others out of the world as well. I’ll leave you with this question, “If the light in you is truly darkness, how great is that darkness?” In other words, if you think you’re living a good life, but in reality, you are living a sinful life, how great is that sin within you?
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Imitate The True God.