2 Corinthians 4:6
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
When God uttered “Let there be light”, the void and the darkness was invaded by the light (Gen. 1:3). Prior to knowing Christ, the heart of a man is like a void and it is in utter darkness. We were “once darkness (Eph. 5:8)”, we were “under the power of darkness (Col. 1:13)”, our hearts were darkened (Rom. 1:21, Eph. 4:18). We “loved darkness rather than the light (John 3:19)” and our deeds were evil.
How dark was that darkness? As dark as without the light of God or without God Himself (Eph. 2:12). Imagine living even just for a day without the sun and its light. Too dark? Now imagine being without the light of the One who gives and sustains the sun’s light. That’s utter darkness, a great divide. Being in the dark implies many things and that involves being alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18). That also involves having sin as our prison, and at the same time our pursuit. Imagine pursuing with passion that which enslaves you. That’s indeed a bondage.
Our hearts were dark enough that it could not perceive the glory of God. So dark that we are compelled to exchange the glory of God to anything that is so much less than Him. This was our depraved state before we heard the gospel of Christ.
But the Lord is gracious indeed. He knows that man cannot lit a light in his darkened heart. So what we could not and would not do, He did. As He commanded the light out of darkness, He shone Himself in our hearts — yes, not just His light but also Himself. This is what happened in the New Birth. The dead heart which was stone-cold towards God was awakened to the knowledge of God.
A darkened heart corresponds to spiritual deadness and blindness while being enlightened by God means being alive to Him and being able to see and savor Him. God shines in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, God’s greatest revelation is His Son. He is most revealed through His Son. He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9)”.
Since God Himself reveals Himself to us through His Son by the gospel, a person who is truly born again or enlightened or awakened by Him will surely desire Him and will delight in Him. Once he loved darkness but now his heart’s inclination is toward His beautiful Savior and he will surely spend his days knowing Him, making much of Him, and making Him known to those who are still in darkness.
