The truth about "men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

John 3:19 says "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

But who really are those who loved the darkness rather than the Light...? We see this in the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-12. Many of us are familiar with this story up to verse 11 where our Saviour tells the sinner woman “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” but likely do not see how verse 12 - "I am the Light of the world..."- connects with the story and John 3:19 (...and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.") Let's see how.

See verses 11-12, after the woman answered that no one condemned her: 

"...And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”"

Jesus Christ the Light of the world and our Salvation, was right there within the reach of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees who brought the woman to Him. His words “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” caused them to see that they were just as guilty as the sinner woman that they were accusing. Remember James 2:10 says "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees thought they were "better" than the woman but in truth, they were just as guilty in spite of their law-keeping and "holy, holy" attitude; no difference between this situation and that of people today who think that their law-keeping and good works put them in a better position with God than "core" sinners:)

The woman caught in adultery was convicted of sin and the penalty is death. So were her law-toting accusers. At Christ's words: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first,” the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees who were fighting to keep and enforce the law were also convicted of sin. All have sinned. They could not stone the woman.

But check out what the law-hugging accusers did after they, like the woman, were convicted of their sin (John 8:9-)

"When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman."

The woman remained in the Light, but her accusers who prided themselves in their ability to keep the law left the Light of the world and slunk back into the darkness of their hypocrisy of acting like they were righteous when they had secret sins. Instead of remaining and walking in the Light of the world who "...gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds" (Titus 2:14,) they slunk away... back into the darkness of trying to attain righteousness via law-keeping and thus cutting themselves off from Christ the Light! We see in Galatians 5:4 what literally happened with these teachers of religious law and the Pharisees:

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”

They could not bear to come into the Light (Jesus Christ) because then, the truth would be evident: that when it came to attaining righteousness by obeying the law, which was their anchor and the source of their high esteem in society, they were no better than the woman that was caught in adultery. Their deeds were evil!

They could not bear the thought of being saved by Grace like the sinner woman. People would realise that they too were sinners and no better than the woman they were trying to kill despite their "holy holy" acts. People would know that they needed exactly the same kind of saving that the sinner woman needed! They would be exposed and lose their moral high-standing and respect in society! So they hid in their darkness of law-keeping.

They hated the Light and loved darkness. They went away from Christ the Light of the world. This brings us to Christ's words to Nicodemus in John 3:19-

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."

Believers, this verse does not refer to thieves, armed robbers, kidnappers and "bad people" shunning church. The church is already bursting at the seams with such people, many of whom are looking for the Way out of their sins but can't find it in church because of the teaching of a distorted gospel by those who hate the Light.

The people who love darkness (the descendants of those teachers of religious law and the Pharisees) are religious church leaders and religious people who present themselves as “holy” and above sin by their own power; those who condemn people by telling them that God will punish them for their inability to keep the Ten Commandments instead of pointing them to Christ as the One who will save/ransom/redeem them from their prisons of sin as He saved the sinner woman. These ones are as guilty as the ones they are condemning, just like the accusers of the sinner woman. They are under law because they believe that it is what they do or do not do that gives them right-standing with God; but "...no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands..." (Romans 3:20)

The people who love darkness are the religious types in the church who reject the gift of righteousness that Christ died that we might have (Romans 5:19) and cling to theirs from works of the law because it gives them something to boast about. Like the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, they turn their backs on the Light of the world. They pride themselves in their ability to keep the law and condemn and threaten people who are weak with judgment, something that Jesus would never do to anyone who comes to Him. His strength is made perfect in weakness! Our weakness.

Like the Pharisees, they actively preach righteousness (by works of the law) but shun the finished work of Christ in making us righteous by His obedience (Romans 5:19.) Confessing that they are sinners (1 John 1:9) and that without Grace, they are nothing and have no power whatsoever to reign over sin and hell would mean coming down from the pedestal of "holiness" that they have put themselves on. These ones who love darkness want you to think that it is their hard work, discipline at keeping the law and doing good and not Grace – undeserved, unmerited favour- that got them to the positions that they occupy in their church and in life!

They accuse the flock like Satan the Accuser (e.g. How can God bless you when you are still.....? He will punish you if you don't stop sinning.) Many believers are trying hard to stop sinning/obey the law by their own power in order to be godly (be like God) because of their false teaching. Same strategy Satan used with Eve. But the result is more sin, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace." Try to obey the law to be godly (be like God) and sin has dominion. But they preach this backwards.

Believer, see Matt. 1:21- "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”Christ came to save us from our sins, not punish us for them!

These accusers from the pulpit can never cast the first stone, yet they accuse and levy the flock with fasts and tithes that they say can save from evil. They never point you to Jesus for salvation from sin. They point you to obeying the letter that kills. They accuse God's beloved according to the pattern of the devil the Accuser: to steal, to kill and to destroy. They profess Christ yet reject His gift of righteousness; they try to get right with God by keeping the law of Moses: Neither hot nor cold! Romans 5:17 says -

"...But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

But these ones who "loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" like the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees do not agree with this verse. They hide the truth and preach that it is by human effort that a person lives in triumphs over sin and death; but the sinner woman could do nothing to save herself. She would have died by the law were it not for the Light of the world!

Believers, the Light of the word does not shine to condemn sinners and expose sinners to judgment. He shines to save sinners from condemnation and judgment, just as He did with the sinner woman. To the sinner who sees himself as having no righteousness of his own, He is Saviour.

For sinner woman, the law, wielded by her accusers, brought her to the end of her tether. She was guilty. She knew it whereas the religious people who accused her and were just as guilty as she was were in denial, like many in the church who think that their law-keeping and good works can get them somewhere with God. There was nothing she could do to save herself from judgment, as we too can do nothing to save ourselves today. Only believe.

Jesus Christ the Light of the world is "the same yesterday, today and forever." He is still saving sinners from sin, condemnation and judgment as He did with the accused woman. In Him, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1.) It is His "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "go and sin no more."