echoes of redemption | steven dilla

I was reading in Genesis 1 yesterday and was hit with the question: Why did God separate light from darkness - why didn’t He destroy darkness? It could have all ended there - just light, no darkness.

Then I realized, as long as there is free will, there will be separation. Options. Choice.

In Genesis 1, God does a lot of separation. Just in the first three days, He separates light from darkness, waters in the sky from waters on the earth and seas from land. Later in Scripture He separates the Temple from the people, the Holy place from the rest of the Temple and the Most Holy place from the Holy place.

Most Christians today, when you ask them what Holiness is, will say, “separation.” God is Holy. He is separated. He is different.

Yet so many Christians make their lives about destruction. 

Is there destruction in Scripture? Absolutely. But notice, it does not come at the hands of a merciless God. It comes as the result of a people not choosing the path of light. It comes as a consequence of darkness. 

There tends to be little mercy in our Christian culture today. It’s easier to destroy another human’s heart than it is to help them heal from their separation. It’s easier to destroy organizations, causes and ideals than to separate our lives from them and still remain connected to the people as a source of light.

Maybe our lives should be modeled more after Genesis 1 - separation. Instead of trying to destroy things in the world that oppose God, we should separate ourselves from them. I’m not talking cultural disconnect, I’m talking Holiness. God remained sovereign over the darkness, we should remain connected to the people who are in darkness as we serve as ministers of reconciliation.