Shining a Light on True Enlightenment

Shining a Light on True Enlightenment.

“Illumine our hearts, O Master who loves mankind, with the pure light of your divine knowledge.” (the prayer before every reading of the Gospel in the Orthodox liturgy).  

“PHOTIZO” – The Greek word in the New Testament that literally means to enlighten; to brighten up; to illuminate; to shine a light on something; to shed the rays of light. Figuratively, it means to bring new understanding; to reveal and make known; to bring something to one’s awareness; to make someone see something new; to impart moral/spiritual insight.

The Only Source of Life and Enlightenment. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God face-to-face in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and not one thing came into being except through Him. In Him was life, and His life brought light to all mankind. The light continues to blaze in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… This was the True Light, which enlightens (“photizo”) every person coming into the world.” (John 1:1-4, 9).

Flooded with Light. “I pray that the glorious light of Father God will enlighten (“photizo”) the eyes of your innermost hearts, flooding you with light, until you fully understand the hope to which He is calling you – that is, the riches of God’s glorious inheritance that He is promising all of us, His holy people!” (Ephesians 1:18).

God will Shine the Light on our Hearts. “So resist the temptation to pronounce judgments against one another before the Lord makes His appearance. For He will bring to light (“photizo”) all kinds of hidden things at the heart level, enlightening us of private motives and secret purposes. Only at the appointed time of the Lord’s return will God give to each of us whatever thanks we deserve; only then will we be judged perfectly and God give us all whatever praise is due.” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

A Mystery Revealed. “My passion is to enlighten (“photizo”) everyone to the inner workings of the divine mystery kept hidden through all the ages past in the heart of God’s mind, the God who created everything. His intent was that, through the Church, the many-sided wisdom of God with its infinite variety and countless aspects might now be made known even to the angelic powers in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:9-10).  

Full Illumination. “If your whole being, body and soul, is illumined, with no dark corners, then you will be wholly bright and radiant, as when a bright lamp with its shining rays completely enlightens (“photizo”) you.” (Luke 11:36).

The Radiant Face of Jesus. “The devil, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so that the illumination (“photizo”) of the Good News that displays the glory of the Messiah, who is the exact image and likeness of God, would not beam its bright light onto them… For it is the God who said ‘Let there be light in the darkness” who has made His light shine in our hearts to give the radiance (“photizo”) of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Jesus the Anointed One.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, 6).  

“Behold I Show You A Mystery” Memphis S.D.A. Mass Choir

Hidden Truths, God’s Secrets, Holy Mysteries. “A person should consider us in this way: as servants of Christ and as stewards of the mysteries of God. Think of us as Messiah’s official underlings who are entrusted with the mysteries of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:1).

MYSTERY: (Greek, “mysterion”); a sacred secret hidden in the heart of God until the appointed time of revelation; a truth that can only be known by divine disclosure; spiritual insights into God’s way of thinking and planning; hidden truths revealed by God that are beyond human intellect and reason; divine knowledge that can only be understood through the Holy Spirit; God’s thoughts and plans revealed to believers and hidden from skeptical doubters and those who choose not to believe. The word mysterion is found 28 times in the New Testament.

Enlightenment is a One-Way Street. We human beings simply cannot enlighten ourselves as to God’s mysteries. Regardless of how many brain cells we exercise in pursuing divine enlightenment, we will not achieve true illumination without God’s provision. It is God alone who enlightens our minds to absolute truth. “Who among you fears the Lord with reverence and awe, and obeys the voice of his prophet-servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindles his own fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: You shall lie down in torment!’ (Isaiah 50:10-11).

God’s Secrets. There are a number of hidden truths, mysteries, that God had concealed until the fullness of time had arrived for their revelation:

1. The Mysteries of the Kingdom. “Then the disciples went up to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do you talk to them in parables?’ In answer, He said ‘Because to you is granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not granted.’” (Matthew 13:11).
2. The Mystery of the Good News. “Let us give glory to God! He is able to make you stand firm in your faith, according to the Good News I preach about Jesus Christ and according to the revelation of the mystery, the secret truth which was hidden for long ages in the past. Now, however, that truth has been brought out into the open through the writings of the prophets; and by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations, so that all may believe and obey.” (Romans 16:25).
3. The Mystery of God’s Wisdom. “It is of the mysterious wisdom of God that we talk, the wisdom that was hidden, that goes deep into the interiors of His purposes. This wisdom of God was once hidden from human understanding and now revealed to us by God. This is God’s secret wisdom hidden before now in a mystery which God predetermined before the ages for our glorification, to lift us into the glory of His Presence. This is the wisdom that God destined for our glory before time began.” (a weaving of 1 Corinthians 2:7, using several Bible translations).
4. The Mystery of Bodily Resurrection.“Behold! I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be transformed – in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the shofar trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed, beyond the reach of death, never to die again.” (1 Cor. 15:51).
5. The Mystery of Salvation for the Gentiles. “If you read what I have written, you will be able to understand my insight into this mystery concerning the Messiah. In past generations, it was not made known to mankind, as the Spirit is now revealing it to God’s holy apostles and prophets; This mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together with the Jews in God’s promise in the Messiah Jesus.” (Ephesians 3:4-6).
6. The Mystery of Spiritual Oneness. “Yes, I truly believe that we are all living members of Christ’s body, and as I relate this to marriage, it is indeed an enormous mystery. I may not understand all of this, but I can tell you this… the marriage of 2-becoming-1 is meant to be a vivid picture, a clear illustration of the union between Christ and the Church, the oneness that exists between Messiah and His universal household of faith.” (Ephesians 5:30-32).
7. The Mystery of Christ’s Indwelling. “I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  (Colossians 1:26-27, NIV).
8. The Mystery of the Messiah. “My purpose is that they may be encouraged, that they may be joined together in love, and that they may have all the riches derived from being assured of understanding and fully knowing God’s mystery, which is – The Messiah! It is in Him that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.” (Colossians 2:2-3).
9. The Mystery of the Faith. “Deacons must be reverent… holding onto the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. Without question, great is the mystery of the faith: ‘God was revealed in the flesh, Proved right by the Spirit, Beheld by the angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:9, 16).

Deep Dive. Ancient Christians used to make a determined study of mysteries like these, intent on going back to square one when they got sidetracked, too distracted by life outside the truths of the Church. They called it “disciplina arcana,” which means “the secret discipline.” These early believers in Jesus would dwell on these Christ-centered mysteries, meditate on them, seeking to grow in their understanding of God’s long-held secrets, these hidden truths that have now been revealed. These mysteries, by God’s design, are accessible to believers who are in the process of gaining the ‘mind of Christ.’ This alone brings us to true enlightenment.

Behold I tell you a mystery…The trumpet shall sound! – Handel’s Messiah