Chapter 21 Living in the Light

“Can you lead the Bible study this week?” my friend asked me.

“Yes, I can,” I responded, but in my mind I hesitated. This Bible study was with the maximum security inmates at Jackson State Prison.

When I first visited the penitentiary the week before, the walk through the yard was the most intimidating. My eyes met cold empty stares from men with graying beards and hair pulled back into pony tails. An occasional sinister smile revealed one or two yellow-stained teeth surrounded by gaps of darkness.

A group of three men who were weightlifting in the yard, and one bald muscular man smoking a cigarette while leaning against a doorway watched as we walked by.

The evil atmosphere permeated with danger. I didn’t feel welcome.

Once inside the chapel, the inmates were more cordial. The men were smiling, laughing, and shaking each other’s hands. The Bible study leader kept greeting everyone as he made his way to the front of the chapel and picked up his guitar. When he started to play a few notes, the men quieted down and began to take their seats.

As he strummed out a melody, the inmates all joined in. Their voices blended as they praised God. They sang joyfully, and the decibels peaked with the lyrics “set the prisoner free.” After a few more songs, the study leader put down his guitar and picked up his Bible. He began to speak to the fifty men gathered in the auditorium about the repentant thief on the cross. They listened intently. He closed by offering an invitation to trust in Jesus as the thief on the cross had. I was impressed by the spirit, the humility, and the teachable hearts that were present. After the service, I talked to a few of the inmates, and then we went home. It was a great experience.

Now, he wanted me to do the Bible study. How could I relate to these guys? I couldn’t think of any Bible passage or topic. My testimony of good parents, salvation at a young age, and a life dedicated to God’s will didn’t seem appropriate. I put it in God’s hands.

As I struggled through the week with different thoughts, one idea seemed to persist. Help them see Jesus. He could feel their pain and relate to them.

They could relate to Jesus, who was mocked for his assumed illegitimacy, beaten, scourged, misunderstood, hated, rejected, lied about, and crucified.

He knew about their lives, their hurts, their mistrust, their shame, their loneliness, their tears, their grief, and their heartaches. He could offer them hope, heaven, joy, peace, forgiveness, contentment, wisdom, and faith in God. He was no ordinary man. He was God.

When I went in for the Bible study, the lesson was about Jesus. I explained how I couldn’t understand everything they had been through, but Jesus could because he suffered in many ways similar to how they had suffered. I encouraged them to focus on Jesus.

Jesus

As I think about this chapter on “Living in the Light,” Jesus again comes to my mind. He is the only one who ever lived perfectly. His sinless life was the only sacrifice acceptable for my sins and the sins of the world. I’ve had people say to me that they’re going to heaven because of the good things they’ve done. However, their sin separates them from God. I ask them why Jesus came to earth, lived a life without sin, and died for their sins if they could earn their way to heaven without him.
 

Salvation

When I was growing up, my parents took me to church every week. I am thankful for that. At the time, I had other things I would rather be doing. However, it was at church that I learned about God, heaven, and hell. I wanted to go to heaven and avoid hell, but I didn’t understand what salvation was all about. At church, when I was ten, one of the leaders told a Bible story. After the story, he asked if anybody wanted to know more about getting saved. I wanted to know exactly what the Bible had to say about salvation. I asked one of the men to show me. My parents had explained it to me before, and I had heard it in church many times before. Nevertheless, I didn’t know it in my heart. The leader showed me four things from the Bible. First of all, he said that all men have sinned. He said it is part of our nature to disobey God. He showed me Romans 3:10 which reads “there is none righteous.” He asked me if I had sinned. I hadn’t robbed any banks or killed anyone, but I remembered going into a neighbor’s yard to retrieve a plastic ball and finding a tennis ball. As I picked up my plastic ball, I also picked up the tennis ball. Then I looked up at the neighbor’s house and saw a lady in the window. I felt guilty for wanting to take that ball out of her yard. I told the leader that I realized I was a sinner.

He told me the second thing I needed to know was that because of my sin I deserved to be separated from God for eternity. He showed me a verse in Romans 6:23 that said “the wages of sin is death.” In other words, when a person works at a job they get wages for the hours they work. In the spiritual realm, the wages of all my sin is spiritual death or separation from God. If the Bible ended with that message, then we would all be without hope. Some of us are better than others, but none of us deserves to be with God.

Next, he told me that the good news is that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins. He showed me Romans 5:8 which explained that God proved his love toward me as a sinner by sending Jesus Christ to die for me. Only someone without sin could die for my sin.

Lastly, he explained that salvation is available when we ask for it (Romans 10:13). He said it is a gift from God, and it is not my gift until I receive it. I was ready to receive it. I bowed my head in prayer and acknowledged my sin and my need for a Savior. I asked him to save me.

I’ve not regretted that decision. It is the simple message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some have heard that message and responded the first time. Most others have heard it hundreds of times before they responded with a sincere commitment.