Colors of Glass in Christian Light

Sunlight gets absorbed and bent as it passes through different colors of glass in a stained glass window.  We see a colorful pattern on the floor that resembles the image in the window.  Is it still light?  Absolutely!  Is it changed by the colors of glass in the window?  Yes.

Let’s say God sent the sunlight and erected the window. 

Who created the pattern on the floor: God or the window?

That’s how inspiration of Scripture works.  The window was necessary and only produced the pattern that the window was designed to give.  The human writers of the Bible are the window God erected to make the precise pattern on the floor God wants us to see.

God works similarly in the lives of people He calls.  Our personalities make a difference.  There’s a truth pattern evident, but the display is unique to each of us.  God uses each Christian’s life experiences to show the world God’s goodness and light through many colorful windows.

Now the difference between the truth shown through a stained glass window of Christian faith and colorful falsehood of the world is that the light is not evident in lies.  The liar’s “window” rather than translucent or transparent becomes opaque or cloudy or even completely blocks the light depending on how dark the person is in his or her heart.  It’s the difference between a stained glass window and an oil painting on the wall.  One lets light in.  The other blocks it out.  Both have colors, but one allows the light to pass through.

The Bible—and those who hold to it—let the light shine through.  Other books may be opaque or cloudy letting a bit of truth mix with whatever sells for the day as “self-help.” But keep this in mind:  Any book that does not point to the complete sufficiency of Christ and the total insufficiency of humanity is not telling you the whole truth, the full spectrum of light as presented in the many colors of glass in the Bible.