Parable of the Flashlight

God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) 

(Ephesians 2:4-5)

There was once a man who had a fascination with flashlights.  He loved to collect them, and had a wide array of shapes and sizes arranged on a shelf in his workshop. Included was everything from a tiny pen light on a chain to a hefty 6-volt one.  From time to time, the man would take one down and use it, then return it to its place on the shelf.

The 6-volt flashlight sat at the head of the line because he was the biggest of them all.  He was quite proud of his position, and felt certain he was capable of producing enough light for any job. Outwardly, he appeared to be in working order.   He had all the necessary parts:  a sturdy case with a clear globe, and a handle; a good bulb; a battery, and a switch for turning him on.  But things were not as they appeared. Something was missing. 

One day the man came into his workshop, approached the shelf, and picked up the 6-volt.  The flashlight shivered with proud excitement.  Now was his chance to please the man and impress the other lights.  But when the switch was flipped on, nothing happened.  The flashlight could hardly believe something in him was lacking.  How could this be? he wondered.

The owner knew all about flashlights and what it took to keep them in working order.  So without delay he walked to a cabinet and took out a new battery.  Opening up the case, he removed the old battery and inserted the new one.  This time, when he switched it on, light shone out brightly.

This is a picture of the human heart without God.  Outwardly, a person appears to be in working order.  But inwardly, something is missing.  Though they may be good and honest and hardworking, they are incapable of changing their inner being. They lack the power to meet God’s standard of perfection.  His Word identifies the problem as being dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and says we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

When in the beginning Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instructions, a death sentence was passed on them just as God had forewarned.  Physical death, which ended their lives, was a delayed action.  But spiritual death, separation from God, was immediate:

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees.  Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”  So he said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself”

(Genesis 3:8-10)

Just as Adam and Eve died because of their sin, we, their descendants, are born under the penalty of death.  At some point, our physical bodies will die, but our spiritual being is already dead:

 Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, 

and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

(Romans 5:12) 

Thankfully that is not the end of the story.  Just as the owner of the flashlight had the ability to replace the dead battery with a new one, so God had a plan for restoration before He created the world.  His one and only born-to-Him Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) would be was the sacrifice needed to meet God’s requirement for new life in the human spirit:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and

 sent His Son to be the propitiation (appeasement) for our sins 

(1 John 4:10)

Jesus Christ’s death purchased freedom from sin and the way back to God:

The wages of sin are death but the gift of God is eternal life in

 Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23) the law of the spirit of life in 

Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death 

(Romans 8:2)

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and 

believe in your heart that God has raised Him 

from the dead, you will be saved.  

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and 

with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...

For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved

(Romans 10:9-10,13)

How foolish the flashlight would have been to deny the fact that his battery was dead, and resist the man’s efforts to install a new one.  In the same way, a person is foolish to deny their sinfulness, and attempt to meet God’s standard of perfection in their own power.  Yet tragically, millions of people are doing just that.

Lord, I thank You that You loved so much You made a way to be
made perfect in Your sight; from death to be set free; 
no longer kept a prisoner, condemned because of sin;
but free to live as Your own child; loved and cherished; born again.