The world is still dark — Christ is still the light

Every year, billions of people around the world celebrate the holiest of days — the moment when God became man through the birth of Jesus Christ, His Son. The world in which Christ entered was troubled, violent, and politically volatile, much like our own. Caesar Augustus ruled an empire stretching from Western Europe to Asia Minor, and his decree for a census forced Joseph and Mary to travel from Galilee to Bethlehem because Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.

Thousands of years ago, a group of scholars, or Magi, traveled to Jerusalem to meet with King Herod, the ruler of Judea, after seeing a star heralding the birth of a new King of the Jews.

When Herod heard this, he was troubled. After learning that the child was to be born in Bethlehem, he told the Magi in Matthew 2:8, “Go, and diligently search for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” Yet God knew that Herod had diabolical intentions and warned the wise men not to return to him.

Fearful that a new king was emerging who could supplant his rule, Herod ordered the murder of every single male child under the age of two who was living in Bethlehem. Even this act of unspeakable evil did not overturn the sovereignty of God or alter His plan. Matthew 2:13-15 tells us how God warned Joseph: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him’. And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.”

Today, Christians face similar circumstances, living in a culture that celebrates darkness rather than the truth of the Gospel. In the 2025 election, a majority of Virginians elected Jay Jones as their attorney general, a man who fantasized about murdering the family of his political opponents, decried their children as “little fascists,” and declared that “only when people personally feel pain do they move on policy.” At the ballot box, millions failed a basic moral test, choosing partisanship over even kindergarten-level morality.

Yet even in these exceedingly dark times, God’s sovereignty reigns supreme, and His plan cannot be stopped. This was true at the birth of Christ, when Caesar Augustus ordered a census of the entire Roman world, requiring everyone to register in their hometown. This ensured that the Christ child would be born in Bethlehem, because Joseph and Mary were required to travel there as descendants of King David. God used this imperial decree to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2,

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,  from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.”

In the same way, Christians must not hesitate to defend the truth in the public square, whether outnumbered or in the majority. The message of Christmas is that Christ Jesus is the Logos, the living Word of truth who came and dwelt among us, that we might have peace with God. To not preach that very truth, both in an evangelistic and a cultural engagement sense, would be the biblical equivalent of hiding our talents out of fear.

Scripture is clear that we should not fear those who attempt to silence us for defending what is true, but the One who holds us eternally accountable for failing to do what we know is right. In Matthew 25:26, we read of “the wicked and lazy servant” who buried his talent out of fear while others invested faithfully. The master rewarded those who were faithful while the other was “cast into the outer darkness.” Men like Charlie Kirk understood what was at stake and refused to shrink back, and God used their example to spark a spiritual awakening that is stirring people from the apathy of recent years.

As we give thanks and celebrate Christmas, let us remember that even when our culture embraces darkness and Godlessness, we have a duty to be steadfast and unmoved in our faith. We must recognize that we, too, were once blinded by darkness, but “now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been bought by the blood of Jesus,” as Ephesians 2:13 reminds us.

Just as we were once walking without truth and needed our minds renewed, so Christ now uses those who were once lost to bring the message of salvation to those who are still lost.

Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.