Reconciliation

According to solomon the Lord has said, "I would dwell in a dark cloud." Yet why is it written that He lives in inapproacheable light?

That is a profound and beautiful question — you’ve noticed a tension that runs through the Bible’s language about God. Let’s unfold it carefully:

1. The Verses You’re Referring To

Solomon at the Temple dedication:

“The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud” (1 Kings 8:12; 2 Chronicles 6:1).

This recalls God’s presence on Sinai in thick darkness (Exodus 20:21) and in the Most Holy Place behind the veil.

Paul’s description of God:

“…who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16).

Also echoed in verses like Psalm 104:2, “He wraps himself in light as with a garment.”

2. Why Both “Darkness” and “Light”?

These aren’t contradictions, but different perspectives on the same mystery:

Darkness (cloud, thick gloom):

This highlights God’s hiddenness. His glory is so great that it must be veiled; humans cannot endure it directly. The cloud both protects and conceals. For Israel, the dark cloud on Sinai or in the Temple meant: “God is here, but He is beyond you — holy, mysterious, unsearchable.”

Light (blazing glory, unapproachable radiance):

This expresses God’s self-revealing majesty. He is the source of all light, purity, and truth. The “unapproachable light” means that in His unveiled essence, God is too holy for sinners to behold — hence why no one can see Him and live (Exodus 33:20).

3. How They Fit Together

The darkness describes how God relates to human perception: veiled, hidden, mysterious.

The light describes God’s own nature: absolute holiness, glory, and purity.

Think of it this way:

To us, the brilliance of His light appears as darkness, because our eyes cannot handle it.

Like staring into the sun — it blinds us, not because it is dark, but because it is too bright.

4. In Christ, the Paradox Resolves

John writes: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen his glory…” (John 1:14).

In Christ, the unapproachable God comes close.

The One dwelling in thick darkness steps into human history as the Light of the World (John 8:12).

In Him, the hidden God is revealed without destroying us, because His glory is veiled in humility and grace.

✨ Summary:

God “dwells in darkness” because His glory must be hidden from sinful eyes. He “dwells in unapproachable light” because in Himself He is pure radiance. What seems like contradiction is the tension between God’s transcendence (beyond reach) and God’s immanence (made near). In Jesus, that tension is reconciled — the light shines into our darkness (John 1:5).

Would you like me to prepare a reflection card with verses on this theme — “God in darkness and light” — for your meditation and perhaps sharing with family?

You say in Jesus that tension is reconciled. What does reconciled mean? Does it mean I who is steeped in darkness (and sickness) with sinful eyes am able and indeed rid of deadlines with life being recharged to the full?

That is a deep and personal way of putting it. Let me unpack this step by step.

1. What “Reconciled” Means in Scripture

The word “reconciled” (Greek: καταλλάσσω, katallassō) means to bring back into harmony a relationship that has been broken.

“While we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10).

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

So reconciliation means: the barrier between us (darkness, sin, death) and God (light, holiness, life) is removed, and fellowship is restored.

2. Darkness and Sickness in Our Experience

You put it very honestly: “I who am steeped in darkness (and sickness) with sinful eyes…”

That is exactly how Scripture describes the human condition: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Darkness in the Bible means ignorance, sin, fear, death.

Sickness reminds us of the brokenness of creation and the weakness of our bodies under sin’s curse.

By ourselves, we cannot lift ourselves out. Our eyes cannot look into the light.

3. What Reconciliation Brings

In Christ, reconciliation means:

Yes, you can draw near to God: “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).

Yes, your darkness is exchanged for light: “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13).

Yes, life is recharged: not merely “extended deadlines” but eternal life — God’s very life — breaking into your present:

“I came that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

4. Still, We Wait in Hope

We taste this “full life” now in forgiveness, peace with God, and the Spirit dwelling in us.

But our bodies are still weak, subject to sickness and decay. Paul describes it this way: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

The final fullness — freedom from sickness, death, and deadlines — will come when Christ returns and we share in the resurrection.

✨ In short:

Reconciliation doesn’t just mean that God overlooks your darkness. It means He steps into it through Christ, removes the barrier of sin, and fills you with His light and life. Already now, your life is “recharged” in your soul by His Spirit; one day, even your sick and tired body will be raised to new, deathless life.

Would you like me to write you a personal prayer (morning or evening style, with a verse) that puts this into words — asking God to take your darkness and recharge you with His light?

■ Prayer on Reconciliation in Christ

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give

us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Lord of light and life,

I confess that I am often steeped in darkness — weakness in my body, heaviness in

my heart, and sins in my soul.

Yet You, O Christ, did not turn away, but entered my darkness, carrying the burden of

my sin upon Yourself.

In You, the God who dwells in unapproachable light has drawn near in mercy.

In You, the One hidden in thick cloud shines into my weary eyes with gentle light.

In You, my broken life is not condemned but reconciled, healed, and recharged with

Your Spirit.

Shine into me this day (this night).

Where there is fear, give peace.

Where there is weakness, give strength.

Where there is guilt, give forgiveness.

And where there is weariness, give the promise of resurrection life.

Keep me close until the day when I see You face to face,

and the last shadow is gone forever.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.s.

Jesus' coming is described in Christian theology as a work to reconcile God and humanity, repairing the broken relationship caused by sin���. This reconciliation is accomplished through Jesus' death and resurrection, by which believers are restored to a harmonious relationship with God through faith��.The Role of Faith in ReconciliationContinual reconciliation "in Jesus 24/7 through faith" reflects the biblical understanding that faith is not a one-time act but an ongoing posture—trusting continually in Christ’s work to remain in restored fellowship with God��. While the decisive act of reconciliation happened once through Jesus’ sacrifice, believers are called to live in that reality through ongoing repentance and faith, maintaining a relationship with God throughout daily life��.Scriptural BasisRomans 5:10-11 states that "while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son," showing the one-time accomplishment of reconciliation, but also "having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life," implying an ongoing participation in that work through faith�.2 Corinthians 5:18-19 teaches that God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and now invites humanity to receive and walk in that reconciliation��.Ephesians 2:16 explains that believers, by being united with Christ through faith, experience ongoing peace and unity with God�.SummaryThus, one does need to remain "reconciled in Jesus 24/7 through faith"—not by repeating the act of reconciliation, but by living faithfully in the relationship Christ restored, relying continuously on His work, and responding to God through faith each day���.

P.s. 2 - this is like your car needs maintenence.