On December 21st, the northern hemisphere experiences its shortest day of the year—the winter solstice. From this morning on, our world will begin to face the sun more fully. I woke up this morning to find a layer of ice coating my frosted windows, which reminded me of a conversation I had with Milo a few weeks ago.
As we drove down the road, the thermometer hovered just under 32 degrees. Milo observed that cars facing the sun had no ice on their windshields. This isn’t an earth-shattering discovery—we’ve all noticed this effect. The sun simply warms the surface enough for the ice to melt quickly, while shadows create enough of a temperature difference to keep the ice in place.
I often find myself in ongoing discussions with people who try to normalize or minimize the effects of spiritual darkness. I have an old friend who emphasizes God’s grace but never mentions repentance (turning toward God). He points out that no one is perfect and we all fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). However, this oversimplifies that verse—Paul says we all “have sinned,” not that we must remain in a perpetual state of sin. In fact, Paul addresses this three chapters later. These statements often come from well-meaning Christians who want to make the gospel more accessible to those unfamiliar with Christianity. This creates what some call a “soft” gospel. The Gospel in its purest form is that Jesus died for our sins:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
We love Jesus, but don’t fully acknowledge what it means that he died for our sins. That may sound harsh, but if Jesus died for our sins, how can we continue living in them? (Romans 6:2). What I’ve discovered is that most people don’t want to face the Son—Jesus. At its core, this is pride. They prefer keeping a little ice on their windshield, a little sin in their lives. If we minimize our sins, we don’t feel we need to fully depend on the Savior.
The book of 2 Corinthians contains a beautiful idea about fully experiencing God’s glory. It begins with how we draw near to Him.
2 Corinthians 3:14-17 ESV – “But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
The passage asserts that the Israelites could not fully draw near to God. They had barriers, or veils, because God’s glory made them uncomfortable, and they feared what drawing near to Him would do to them. Physical veils hung in the tabernacle and temple, and Moses had to cover his face after encountering God. Even when they read scripture, their hearts could not fully accept the teachings because of these barriers. This spiritual barrier exists when we refuse to acknowledge our need for a savior. When we fully turn to the Son (Jesus), these barriers are lifted, and we experience freedom with God. This isn’t freedom to live against God’s will—rather, it’s freedom to fully follow Him without the shame and weight of sin.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ESV – “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Many people live with frosted windows. They live veiled from the full glory of Christ because they have not turned toward the Son. What they think is freedom is simply participating in things that go against God’s character. They want to be friends with God but live in ways opposed to who He is. This takes a new direction for our lives. Don’t just let the Son shine on you—let Him shine in you, transforming you. The Son will lift the veil, and your life will be transformed. Things once frozen will begin to change. They will begin to Face the Son.