September 15, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like the gospel of John, the book of 1 John is filled with sharp contrasts: light and darkness, truth and falsehood, love and hate. In John\u2019s mind, things are fairly black and white with little if any grey area. In refreshingly simple terms, John writes his first epistle in order to give the people of God a better understanding of how they can know that they are saved, how they can tell the difference between true and false believers. He calls the church to be in a state of continual growth in faith, in obedience, and in love; let\u2019s heed that call together as a church as we read this letter! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
John begins his letter by elaborating on what it means to walk in fellowship with God. He says that \u201cGod is light, and in him is no darkness at all\u201d (v.5). Based on that assertion, John says that only those who walk in the light can be walking with God; anyone who says they have fellowship with God but walks in darkness is a liar. What then does it mean to walk in the light?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When John says that God is light, and there is no darkness in Him, he means that God is absolutely perfect in both knowledge and purity. There is no darkness, no evil, no hidden fault, no shadow of change or of impurity in Him. He is altogether perfect, holy, and pure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walking in the light means that we, as those who have been made one with Christ through the Holy Spirit, reflect the perfection and purity of God in our own lives! Not that we are perfect by any means; John makes it quite clear that perfection is not what he is claiming (v.8, 10)! But as believers who are being progressively remade into Christ\u2019s image, our lives should increasingly demonstrate the moral perfection, complete purity, and absolute glory of God to the world around us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of this means that there is no hypocrisy or self-righteousness in us; walking in the light requires that we acknowledge our sinfulness and confess our sins (v.8-10). Walking in the light is walking in integrity, without falsehood, without putting up a front, without hidden sins or unspoken faults. The people of God are to walk in the light, out in the open for all to see!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This kind of living seems intimidating to so many of us, and it should; vulnerability and openness can be a scary thing! But luckily for us, in Christ God has made this kind of living something that we no longer have to be afraid of! John says it himself in this chapter: anyone who says they haven\u2019t sinned or refuses to confess their sinfulness is deceiving themselves and calling God a liar! But if we walk in the light, freely and openly confessing our sins to God, HE is both faithful and just not only to forgive us but also to cleanse us from all<\/strong> unrighteousness! Admitting our ongoing need for God\u2019s mercy and grace through confession is the pathway to true transformation and change in our lives!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you walking in the light?<\/p>\n\n\n\n