1 John 1:5-7
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7
God is light. What does that mean? Light exposes things, but is also one of the best examples of purity. It is the absence of darkness. Often in the scriptures, lightness and darkness were references to good and evil. So what does John mean by his declaration that God is light? I believe he is referring to the pure righteousness of God! God is purely righteous with no unrighteousness within Him. His righteousness does expose our unrighteousness, but I believe the point John is making is that Jesus is purely righteous. As a result of who Jesus is, if you, as His follower, claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, than you are deceived and are not living by the truth. Have you ever tried to convince yourself that you are living in fellowship with God, yet are living under the control of a sinful pattern? It may be giving into lust, gossip, slander, lying, anger, rebellion, grieving the Holy Spirit, or what ever. These things are darkness, and when we walk in them, it is not possible to have fellowship with God. You can put on a face in front of others, and try to convince yourselves that everything is good between you and God, after all He is forgiving, but that will not change the fact that you are walking in darkness. The solution to this dilemma is simple...come back to the light! Recognize the fruitless deeds of darkness, repent, and return to walking in the righteousness of God! John affirms to us that if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. As a follower of Christ, our sin does not separate us from God in an eternal sense, but it does separate us in a temporary relational sense. From my personal experience, when I am living in a pattern of sinful behavior, I do not feel close to God, I do not feel like praying, I do not feel like getting into His Word, and I certainly don't like to be around God's people because by their presence it reminds me of the guilt associated with my sin. This is why I believe John adds in that if we are walking in the light then we have fellowship with one another. By the way, guilt is God's tool to get us back in the light, not to beat us up for being in the darkness. Guilt is not punishment, but rather God's leveraging tool to bring us back to living the way He designed us. I need to walk in the light, and not fall into the trap of deceiving myself thinking everything is cool between God and I when I walk in darkness. Are you walking in the light? If not, I would encourage you to recognize your deeds of darkness, repent, and come back into the light. There is nothing sweeter than being in fellowship with God.
God is light. What does that mean? Light exposes things, but is also one of the best examples of purity. It is the absence of darkness. Often in the scriptures, lightness and darkness were references to good and evil. So what does John mean by his declaration that God is light? I believe he is referring to the pure righteousness of God! God is purely righteous with no unrighteousness within Him. His righteousness does expose our unrighteousness, but I believe the point John is making is that Jesus is purely righteous. As a result of who Jesus is, if you, as His follower, claim to have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, than you are deceived and are not living by the truth. Have you ever tried to convince yourself that you are living in fellowship with God, yet are living under the control of a sinful pattern? It may be giving into lust, gossip, slander, lying, anger, rebellion, grieving the Holy Spirit, or what ever. These things are darkness, and when we walk in them, it is not possible to have fellowship with God. You can put on a face in front of others, and try to convince yourselves that everything is good between you and God, after all He is forgiving, but that will not change the fact that you are walking in darkness. The solution to this dilemma is simple...come back to the light! Recognize the fruitless deeds of darkness, repent, and return to walking in the righteousness of God! John affirms to us that if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. As a follower of Christ, our sin does not separate us from God in an eternal sense, but it does separate us in a temporary relational sense. From my personal experience, when I am living in a pattern of sinful behavior, I do not feel close to God, I do not feel like praying, I do not feel like getting into His Word, and I certainly don't like to be around God's people because by their presence it reminds me of the guilt associated with my sin. This is why I believe John adds in that if we are walking in the light then we have fellowship with one another. By the way, guilt is God's tool to get us back in the light, not to beat us up for being in the darkness. Guilt is not punishment, but rather God's leveraging tool to bring us back to living the way He designed us. I need to walk in the light, and not fall into the trap of deceiving myself thinking everything is cool between God and I when I walk in darkness. Are you walking in the light? If not, I would encourage you to recognize your deeds of darkness, repent, and come back into the light. There is nothing sweeter than being in fellowship with God.
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