Almost at the end of the Bible, there is a marvellous little book, which is named "1John." It's different from the Gospel of John, which is toward the beginning of the New Testament (4th book), but it's like a twin. While John's Gospel shows you why you should believe in Jesus Christ (20:31), 1John shows you how to walk, how to live once you have believed. 1John begins with a proposition about God in 1:5: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Not one speck of darkness. Not a bit. None. He is all light. Light, in John's works, is typically opposed to darkness, as God is opposed to evil, to the Devil, to sin. Darkness is evil. Light is good.
It's worth noting that John uses this expression differently from, say, Isaiah, who said, "Who is the one who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the LORD..." John usually means "darkness as opposed to God," "Darkness as without God," "Darkness as hiding from God..." and so forth. Isaiah meant the word as "Don't know my path," or "confused." So always look for context when you study words. It's important.
As we move on down the chapter, we arrive at 1John 1:7, my target for today:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
This is opposed to 1:6, which says,
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not do the truth:
So there are these two lifestyles, with two results, two paths, two internal realities. We can either walk "in the light," the light of His will and of His presence (we will always BE in His presence of course, since nobody can hide from God), or we can walk "in darkness;" that is, in evil, in sin, in avoidance--the first response of a guilty heart is to avoid God, when what we need the very most is to come clean with Him and return to Him--he will always receive us.
But if we "walk in the light, as He is in the light," in other words, following the path of truth, of right, of His will, allowing Him to direct us, guide us, speak to us, certain things happen to us:
1. We have fellowship with one another: John uses this word (which normally means "to share") in a special way here, suggesting by it that "we are friends;" we have the same goals, interests, desires, and we walk along the path of life that way, always in communication and happy with each other. This applies to our relationship with God, and also to our relationship with others who are like us: they are on the same path, have the same goals, interests, desires, and their fellowship with God unites them with us.
2. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. This is quite a statement. It goes together with 1:9, which says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins...and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. When we don't "walk in the light" ( we commit sins, walk away from His path), we are conscious of disrupted fellowship--God is not "angry with us," but we don't bask in His light, His presence, His glory; the way back is simple: Confess your sins, and return to the light. When we do that, God restores us, cleanses us, fills us once again with His presence, and shines His light on our path. We may not know where we go or what will happen to us, but we go with Him and with His grace wherever it is. HIs path is ours, and the light is our guide.
I hope today finds you well, and full of God's blessing.
It's worth noting that John uses this expression differently from, say, Isaiah, who said, "Who is the one who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the LORD..." John usually means "darkness as opposed to God," "Darkness as without God," "Darkness as hiding from God..." and so forth. Isaiah meant the word as "Don't know my path," or "confused." So always look for context when you study words. It's important.
As we move on down the chapter, we arrive at 1John 1:7, my target for today:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
This is opposed to 1:6, which says,
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not do the truth:
So there are these two lifestyles, with two results, two paths, two internal realities. We can either walk "in the light," the light of His will and of His presence (we will always BE in His presence of course, since nobody can hide from God), or we can walk "in darkness;" that is, in evil, in sin, in avoidance--the first response of a guilty heart is to avoid God, when what we need the very most is to come clean with Him and return to Him--he will always receive us.
But if we "walk in the light, as He is in the light," in other words, following the path of truth, of right, of His will, allowing Him to direct us, guide us, speak to us, certain things happen to us:
1. We have fellowship with one another: John uses this word (which normally means "to share") in a special way here, suggesting by it that "we are friends;" we have the same goals, interests, desires, and we walk along the path of life that way, always in communication and happy with each other. This applies to our relationship with God, and also to our relationship with others who are like us: they are on the same path, have the same goals, interests, desires, and their fellowship with God unites them with us.
2. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. This is quite a statement. It goes together with 1:9, which says, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins...and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. When we don't "walk in the light" ( we commit sins, walk away from His path), we are conscious of disrupted fellowship--God is not "angry with us," but we don't bask in His light, His presence, His glory; the way back is simple: Confess your sins, and return to the light. When we do that, God restores us, cleanses us, fills us once again with His presence, and shines His light on our path. We may not know where we go or what will happen to us, but we go with Him and with His grace wherever it is. HIs path is ours, and the light is our guide.
I hope today finds you well, and full of God's blessing.
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