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Aspects of Obedience, Part 2: Walking in the Light


Walking in the Light

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 1:7)

This verse presents such wonderful truth that I have set it in poetic form. It is based on the truth of 1 John 1:5:

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5b).

Although I am seated in a well-lit room, there is darkness in it. How do I know? Because if I look outside I can see the brightness of the sunshine on the lawn, and this room is not that bright. However, there is also darkness outside where the trees, houses, and cars cast shadows. There is always a place of more light, except in the presence of God. “In Him there is no darkness at all.” God is the very essence of light, the source of all other lights.

What does this mean for us? “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light...” The kind of light we are to walk in is pure and absolute. It is not the light of a candle or a lantern. Those lights draw attention to the darkness with their flickering and casting of shadows. If you and I walk in the “no darkness at all” kind of light, two things happen: the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin, and we have real fellowship with one another.

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

When we walk in the light, we have fellowship with each other, with the Father and the Son, and with all others who are walking in the light. Walking in the light also means being continually purified from sin. God does not say we cannot sin if we are walking in the light, but rather that when sin occurs there is no place to hide. Sin is immediately shown for what it is so that we can confess and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

1 John 1 lays out two paths we can take. Here is the first option:

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth…If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us…If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:6, 8, 10).

Each of these verses begins with “If we claim.” All of the claims are dishonest. However, the people who make these claims generally believe them. Many people who are not walking in the light at all are convinced that they are walking in it.

The second path is in verses 5, 7, and 9:

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all…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…If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:5, 7, 9).

These verses begin with God and move to our relationship with Him and the good consequences which flow from it as a result of His actions and His faithfulness. The consequences are fellowship, purification from all unrighteousness, and forgiveness of sins. This is the atmosphere which God provides for us in order that we may live an obedient life.

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