Walk in the light
"God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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. His Light is the truest form of goodness, purity, truth, and holiness.
John the apostle, who is the author of 1 John, lived in close relationship with Jesus during His time on earth; often describing Jesus as “The Light”. John saw firsthand the illuminating power of Christ’s light in his own life.
The apostle John had a tender heart for believers in his time and wanted to provide a timely and loving warning to believers to stay in the “Light” and to not be like those living in darkness, who continue to choose their sin over their salvation. He wanted to encourage believers to continue pursuing a righteous life and to not be like many who claim to walk in the truth (light), yet still persistently continue in their ungodly behaviors.
John discusses two kinds of people: The ones who walk in the Light and the ones who claim to walk in the light but are instead choosing to walk in darkness (sin).
John’s warning invites us to pause and question what our actions and behaviors say of us — are we walking in the Light or are we walking in darkness?
Thankfully, the mark of a genuine believer is not that we are sinless, but that we recognize we have sinned against God. A genuine believer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, feels convicted of their sin - not condemned - and desires to quickly repent - not out of guilt but out of a genuine desire to please God who we love!
King David exemplified this kind of genuine love for God. We know that God delighted in David not because he was without sin, but because David did not cherish his sin. David hated his sin and was quick to ask for God’s forgiveness and turn from his sin. David’s sincerity of heart was a sweet aroma to God.
"Obeying and loving God, even imperfectly, is how we know that we are in true and right relationship with Him. Love for God expresses itself in obeying His commands” (Moody Bible Commentary).
Walking in God’s light means we humbly acknowledge our sin yet understanding Jesus’ finished work on the cross for us! Without the acknowledgment of our sins, we cannot truly walk in light or in truth.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
The Good News is this: God who is Light (pure, holy, true, and good), offers us His power to cleanse us of all sins that keep us in the darkness.
Throughout the book of 1 John, John continues to warn us of false teachers who often led others into darkness. He warns that these people claimed to love God with their lips yet chose to continue in their sinful passions. In 1 John 2:11, he describes these kinds of people as those who, “do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”
Walking in the light means obeying God and His commands to love God and love others, despite the influence of the world around us.
To say it plainly, choosing to continually disobey God and His commands means we are choosing to walk away from God and thus to walk in darkness. This is a heavy statement but I am greatly encouraged that the Holy Spirit is here to help guide us in all truth and help empower us to obey God with sincerity of heart.
The apostle John provides important reminders to us that will serve us well especially in today’s world.
The first reminder is that we all have a choice: To walk in God’s light and truth or to walk in darkness. We are either walking in light or in darkness. You cannot choose both goodness, purity, and truth and a life of living in sin and darkness. We must choose.
Second, John reminds us that just because we walk in the light doesn’t mean we are without sin. Choosing to walk in the light is understanding that we all fall short of the glory of God but because of Jesus, God offers the forgiveness and redemption we so desperately need. Choosing Light means we accept Christ’s salvation for us!
Lastly, John reminds us to continue to grow in our love for God and for others. When we love the One True God, His loving Truth will radically transform how we approach life and how we love others.
The Great News is this: God’s Light illuminates all that comes near Him, we are not only forgiven, but we are fully known and fully loved despite our shortcomings.
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).