March 08, 2022 – Tuesday
1 John 1:5-7 NIV
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
7 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.
Comment.
Think of this from the first verse above, God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. No darkness in Him, none at all. Zero, zip, nada, zilch, absolutely none. I was not being silly with the description I just gave. Instead, I wanted to show no matter how you might say it, darkness cannot exist within God and that includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This also explains why even the smallest sins need to be repented of and forgiven. Jesus took care of the forgiveness on the cross if we will but repent and call upon Him as Lord and Savior.
The second verse is of great interest as well, If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. The key in this verse is the phrase, walk in the darkness. Whatever this means, the verse makes clear we cannot walk in the darkness and have fellowship with Jesus. Further, if you make a claim of fellowship with Jesus while walking in sin you are a liar – lying to yourself and to God – and you are not living out the truth of your faith. So, once again, what is walking darkness. One writer says it means someone who claims to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose life is clearly characterized by sin. Another says it denotes a life characterized by
wickedness and ignorance and an unwillingness to be open to the truth of his or her behavior and admitting it to God (repenting). Charles Stanley writes it is one who habitually disobeys God.
Before finishing with this verse let’s turn to Psalm 1:1 for some guidance as it reads, Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. From this I would determine walk refers to a way of life or daily practice. Thus, to walk in darkness means to live contrary to the moral character God wants for us. If we are living a sinful like we cannot claim fellowship with God. Notice this is not about stumbling for we all stumble in one way or another which leads John to write in verse 8, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Now consider the wonder of verse 7, 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. Waling in the light grants us fellowship with one another because we have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin. If walking in the darkness denotes a life characterized by sin, the walking in the light denotes a life characterized without sin as a way of life.
Bottom Line: We choose how our lives are characterized, darkness with sin as a way of life or light without sin as a way of life. We might lie to ourselves, but we cannot lie to God. He knows. Choose to walk in the light.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for having the Apostle John make our choice so clear. We either live a life characterized by sin or we do not. Help us to always choose to live a life in the light of Your Son no matter what goes on around us. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek