“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:6-7 ESV)
Belief and behavior are intimately related. If what you believe does not affect how you live, it is worth considering whether you actually believe what you claim to believe. The problem of hypocrisy is rife, not only in the world around us, but in our own hearts and lives.
John knows this tendency and carries his logical argument from the fact that “God is light” directly into his instruction to walk in a manner consistent with that belief. Since it is true that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (verse 5), those who claim the name of Christ with their mouths but whose lives manifest darkness are a walking contradiction. If we are truly gripped by the nature of God as the One “who dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16), we will necessarily live like it.
As John said previously, the goal of his letter is that his readers “may have fellowship” with each other and with God. If such fellowship is to exist, they cannot perpetually walk in darkness. While John is most certainly not a legalist, he does recognize the foundational nature of obedience in the life of a professing believer. We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone, as the popular saying reminds. Therefore, if we profess to have fellowship with God while we walk in darkness, we prove ourselves to be liars.
The manner of our walk does not determine the state of our hearts before God, but it does display it. Just as the mouth speaks “out of the abundance of the heart” (Matthew 12:34), so our walk demonstrates the abundance of our faith. Though the two are distinct, they will always reflect one another. Thus, John is explaining that the gospel isn’t solely about Christ as Savior but also Christ as Lord. Yes, it is an inexpressibly wonderful reality that Christ died to save sinners, but the wonder does not stop there. Salvation is the first step in living for Christ.
The belief that is credited to us as righteousness (Romans 4:3) is not a self-contained pond but an ever-flowing and expanding spring. Faith saves, and saving faith obeys. If you believe unto eternal life, you must live like it.
This is a high calling, but it is equally the undergirding truth that strengthens us as we strive to walk in the light. We do not walk alone or unassisted, but with the eternal Son of God perpetually interceding for us.
As John says, “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” We are already cleansed. We do not walk in the light to cleanse ourselves, as if there is anything else we could possibly do to supplement the perfect atonement of Jesus Christ. We walk in the light because we have been brought out of and purified from a life of darkness and defilement. Why then would we return to walk in darkness?
On one hand, John’s words are imperative in nature as he is essentially commanding his readers to “Walk in the light.” On the other hand, he is telling us that since God is light and he has called us into fellowship with him through the blood of his Son, there is nothing left for us in the darkness. How encouraging this is to everyone who is daily assailed by the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The darkness continually attempts to lure the redeemed to the former bondage from which we have been freed, and we do carry a real responsibility to remain in the light. Yet, even beyond that, the God who is light will sovereignly preserve his people in the light.
There is enduring hope and encouragement in John’s words. God is light and we are God’s, therefore, we walk in the light.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You are light, and that truth should both compel and encourage us to walk in the light. May our walk be worthy of the fellowship we share with you.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for audio visual ministry in Bangladesh.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries in Togo serving in well-drilling ministry.
- Thursday: Pray for missionaries in Chile serving with the Ensenada Discipleship Center.
- Friday: Pray for missionaries serving with the Oasis English Center.
- Saturday: Pray for missionaries working with Lost and Found Farm in the Philippines as they serve vulnerable children.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries serving in leadership development.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Mongolia.
Featured Serving Opportunity:
Healthcare Personnel
Location: South Asia
A variety of medical personnel, including physicians, surgeons, nurses, and physical therapists are urgently needed to serve at our partner hospital, Memorial Christian Hospital, in South Asia. Both short-term and long-term opportunities are available.
