“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 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: 5-7)
Beloved,
It seems that in many conversations I have with people there is a lot of static in the lines of communication. It seems that confusion abounds and that we don’t always define certain terms the same way. Unfortunately, the end result is either stark disagreement over an issue that we really agree on or worse yet a seemingly amenable agreement over an issue that is not really viewed from the same vantage point. This cultural phenomenon has served to muddy the water in ways the writers of scripture never intended. The apostle John is perhaps one of the most adamant proponents of an either / or way of seeing things. For John, someone is either a true child of God or they are not; someone either lives life under a Christian model or they don’t. There seems to be no room for misunderstanding in John’s way of thinking. This clarity of thought is a much needed balm in our world today. There is an overwhelming need to dispense with soft-selling, political correctness and simply call a spade a spade. Accordingly, John tells us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. What John means is that God’s nature is honest and open. He does not need to hide for everything He does is righteous and good. There is no evil intent, no hidden agendas, no personal vendettas; only the purity of character that serves to accomplish openly what God has always intended to occur. Additionally, God is righteous. There is nothing unrighteous about God and as a result God’s actions always maintain the standard of conduct that is consistent with His glory. Furthermore, John tells us that those who are children of God share this same nature. Our motives and actions are to be honest and without selfish or prideful intent. We are to bind ourselves together with other believers in faithfulness and commitment. We are not to demean or tear down one another nor are we to seek the harm of any other child of God. In essence, we take on God’s nature at the point of salvation and that nature informs and motivates our every thought and action. John also goes on to say that if our behavior is not modeled after the character of God, we are not His children. There are no illegitimate offspring in the family of God nor are there any black sheep. We can say all day long (and many people do) that we are a Christian but if our life-style is not consistent with what God has told us in His word, we lie about who we are. In other words, if we live with unforgiveness or bitterness toward a fellow Christian, we cannot truly claim to be a child of God. If we continually speak words that tear other believers down or somehow call into question their motives or character by use of insinuations, we cannot claim to be a child of God. If we engage in any life-style that does not bring honor to God’s name, we cannot claim to be a child of God. This is just some of what it means to walk in darkness and now that the issue is on the table, wouldn’t it be best to ask God to clear out the static and confusion in your life so that you too can walk in the light?
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