1 John Chapter 1 Verses 5-10
1 John 1:5 describes God this way,
“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.”
God is light. Light or phós in this verse is defined as light especially in terms of its results, illumination, source of light, and radiance. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). God is light. What does light do? It elucidates. It takes out the shadows, the darkness and reveals the truth. Light is the source of life. Without light there could be no life[1]. Light is a beacon. It illuminates the way to safety and life.
Verse 6 reads,
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
John often makes these statements that t first appear frightening. This one seems to imply that if we sin, we are lying about our relationship with God. But that isn’t what it says. Walking in darkness, is living under the lie of the world instead of the truth of God. Verse 7 reads,
“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.”
Walking in the light is not walking without sinning, it is walking in the truth of Christ, cleansed from our sin. God shines His light into our hearts and reveals to us, the darkness there, the sin that kept us away from a relationship with Him. Jesus’ blood cleans us and purifies us, so that we are given new life and are able to fellowship with God. Having all those sins forgiven is not a license to keep sinning no matter that we are pardoned. Walking in the light means we no longer want to sin. We walk in God’s nature with His will and truth. We do not want to sin anymore. We want to shine for Him and glorify Him. We become light too. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.;”
Walking in the light means you are manifesting, demonstrating and making it clear who God is. You reveal God. Your life becomes a revelation of Christ. Revealing Christ in your life, doesn’t mean hiding yourself, lying, or putting on a mask of perfection. The Holy Spirit is transforming you. Jesus’ power is magnified by your flaws and weaknesses as He forgives, overcomes, heals, and works through them. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 puts it this way,
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
And 2 Corinthians 12:9 says it like this,
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
We do not want to hide our sin when God’s light has revealed it. We would need darkness to cover them up. We do not want to keep on sinning either. We have to admit to the sin and let Jesus forgive us. Walking in the light means we live transparently in the Father’s love, Jesus’ grace and the Holy Spirit’s transformative power. Verses 8-9 of 1 John chapter 1 continue,
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
You just can’t be a believer and a child of the Living God if you profess you don’t sin. You have to admit you are in a sinner to receive the forgiveness of Christ and have a relationship with God. To say, you haven’t sinned makes God a liar. Jesus, the Word of God the Truth, The Life, and The Way can’t be in you if you say you don’t need Him, if you refuse to acknowledge you have sinned. Everyone has sinned. Everyone has missed the mark of God’s perfection. (Romans 3:23).
Are you living in the truth of God’s power and love? Or are you living under your own power with a mask of goodness which hides the truth. Do you have a false light ready to reveal everyone else’s sin but your own? I exhort you today to examine yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your condition to you and live in the light. Live transparently letting God’s awesome might, perfect love, and splendid light shine in your life. The truth is liberating. Take of the mask and let Jesus stand out.
References:
Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 5457. phós. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/5457.htm
[1] All life requires energy. Humans and animals get energy from food, animals and plants. Plants require light to make food and live. So without light, there could be no life.
1 John 1:5 describes God this way,
“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.”
God is light. Light or phós in this verse is defined as light especially in terms of its results, illumination, source of light, and radiance. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). God is light. What does light do? It elucidates. It takes out the shadows, the darkness and reveals the truth. Light is the source of life. Without light there could be no life[1]. Light is a beacon. It illuminates the way to safety and life.
Verse 6 reads,
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”
John often makes these statements that t first appear frightening. This one seems to imply that if we sin, we are lying about our relationship with God. But that isn’t what it says. Walking in darkness, is living under the lie of the world instead of the truth of God. Verse 7 reads,
“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.”
Walking in the light is not walking without sinning, it is walking in the truth of Christ, cleansed from our sin. God shines His light into our hearts and reveals to us, the darkness there, the sin that kept us away from a relationship with Him. Jesus’ blood cleans us and purifies us, so that we are given new life and are able to fellowship with God. Having all those sins forgiven is not a license to keep sinning no matter that we are pardoned. Walking in the light means we no longer want to sin. We walk in God’s nature with His will and truth. We do not want to sin anymore. We want to shine for Him and glorify Him. We become light too. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.;”
Walking in the light means you are manifesting, demonstrating and making it clear who God is. You reveal God. Your life becomes a revelation of Christ. Revealing Christ in your life, doesn’t mean hiding yourself, lying, or putting on a mask of perfection. The Holy Spirit is transforming you. Jesus’ power is magnified by your flaws and weaknesses as He forgives, overcomes, heals, and works through them. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 puts it this way,
“And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
And 2 Corinthians 12:9 says it like this,
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
We do not want to hide our sin when God’s light has revealed it. We would need darkness to cover them up. We do not want to keep on sinning either. We have to admit to the sin and let Jesus forgive us. Walking in the light means we live transparently in the Father’s love, Jesus’ grace and the Holy Spirit’s transformative power. Verses 8-9 of 1 John chapter 1 continue,
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
You just can’t be a believer and a child of the Living God if you profess you don’t sin. You have to admit you are in a sinner to receive the forgiveness of Christ and have a relationship with God. To say, you haven’t sinned makes God a liar. Jesus, the Word of God the Truth, The Life, and The Way can’t be in you if you say you don’t need Him, if you refuse to acknowledge you have sinned. Everyone has sinned. Everyone has missed the mark of God’s perfection. (Romans 3:23).
Are you living in the truth of God’s power and love? Or are you living under your own power with a mask of goodness which hides the truth. Do you have a false light ready to reveal everyone else’s sin but your own? I exhort you today to examine yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your condition to you and live in the light. Live transparently letting God’s awesome might, perfect love, and splendid light shine in your life. The truth is liberating. Take of the mask and let Jesus stand out.
References:
Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 5457. phós. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/5457.htm
[1] All life requires energy. Humans and animals get energy from food, animals and plants. Plants require light to make food and live. So without light, there could be no life.
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