Walking In The Light
I John 5:5-10
Earlier in the year, my son planted some sunflower seeds. Early on we were not sure if they were going to grow; but as time went on those plants began to rise from the soil. Throughout the summer those plants continued to grow and at their peak some of them were near 8 feet tall. In time they began to bloom into vibrant, bright yellow flowers. However, as summer came to a close, a change took place, those once tall and beautiful flowers began to slump over. One day I went outside and those flowers were almost horizontal with their heads on the ground. In a few more days they began to wilt and die. This happened because of their location and the fact that they could not get enough sunlight to survive. This is because plants grow by photosynthesis, which is dependent upon light. Therefore, if there is no light there is no growth. This is also true spiritually speaking, for there to be life and spiritual growth, there must be light!
The Apostle John exhorts the readers of his first epistle to “walk in the light”. There is great hope to be found in the promise that, “if we walk in the light as He (God) is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Like John, I would like to encourage you to “walk in the light”. In order to assist in this process, I would like to survey the scriptures and show you how to walk in the light.
When we read the word “walk” in the scriptures, it is usually a metaphor for how we are to live. It is important for us to strive to live a consistent Christian life; one that brings honor and glory to God and points others to Jesus. For this to happen, we must “walk in the light”. In order to walk in the light one must turn from sin and follow Jesus. If we are genuinely following Jesus it will be impossible for us to live in sin. Jesus said in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” Jesus encourages His followers to walk in Him (as the light of the world); if we will do this, we will not walk in darkness.
To “walk” implies progress; it speaks of moving forward, specifically moving forward for the Lord. When we walk with Jesus we are walking in the light, as we do this, we are taking steps toward Christian maturity.
There is another metaphor that is supplied in this passage and it is the word “light”. Light refers to life, happiness, righteousness, or understanding. True light comes from the Lord. James refers to God as “the Father of heavenly lights”. He says in James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Elsewhere in the Bible “light” is used to illustrate God’s glory (Psalms 104:2 ; 1 Timothy 6:16), God’s purity (1 John 1:5) and God’s wisdom (Daniel 2:22). Scripture also tells us that saints are guided by the Light of the Lord. In Psalm 27, David said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation”. In Psalm 36:9 he said, “By means of your light we see light”. In John 1:9 John the Baptist called Jesus “The true light that gives light to everyone...”. In John 3:19 Jesus said, “This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil”. I could quote numerous other passages that prove that God is light and His children should walk in the light.
Walking in the light is not an impossible task; in fact God has provided us with everything necessary for us to obey this command. Let’s take some time and consider the subject “Walking In The Light”. First of all:
TO WALK IN THE LIGHT ONE MUST BE IN THE LIGHT
I know this sounds simplistic but it is essential to this process. For me to walk in this building, I must be in this building. In the same way, for me to walk in the light, I must be in the light. Christ is the light of the world, so for us to walk in the light, we must be “in Christ”. The only way that this is possible is because God has revealed Himself to us.
John references this in the previous passage. He says in 1 John 1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — 2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us — 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
These verses show us that God has revealed Himself to mankind, He did this through His Son. Jesus is the exact image of God; in fact He is God! Jesus came to earth and men and women were able to behold His glory. John was one of those witnesses. John saw Him, heard Him, touched Him and fellowshipped with Him before and after His resurrection. Following His ascension, John spent the rest of his life declaring the reality that Jesus is the Christ. That is exactly what he is doing in this epistle.
The Apostles met Jesus and spent their lives telling people about Him. Those people told others, who in turn told others. Throughout the generations the gospel has been passed down and we have received the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
God has also revealed Himself through the Holy Scriptures, and through His Holy Spirit. The scriptures are a light that point us to God. The Holy Spirit shines His light into our lives and shows us that we are sinners in need of a Savior. He also is the One who convinces us that Jesus is the Savior and He is the only way to the Father.
In verse 5 John says, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him”. Here we have a great contrast between darkness and light. John tells of the glorious benefits of walking in the light and he also tells of the devastating consequences of walking in darkness. Those who walk in the light are able to enjoy fellowship with God. Those who walk in darkness have no place with God.
God is holy, righteous, and just; and apart from Christ there is nothing good in us. We are all vile wretched sinners who deserve death and condemnation. Because of His holiness, God cannot look with favor on any form of sin. Yet, we are able to have a personal relationship with Him; so much so that He calls us His children! This is an astonishing reality and it is proof that our salvation and fellowship with God cannot be based on any good that is in us, because there is NO good in us. It is only because of the finished work of Jesus Christ that we have the opportunity to have a relationship and enjoy fellowship with this holy God.
This world is filled with people who believe that they are right with God. They profess to believe in Christ and to belong to God, but their lifestyle says otherwise. Furthermore, God’s holy Word declares that this is not true. In fact it is recorded here in verse 6. (v6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.)
Millions profess to be “in Christ” while walking in darkness and living in sin but the Bible says that this is not possible. In fact, God says that these people are liars! Read the verse again: v6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. Anyone who says he has fellowship with God yet habitually walks in darkness is deceived. Not only are they deceived, they are lost and headed for hell! Obviously this is a disturbing reality, but the following verses prove that there is hope.
- Another requirement for walking in the light is for you to:
BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR SIN
v8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Those who deny their sinfulness and those who think that they can be right with God based on their own works are deceived. For one to enter into fellowship with God, he must be honest about his sinful condition. John goes on to say in v10 “If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us”. A person may have heard and assented to the gospel message, but until it brings him to the point of acknowledging his sin, it has not taken root. Unless you acknowledge your sin and repent of it, you will remain in your sins and away from God.
There is a very important distinction seen in this passage. In verse 8 John references “sin” (singular); this speaks of our corrupt evil nature. In verse 9 he talks about our “sins” (plural); this speaks of the evils that we have done. Each of us fails God daily; even those who are saved consistently sin against our Father. Amazingly, when we are converted (saved) God forgives us of ALL of our sins. However, we still live in this body of flesh that comes complete with a sin nature. God does not remove our sin nature at the moment of our conversion. Rather, He has given us a new nature and He has put His Holy Spirit in us. Therefore, when we walk in the Spirit we can experience victory over sin.
Knowing that our SIN was forgiven at the moment of our conversion, yet our SINS remain a daily struggle, how should we respond? The answer is another necessary element of walking in the light. If you desire to walk in the light, you must:
CONFESS YOUR SINS
v9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here we see the necessity of confessing our sins daily. We can only experience fellowship with God when we confess our sins to God and seek His forgiveness. Thankfully this verse (perhaps more than any other) assures us that IF we will confess our sins; our Father WILL forgive those sins.
Notice that this is a conditional promise, the only way we can receive forgiveness is to confess our sins to God. In this process it is important that we name our sins individually. Many times we simply say “Lord, forgive me of my sins”. While it is good that we acknowledge that we have sinned, we must take it a step further and name those sins one by one. When we do this, we are acknowledging our guilt and agreeing with God that the specific sin that we have committed is rebellion against Him. Confession is great, but we cannot stop there; true repentance means to turn away from that sin.
Proverbs 28:13 The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
If we will genuinely confess our sins and turn from them, we can confidently claim the promise that our God is “faithful and just to forgive us”. This leads us to one of the many benefits of walking in the Spirit and that the fact that you can:
REST IN THE PROMISE OF GOD’S FORGIVENESS
John says that God is “faithful to forgive”; this means that God has promised to forgive us and God cannot lie, therefore He will abide by His promise. It may seem like a contradiction for me to say that all of our sins (past, present and future) are under the blood and then tell you that you sin daily and that you MUST confess that sin to God; trust me, it is not. In this context, John is not referring to judicial forgiveness. Those of us who have been born again received “judicial forgiveness” when we trusted in Christ. As the Righteous Judge, God has forgiven the Believer and rescued him/her from the deserved penalty of their sins. But, as we have seen, we all commit sins after our conversion. Those sins are indeed under the blood and the price has been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This means that no sin we commit can alter our “relationship with God”, but when there is unconfessed sin in our lives it certainly affects our “fellowship with God”. (Don’t miss the fact that the context of this passage is primarily focused on the Christian’s fellowship with God.)
Therefore, even though we have received judicial forgiveness from God, there are times when we must seek parental forgiveness from Him. And that is exactly what John is speaking of here in verse 9. We can obtain this parental forgiveness by confessing our sins to our Heavenly Father.
Let me attempt to illustrate: Suppose a father and son are business partners; and the son embezzles hundreds of thousands of dollars from that business, thus stealing from his father. The father discovers what his son has done and confronts his son; the son refuses to acknowledge his guilt so his father turns him over to the authorities. In turn, he is arrested, charged, and indicted by the grand jury. The case goes to trial and once the evidence has been presented, the jury decides that there is not enough tangible evidence to convict. As a result they render a verdict of “not guilty”. Though this man is indeed guilty, judicially speaking he is innocent; there is nothing that the judicial system can do to him. In time, the son seeks reconciliation with his father, yet he refuses to admit his guilt; as a result, the father wants nothing to do with him. Their relationship is severely damaged and fellowship is nonexistent. Eventually, the son goes to the father and confesses his guilt. Though he is still guilty and there is no way that he can repay all that he has taken from his father, his sorrow and admission of guilt is enough for the father to forgive his son. Following this, the damaged relationship is repaired and their fellowship is restored.
Some of you have received judicial forgiveness from God. You are truly born again and your sins are under the blood. However, there is an obstacle that is hindering your fellowship with the Father. You try talk to Him but it seems that He is not listening. You open His Word hoping that He will speak to you, but He is silent. There problem is that there is unconfessed sin in your life and you need to experience this “parental forgiveness”. The wonderful news is that this forgiveness is available; all it takes is for you to confess your sins to the Father. If you will confess your sins, He is “faithful and just to forgive you”.
Those who walk in the light will be convicted of their sin and prompted to confess it in an effort to maintain fellowship with God. There is nothing sweeter than fellowship with God. However, this is something that is only possible for those who walk in the light. This leads us to the fact that when we walk in the Spirit we can:
ENJOY FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
v7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
This is one of the greatest promises in the Bible. John says that if we walk in the light then we have the opportunity to fellowship with God. There are two kinds of people assembled here today; some are in darkness, while others are in the light! Those who are walking in darkness are lost, unbelievers who are separated from God. Those who are walking in the light are saved, secure believers who are in Christ. Those who are in darkness cannot enjoy fellowship with God because there is no darkness in God at all! But those who walk in the light have fellowship with God. This opportunity is possible because “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin”.
Our access to God’s forgiveness and the resulting fellowship are only possible because of the blood that Jesus shed at Calvary. Earlier, I said that God cannot look favorably upon any sin; how then can He look on us favorably when each of us sin on a daily basis? The reason this is possible is because as Christians we have been justified by His Son, Jesus Christ.
Justification is defined as “the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous”. Simply stated, through justification, even though we are guilty sinners, we are declared to be righteous by God because of our faith in Jesus Christ. All of our sins (past, present and future) are under the blood of Jesus. And because of our position in Christ, we can have fellowship with God. God’s word commands us to walk in the light, it tells us the benefits of walking in the light, and it tells us how to walk in the light.
The question is are you walking in the light? If not, that can change today. I implore you to repent and believe in Jesus, the very light of the world and then you can walk in Him.
If you do belong to Jesus, I encourage you to realize how important it is for you to be in the light, be honest about your sins, confess your sins, rest in the promise of God’s forgiveness, and enjoy your fellowship with God. For these are necessary characteristics of those who are “Walking In The Light”.
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