In our study of the Book of First John we have already covered the first chapter. On October 12th I wrote out an
introduction to 1 John. Today I hope to go over some of the truths that I have learned from this chapter, and to share with you what the Word of God says.
1 John 1:1 - 2:2 Christ and Sin:
John opens his epistle by testifying to the deity of Jesus Christ. He says in verse one,
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled..." John makes the claim that Jesus came in the flesh as a human being. He gives us four actions that he himself, one of the apostles, had done when Jesus was on earth. It has already been 60 years since Christ was on earth but the time spent with Him was still vivid in John's mind. He remembers hearing the voice of Christ, seeing his person, being able to touch him, and look upon his glory. He says that this life of Jesus was shown to him, and that he is a witness to that life. In his letter, John is going to declare to us what he has seen and heard so,
"...that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." And not only that we would have sweet fellowship with our Lord but also that our,
"...joy may be full."
So, what is this message that John wishes to make know to us? He says in verse 5,
"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." John begins his message by saying that God is light! In the scriptures, the word light refers to the truth of God's Word, holiness, and purity. God is the very essence of these characteristics. He is Holy,
(1 Peter 1:15a) and perfectly pure,
(1 John 3:5). All this reflects the light. Contrary to the light, is darkness and there is absolutely no darkness in God. The darkness, reflects that which is evil, sinful, and wrong. Because of the perfect purity of God, there can be no darkness in Him. And not only is there no darkness in God, we His people are called to flee from the darkness and live like our Master. So, what does it look like to walk in the light and to flee the darkness? Let's find out.
Walk in the Light:
To walk in the light is to live just as God would live. We read that God is light, he is pure, and holy, so we his people should live as he would want us to live. How would he want us to live? Well,
1 Peter 1:16 says
, "because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY." God wants us to be holy, and pure in his sight. An excellent passage that speak about us Christians walking in light is
Ephesians 5:8-11, "for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness but instead even expose them." In this letter, Paul makes the comparison as to what we were and now what we are. The old deeds of darkness are gone, they have been put off and now we are in the light. Do we still sin? Absolutely, but no longer are we slaves to that sin. And we do not sin willingly. John himself tells us what to do when we sin.
I John 2:1, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, he has an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for out sins, and not for our only but also for the whole world." What marvelous mercy there is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has died for our sins and made us whiter than snow. We have been healed, justified, and made alive with Christ, His righteous blood covers every sin. We are children of God, and we live in the light.
Flee from the Darkness:
As we learned above, the darkness is that which is contrary to the light. It is sin, whether big or small, all sin is darkness. The father of the darkness is Satan, the evil ruler of this world. We are the children of God, and therefore resist the darkness whenever we encounter it. Paul even said in Ephesians that we expose the darkness, not for the purpose of dwelling on it, but rather to keep the people of God pure according to His word. In our world many, so-called Christians delude the difference between light and darkness. In the word of God this is not the case. God will expose that which is darkness and for this reason we must avoid it at all costs.
Let us therefore arise, and live the Christian life with vigour and passion to glorify God in our actions. May we walk in the light, and learn that which pleases the Lord. So that we can bring our saviour the honour he deserves. Honour that He receives when we obey His will and His word.
Blessings,
Lucas C.
