“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself 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; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

As mentioned in the last two posts, the Bible uses the term “God is” before several attributes. While “God is love” is an important one to remember, the Word of God also says things like “God is holy,” “God is perfect,” “our God is a consuming fire,” and “God is light.” All are aspects of His nature. None tells the complete story. However, the apostle John links love, life, and light as interconnected divine qualities. He writes that Christians must walk in the light.

We walk in the light by walking in love:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

If our lifestyle manifests hatred or self-centeredness—if we are not seeking “the best interests of another person regardless of reward to oneself”—we are not walking in love, nor are we walking in the light. According to John, this means we do not have “fellowship with Him” (or “a personal relationship with Jesus,” to use the popular modern evangelical teaching).

We also walk in the light by being honest with ourselves and God. Immediately after introducing the idea of walking in the light, John wrote:

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).

If we say that we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar. We commit blasphemy, insulting the Lord. Elsewhere Scripture says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us fail sometimes. Even worse, sometimes it is not really failure. We intentionally did something that violated God’s will and succeeded in rebellion. We need forgiveness. We must acknowledge our need for forgiveness.

Many Christians accept the idea of “confessing that you are a sinner.” I still have not found that taught in the Bible. The Bible frequently urges us to confess our sins (the ones we have actually committed), not the abstract notion that we are sinners. If we want to walk in the light of God’s love, we have to be honest: We have to acknowledge to Him how we have failed to live up to His word and will. Twelve-Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous urge their members to take a searching and fearless moral inventory of themselves and then “admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Whether we make this confession to a pastor (as in some traditional churches) or to a trusted mature brother or sister in Christ who will protect our secrets, this is a powerful step in finding deliverance, experiencing the power of forgiveness, and walking in the light. To walk in the light, we need to identify and dispel the darkness.

Walking in the light keeps us in fellowship with other believers. If we are walking in God’s light, we are walking in love. We are connected to the Body of Christ, sharing our victories and defeats, joys and sorrows, strengths and weaknesses, so that we may grow in faith, love, and light.

Let us walk in love. Let us walk in the light as He is in the light. Light, love, and life are essential qualities of God, and He is eager to impart them into our lives if we are willing to receive them.

I would like to hear from you. What are some ways you can walk in the light? Share your thoughts or suggestions by clicking the “Leave a comment” link below.

Copyright © 2021 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.