Walk In The Light

Walk in the LIGHT!

As I read through 1 John this week, I was blown away again by the overwhelming responsibility we have to live holy lives.  John can speak first hand about this subject because he was called and served directly with Jesus Christ.  He was known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23).”  1 John is very similar to the Gospel of John in that both use contrasting figures, such as light and dark, life and death, truth and lies, love and hate.  When I review the Gospel of John, it becomes very clear that John was always very close to Jesus and it is also obvious that because of this closeness, John was an expert on Jesus. When John writes in I John 1:5 that “God is light; and there is no darkness in him,” we can be assured that this is not just an opinion but also the hard truth about God.  John tells us this so that we will understand what our example is.  We do not serve an imperfect God, but a God who is perfect in every way.  Light represents holiness and truth, whereas darkness represents wickedness and error.  Truth, as mentioned in 1 John 1:6, represents Jesus, the embodiment of perfection. There is a warning in that verse that says if we claim to have fellowship with God (relationship with Jesus Christ) yet walk in darkness then we are liars and do not live in the truth.  If we have a relationship with Jesus Christ then we should live a life of holiness and truth and not a life filled with the darkness of this world.  John goes on in the following verses to remind us that we, unlike our example, are not perfect and do sin.  Also in contrast to the hopelessness of the world, we, who have placed our lives in Jesus, even though we sin, have “one who speaks to the Father in our defense- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 John 2:1).”  This however does not give us the right to live our lives however we want.  Instead, this truth should encourage us to live even more righteously knowing that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  Living in the “Light” should play out in every aspect of our lives.  Holy living is not just for the times that we are around other believers but it should permeate our lives even when it is not convenient.  For example, take a candle into a completely dark room. Then light that candle and see how the light permeates every part of darkness.  Our lives should be as that candle.  The Light of Jesus should destroy the dark places in our lives so that we become more like Jesus. 

Go and LIGHT up the darkness!

Aaron