A common question we may hear around the church is “how’s your walk?”. We also hear about everything being in the light, with the idea that we have no secrets, that everything is known. But an interesting situation happens when we combine the two thoughts…

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

Light is necessity for life in itself. If we had no light, we would not exist.  We could generate visual light, but food supplies and life as we know it would pass. Isn’t it interesting the first thing God created…

What are your thoughts on these verses, and more importantly, what words seem to be interchanged? Or seem out of place?

John, the author, has slipped in and exchanged light with the word truth. In stead of just saying the obvious, if we say we have fellowship in the light, we are in the light, but if we don’t we are in the dark. But he does not say that. He says if we don’t fellowship in the light, we live a lie and don’t practice the truth.

How would you tie truth and light together in a thought?

What are the benefits of light?

I know in my life, I can think of it just the opposite, what are the risks and challenges of not having light.

Awareness

in my life, I have come to be aware that in the dark life can be challenging. As simple as trying to walk through the house in the middle of the night and not step on something or crack my baby toe on the end-table. Something walking in the dark I stick out my hands to become aware of where I am and maneuver about from memory.

If not in my home I can think of times camping and hearing sounds and picking up that flashlight and pointing it out into the darkness to be aware of what I might have heard. Light can give an awareness that cannot be obtained with mere thoughts.

Direction

Each of us use light to provide direction on a regular basis. All over our vehicles are equipped with headlights. Headlights give us the ability to see where we are going. As a matter of fact, the need to be able to see where we are going at night in our vehicles is so important, that it is a law.

Long before automobiles were invented, the Bible instructs us to have a light for our path.  But when we look at the famous passage from David in Psalm 119, we might get some great insight and see what John is teaching us.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.- Psalm 119:105 ESV

As we can see, the lamp (light) is actually God’s word. His instruction.  Now putting the concepts together we can have some meaningful discussions.

When someone shares about “stumbling”, how can that be related to what we are discussing? Have you ever stumbled in the dark? And how does that relate to what we are discussing?

If Jesus is the light (truth), and in him there is no darkness (lies), how do we get in a situation of walking in the dark (lies)?

Having the light of God’s truth (his word), gives us the opportunity to be aware of our life. To be able to see areas that can need some attention, some areas where we may not be aware are not good and health.  We can even think of an X-Ray and how they use the technology to see inside us and bring “light” of what is going on.

The concepts are quite simple, and unfortunately. There are many that proclaim to be cleansed, saved and spot-free. They believe they are born again and there is no sin and everyone else that does not get it, are not really saved. They typically turn to the next verse…

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. – 1 John 1:7 ESV

The people I am referring to are the ones that point fingers and shame those that still wrestle and struggle with sin. Those people were prominent back then as they are today. That is actually the purpose of this text.  John takes it head on and let us not catch ourselves on the wrong side of the scale.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. – 1 John 1:8 ESV

Clearly, John is pleading his point. If we believe we are perfect, god, then we are lying to ourselves and Jesus is not a part of who we are.  He then goes on to share the importance and the vital role Jesus has in our lives…

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. – 1 John 1:5-10

This act of confessing our sins and allowing Jesus us to purify us and cleanse us is not a one time thing. This is an ongoing interaction, hence the concept of walking with Him. Having an ongoing fellowship with him.

Some of the most dangerous and embarrassing situations is when we have what we need, but rely on ourselves…. maybe a couple of illustrations…

Walk into the dark kitchen and fumble around and knock a glass off the counter and break it, when if we turned on the light we would have seen the glass and not knocked it off.

When we are driving at dusk with our lights off and believe we can see just fine and someone else runs into us because they did not see us.

This week, focus on the light and dark contrasts this week, tie them to the principles of truth and lies.  Thoughts and songs such as “out of the darkness and into your glorious light” should mean so much more. When we “stumble”, do we learn (add truth) and improve our walk?

The truth of the matter is that we are all walking in a dark world, we are not the light, and yet the path is narrow.

When you ask someone how their “walk is”, know what you are asking and know how to fellowship in a healthy way as we all “walk this life out”.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.