Walk in light -to have fellowship with Lord (John 1:5 to 7)

To have fellowship with Lord , Let us  walk in Light only

John 1:5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6.  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

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The message is about God being light and no darkness in Him. If we are having fellowship with Him and still walk in darkness, we lie and there is not truth un us. Here we learn about the darkness and light and truth and lie.

 

The message is primarily about how God is light, whereas we are in darkness. We can only have fellowship with God if we are in the light. That happens by being washed of our sins through Jesus’ blood, and continuing to walk in the light.

 

Why is God described as light?

 

Firstly, light shines and it is not hidden; it reveals itself. Likewise, God reveals Himself. God has revealed Himself through creation (Psalm 19:1); through His dealings with Israel (Psalm 103:6-8); through his Word; and through his Son (Heb.1:1-2).

 

Secondly, light refers to truth, in contrast to darkness which refers to lies or ignorance. God is truth. There is no lies or ignorance with Him. Also, His word is truth, and Jesus is truth (John 14:6, 17:17).

 

Thirdly, light refers to purity or righteousness, in contrast to darkness which refers to sin or impurity (Isa 5:20, John 3:19-21, Rom 13:11-14). God is perfectly and infinitely pure. In Him “there is no darkness at all”; no secrecy, no shadows, no impurity or fault. He is the only One like this. Compare 1 John 1:5 and John 1:4-9. What do you note? In 1 John 1:5, God is declared as light, but Jesus also is declared the light in the opening of John’s Gospel. This should not surprise us, for Jesus is truly divine. Jesus was described as ‘a light’ (Isa 42:6-7, 49:6) before He came, and in John 8:12, Jesus made that great declaration “I am the light of the world”.

 

In contrast to God who is light, how should we describe ourselves in our unsaved state? We are in darkness; we are not pure and righteous like God, but sinful and corrupt. This becomes evident when we are in God’s presence (Isa 6:1-5; Luke 5:8).

 

We are also in darkness by being ignorant of the truth. We are enslaved to lies and deceptions, and are kept blinded by Satan (2 Cor 4:4).

 

What happens when we trust in Jesus? (Act 26:16-18; Eph 5:8; Col 1:13-14; 1 Pet 2:9) The Bible tells us that we cross over from darkness to light. Our darkness from ignorance is removed (2 Cor 4:6), and the darkness caused by our sin is washed clean.

 

Not only that, we are given a new nature; God’s nature of light. As a result, we can have fellowship with God, as we are now in the light, as He is.

 

The test of true fellowship (1 John 1:6-7) In John’s time many were claiming to be Christians, and in fellowship with God (especially false believers and teachers). What test does John apply to those who make such a claim? (v.6) We cannot be in fellowship with God if we walk in the darkness. Since God is light, we can only know Him and be in fellowship with Him, if we walk in the light (2 Cor 6:14). What does it mean to walk in the darkness? It can mean to walk in ignorance of the truth, but particularly here, it means to continue in sin i.e. habitually practice immoral or sinful deeds (the tense of the verb ‘to walk’ indicates this).

 

In contrast to walking in darkness, what does it mean to “walk in the Light”? (v. 7) To walk in the light is to be like God, who is light (pure and righteous). Another way of putting this, is to follow Jesus (Jn 8:12). Only when we walk in the light can we genuinely have fellowship with God. If we “walk in the Light”, what is the result? (v.7) Firstly, we have fellowship with one another. We will love to be with God’s people (Heb 10:24-25), and we won’t be like others who had left the church (1Jo 2:19). Secondly, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. Those who walk in the Light aren’t perfect, but are honest with God, confess their sins, and look to Jesus for cleansing. However, those who walk in darkness ignore or deny their sin.s. Summary:

 

God is Light, and if we claim to be a Christian, then we must walk in the Light too to have fellowship with Him.