WALKING THE WALK
Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father, for the fellowship that is mine with you because you gave your Son. May I never take for granted the high price you paid for me to have that privilege.
Read 1 JOHN 1:5–2:2
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But 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, purifies us from all[a] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Footnotes
- 1 John 1:7 Or every
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘My chains fell off, my heart was free; / I rose, went forth and followed thee.’1 Thank the Lord for cleansing us from sin’s power.
John’s theme of light versus darkness links his letter with his gospel.2 ‘God is light; in him there is no darkness at all’ (v. 5) is refreshingly clear. We have become hardened to the shadow side of leadership today and saddened by its consequences. We shrug our shoulders as the evidence of human frailty in political and church leaders is exposed, wishing it were not so. In God, however, we have One who is called ‘the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’3 There is not a hint of abusive intent or darkness of motive or action in him. Even though God ‘lives in unapproachable light,’4 he invites us into fellowship with himself and his Son, Jesus Christ. Walking in the light produces the amazing benefit of cleansing us from all sin, not just a few kinds of wrongdoing. Darkness cannot overcome light.
John wants his readers to walk in the light (v. 7) and gain the benefits thereof. In verse 6 he warns that if we walk in darkness we ‘do not live out the truth.’ He calls us to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Christians are to be known by their love, having fellowship with one another and with the Lord. If, on the other hand, we have hatred toward a brother or sister, this would be evidence of continuing to walk in darkness (2:9).
When we do sin (and which of us can claim to be without sin?), thank God that there is a way back. Confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing, introducing us to the ministry of our divine advocate, Jesus Christ. He provides not only the sacrifice for our sins, but also the intercession with the Father that is effective for sin on a global basis.
Apply
Read Psalm 51 and ponder the extent of David’s repentance and confession. Praise God for the joy of being washed ‘whiter than snow’ (v. 7).
Closing prayer
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts (Psalm 139:23). Holy Spirit, bring me to repentance where I need to conform to God’s will for me and realign my thoughts and actions.
1 Charles Wesley, 1707–88, ‘And can it be’ 2 John 1:4,5 3 James 1:17 4 1 Tim 6:16
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