Transcript Walk in the Light

“3: That which we have seen and heard declare
we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4: And these
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
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” (I
John 1).
In this declaration, we find the means of fellowship
and the blessed consequences of making operative
this source or means. As is typically the case, we
find in John’s statement matters that necessarily
involve both God and man. God is seen as the
Source or Provider and man is observed as the
beneficiary or recipient, providing he accepts what
God is offering, in this case, “fellowship,” “joy,” “truth,”
and “cleansing,” when verse nine is included. Man is
to walk in the light. It is imperative that we
understand not just what walk in the light means, but
also what walk in the light necessarily entails.
John wrote: “3: That which we have seen and
heard declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ.”
Verse three is the outgrowth of John’s statements in
verses one and two. Appreciate the fact that John
does not write using the masculine pronouns, “he
who,” but rather using the neuter relative, “that
which.” In other words, John is not just presenting
and considering the Word (logos), but all that
appertained to Him.
Regarding the truth stated in verse three, one
commentator wrote:
“The apostle here resumes the thought begun in verse 1, and
asserts the purpose for which the Word of life is declared: ‘That
ye also may have fellowship with us….’ Through the acceptance
of the Word of life a unity of faith, practice, and fellowship is
established, and it was for this purpose that the life was being
declared. Here, in the most emphatic fashion, the writer points
out that only in unity of faith is there communion in religion. It is
possible to have fellowship only when there is a common bond
established in faith, work, and love” (A Commentary on the New
Testament Epistles, by Guy N. Woods, pg. 212, 213).
John continued to write: “4: And these things write
we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
“We write” shows how this “full joy” is made
available. This complete joy is the result of knowing
and appropriating the “Word of Life” and obtaining
the consequent “fellowship” that John has just
mentioned. John responded to “their joy” (Christians)
with rejoicing on his part. However, John’s rejoicing
was not shallow or frivolous (cp. 2 John 4; 3 John 3,
4).
John injects the message: “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” (vs. 5).
We need to appreciate the fact that God is light. "The
Lord is my light and my salvation," declared David,
"Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27: 1). Not only is
God pure light, but he is also the source of constant
and unwavering light (cp. I John 1: 5; Jas. 1: 17).
Therefore, there is no need for man to grope about in
darkness and despair. Jesus himself is the light of the
world (cp. Matt. 4: 12-16, John 8: 12).
John examines a saying: “6: If we say that we have
fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth.”
Man is a master at creating and implementing
contradictory statements. Since God is pure light as
opposed to darkness, it is impossible for man to claim to
have fellowship “with him” and “walk in darkness.” The
ancient Gnostics (there are actually practicing Gnostics
today) and all who have embraced the teaching that
how one lives does not affect one’s relationship with
God, for the better or worse are teaching matters that
contradict the scriptures.
"We take the position that a Christian's sins do not damn his soul!
The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his
conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing
whatever to do with the salvation of his soul…All the prayers a
man may pray, all the Bibles he may read, all the churches he
may belong to, all the services he may attend, all the sermons he
may practice, all the debts he may pay, all the ordinances he may
observe, all the laws he may keep, all the benevolent acts he may
perform will not make his soul one whit safer; and all the sins he
may commit from idolatry to murder will not make his soul in any
more danger…The way a man lives has nothing whatever to do
with the salvation of his soul." -Sam Morris, Pastor of the First
Baptist Church, Stamford, Texas (A Discussion Which Involves A
Subject Pertinent To All Men, pgs. 1, 2.)
Next comes the statement that we shall examine: “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” (I John 1).
The conjunction “but” (de) indicates a different and even
opposite circumstance from the one just stated (vs. 5).
The conditional particle “if” (ean) is critical and also pivotal.
All conditions different from the “if” are excluded. One
common word translated "walk" in the New Testament is
the Greek peripateo (word used by John in I John 1: 7). In
the total 96 occurrences of "walk" it is used both physically
and figuratively (Matt. 4: 18; I John 1: 6-8). "Walk" means,
"…the whole round of the activities of the individual life,
whether of the unregenerated or of the believer." (W.E.
Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.)
The word of God is the light source. The world is in
a state of darkness, spiritually speaking, not
knowing the truth and what is ultimately good (John
3: 16-21). How, then, can man learn of the light and
turn from darkness? To this end, please consider
the words of the Psalmist:
"I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught
me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter
than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get
understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119: 102105).
Two matters result from “walking in the light” and
they are: “fellowship one with another” and “…the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all
sin.”
All the ecumenical efforts of religionists to effect
what they call “fellowship” and “unity” are shallow.
Most of their “unity” rests on “agreeing to disagree”
or “unity-in-diversity.” True fellowship and unity are
the result of all involved “continuing to walk in the
light.”
Conclusion:
The Christian is a law-keeper (I John 2: 3 ff.). Love
motivates one to "keep his commandments" (I John 5: 3).
Sin is the opposite of keeping God's commandments (I
John 3: 4). The Christian must ever search his heart and
life and seek to be purged of all sin (cp. Ps. 19: 12). The
Christian contemplated by John is one who maintains an
attitude of submission and ever seeks to be right with God,
making whatever adjustments are required, this is what is
meant by, “walk in the light” (Phili. 3: 15, see context). As
“walk in the light” does not involve the perfect keeping of
law for justification, “walk in the light” as a requirement to
both fellowship with God and fellow Christians does not
nullify salvation by grace (Eph. 2: 8-10). The provision of
confessing sin and Jesus’ cleansing blood are indicative of
salvation by grace (I John 1: 9).