Walking in the Light
We recently heard Dave Boden preach a message on the subject of ‘Walking in the Light’ and we were challenged through the Scriptures to bring all of our lives into the light of God. We read:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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 sin. 1 John 1:5-7
According to this passage in 1 John, walking in the light is the means by which we enjoy fellowship with each other, and cleansing from our sin. The Apostle John goes on to say:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9
Confession of sin, it seems, is one of the key means by which we practice ‘walking in the light’ and therefore the gateway to experience God’s forgiveness and purification from sin. James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
This whole realm of confessing sins to brothers and sisters in the family of God is one that so often gets pushed into the background of many peoples’ lives and yet it is designed by God to be a fantastic weapon in our armoury. It helps to keep us free from the tyranny of sin, and its resulting guilt and condemnation. I don’t know what your experience is, but mine has certainly been deficient compared to what the Bible is saying.
The simple truth of the Word of God is this – darkness is bad: sin and all kinds of evil love darkness. Satan and his kingdom exists in darkness and seeks to keep people and their lives saturated in darkness. In fact the Bible calls this whole realm ‘the kingdom of darkness’.
The complete opposite is true of God and his kingdom. GOD IS LIGHT, and it is only as we walk ‘in the light’ that we experience the joy of fellowship (shared life) with Him. We see that this is the only way for us if we intend to live our lives in intimacy with God, and community with other believers. This kind of openness, humility and, at times, brutal honesty is not optional for disciples of Christ. As Dave said in his talk: “no hiding from God; no hiding from other people.” It is impossible to overstate the incredible power of honestly sharing our hopes and dreams, as well as our faults and fears with others. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT so that we become introspective and self-obsessed, but so that sin and every kind of unreality in our lives is dealt the death blow, and we can get on with the serious business of walking in the glorious light of God’s presence.
So how do we apply these principles? The command of Scripture is not just “respond honestly when challenged” but to actively and intentionally walk in the light. The ball is in our court to ensure that we do this. We should engage with the work of the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to illuminate anything of darkness in us. We should then take steps, in the context of loving, trusting friendships, to share with one or two others who can talk and pray with us as we see darkness defeated and liberty restored. God loves to restore things to how he intends them to be and one of his greatest desires for us is that like Adam and Eve in the garden, we can enjoy the child-like freedom of being completely free:
The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 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 sin. 1 John 1:5-7
According to this passage in 1 John, walking in the light is the means by which we enjoy fellowship with each other, and cleansing from our sin. The Apostle John goes on to say:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9
Confession of sin, it seems, is one of the key means by which we practice ‘walking in the light’ and therefore the gateway to experience God’s forgiveness and purification from sin. James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
This whole realm of confessing sins to brothers and sisters in the family of God is one that so often gets pushed into the background of many peoples’ lives and yet it is designed by God to be a fantastic weapon in our armoury. It helps to keep us free from the tyranny of sin, and its resulting guilt and condemnation. I don’t know what your experience is, but mine has certainly been deficient compared to what the Bible is saying.
The simple truth of the Word of God is this – darkness is bad: sin and all kinds of evil love darkness. Satan and his kingdom exists in darkness and seeks to keep people and their lives saturated in darkness. In fact the Bible calls this whole realm ‘the kingdom of darkness’.
The complete opposite is true of God and his kingdom. GOD IS LIGHT, and it is only as we walk ‘in the light’ that we experience the joy of fellowship (shared life) with Him. We see that this is the only way for us if we intend to live our lives in intimacy with God, and community with other believers. This kind of openness, humility and, at times, brutal honesty is not optional for disciples of Christ. As Dave said in his talk: “no hiding from God; no hiding from other people.” It is impossible to overstate the incredible power of honestly sharing our hopes and dreams, as well as our faults and fears with others. This is ABSOLUTELY NOT so that we become introspective and self-obsessed, but so that sin and every kind of unreality in our lives is dealt the death blow, and we can get on with the serious business of walking in the glorious light of God’s presence.
So how do we apply these principles? The command of Scripture is not just “respond honestly when challenged” but to actively and intentionally walk in the light. The ball is in our court to ensure that we do this. We should engage with the work of the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to illuminate anything of darkness in us. We should then take steps, in the context of loving, trusting friendships, to share with one or two others who can talk and pray with us as we see darkness defeated and liberty restored. God loves to restore things to how he intends them to be and one of his greatest desires for us is that like Adam and Eve in the garden, we can enjoy the child-like freedom of being completely free:
The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25
posted by Nick at
2:29 pm
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