1 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. 8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 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 that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Introduction

There are many today who are very religious and yet believe in a god that is distant and impersonal. There’s really nothing new under the sun. There are also false teachers of John’s day who viewed God not as a personal ethical being but as an impersonal force. But the Bible is clear that God is not a force or an energy. The Bible reminds us again and again that God is a personal God. He is not a cold, distant, and unapproachable god like the gods of some religions. No, the God of the Bible is approachable. God is a living personal moral Being who actually desires and delights the communion of His people. He wants to be near us, and He wants our devotion and love and fellowship. God clearly expressed in many places in the Bible just like in Leviticus 26:12, “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” You and I do not have to wait for death to experience and enjoy fellowship with God. Fellowship with God begins here in this present life, and it will continue for eternity.

But as we saw last week, in order to fellowship with God, we must know the nature of God. We must know who God is and what He is like. This is why John as he speaks of fellowship and joy, begins by asserting that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” God is absolutely pure and holy. He is free from all sin. He is free from any moral pollution. He is as described by prophet Habakkuk “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.”

John’s starting point is the essential nature of God because the nature of God determines the nature of our fellowship with God and with fellow believers. Having established the nature of God and the nature of our fellowship with God and with fellow believers, John now in verses 6 and 7, makes an application of this great and glorious truth that “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Having told us that “God is light,” he tells us that one way we can test the reality of our fellowship with God  is if we are walking in the light.

1 John 1:6 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.

Since God is light, those who say they have fellowship with God must walk in the light. Now, what does it mean to walk in the light? The word “light” is synonymous with holiness, purity, and righteousness. To “walk’ is an expression frequently used in the Scriptures to indicate the entire life. To “walk” is synonymous with live. So, to “walk in the light” means to live a life of holiness before the Lord. To walk in the light means to live in the light of His holiness and in the light of His Word. It is to allow God’s Word and His Holy Spirit to shine on dark areas in our lives. In other words, we must continually allow God through His Word and by His Spirit to expose our sin and face them and deal with them the Bible way.

Light exposes and reveals things. In Ephesians 5:13, we read, “But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” The Word of God is a source of light. It is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. It reveals who we are, what we should be, and how we can change to become more like Jesus. To walk in the light means that we daily bring our thoughts and actions under the spotlight of God’s Holy Word and respond in obedience to its guiding influence. Steven J. Cole explains what it means to walk in the light, “To walk in the light is to live openly before God, seeking to be holy and hating all sin. To walk in the light is to walk “as He (God) is in the Light” (1:7). This is to say the same thing as 1 John 2:6, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Or, in the words of 1 Peter 1:15-16, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Or, in Jesus’ words of John 3:21, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” This is in contrast with the evil person who loves darkness and hates the Light, who does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3:20).”

Now, I realize that to bring our thoughts and actions under the spotlight of God’s Holy Word and to allow it to expose dark areas in our lives is not pleasant but painful. But oh, as we shall see later, the benefits outweigh any discomfort or pain we might experience as we allow God’s Word and His Holy Spirit to shine on dark areas in our lives. By the way, to walk in the light does not mean the Christians no longer struggle with sin, for no one will ever be totally free from sin in this life. Actually, John goes on to say that walking in the light involves acknowledging our sin correctly as we shall also see next week.

Now let’s consider verses 6 and 7 in three headings, namely, the Inconsistency, the Indictment, and the Incentives.

I - The Inconsistency

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

There were those in John’s day who were claiming to have fellowship with God but are walking in darkness. They claim that they are walking in the light but in reality, they were walking in darkness. Claiming to have fellowship with God and at the same time walking in darkness is a obviously a contradiction. It is clearly inconsistent. For the truth is that light and darkness cannot coexist. Light and darkness cannot and do not dwell together. The apostle Paul asked the question; “can light and darkness dwell together?” For it is written, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) It is impossible for darkness to have fellowship with light. A person who is walking in darkness is not walking in fellowship with God.

As light cannot mix with darkness, so one who is in the dark cannot commune or fellowship with God who is light. This is what John explains in the next two verses.

1 John 1:6 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.

Here the apostle John gives us the condition for fellowship: walk in the darkness and you have no fellowship. Walk in the light and you have fellowship with God and one another. Those who desire to fellowship with God and experience fullness of joy must reflect in their lives the moral character of God. Our lives must reflect the One Who has called into fellowship with Him.

Many have made the mistake of believing that they can keep company with darkness or evil and they would not be affected. But the Bible says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. The Word of God is like a switch. Turn it on and the darkness is gone. If we are truly walking in the light of God’s Word darkness must banish. Our Lord said that, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

II - The Indictment

Now another question that arises is what does it mean to walk in darkness? As we saw earlier to “walk” is an expression which indicates the entire life. “To walk” points to one’s habit of life or lifestyle. So, to “walk in darkness” is to live in the practice of sin. Since to walk in the light is to allow God through His Word and by His Spirit to expose dark areas in our lives, to walk in the darkness is to try to hide from God, rather than to expose our life to Him. As someone has said, “To ‘walk in darkness’ is to block out the light of God’s holiness, as revealed in His Word.”

In the apostle John’s time, there were Gnostics who claimed to have communion with the light but walked in darkness. Jack Schoeman describes the Gnostics as such, “The Gnostics were professing Christians who believe that anything spiritual was good and anything material, including the human body was bad. The great purpose in life therefore they said, is to seek to be freed from the body which could only be achieved by those who possess a certain secret knowledge which was imparted by direct special revelation. This heresy drastically affected the way the people in John’s day lived. Some held that because the body was bad it had to be subdued. Consequently, they deprived themselves of all earthly comfort and even subjected their body to physical pain. Others turned to heathenism. The unbridled pursuit of pleasure. They believe that for the believer there was no such thing as sin. Whatever sins they have committed were not sinful because they did it in their body. Consequently, they could sin as much as they like and still claim to be believers.”

John exposes these kinds of heresies throughout his epistle. And in verse 6, John gives his indictment, a formal charge to those who claim to have fellowship with God and yet are walking in darkness.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

The indictment is that those who say they have fellowship with God but are walking in darkness are lying and do not the truth. John says, regardless of what one says or professes, if that person is walking in darkness that person has no fellowship with God and is, actually lying and do not practice the truth. We can say anything about having fellowship with God, but just because we say something doesn’t mean it is true. John tells us here how we can test whether or not a person is a liar—by their walk. Does their walk match their talk? Walk and talk must match. Practice must match profession. If they do not, then they are lying, and they do not practice the truth.

This is a bold statement. But John as a faithful and loving pastor is not only concerned that the community of believers that he ministers to, have the right doctrine he also wants them to have the right practice. Proper doctrine should always produce proper practice. John’s concern is practical and pastoral — he admonishes his readers to “walk in the light as he is in the light.”

III - The Incentives

1 John 1:7 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.

As I have said, to walk in the light which involves in continually allowing God through His Word and by His Spirit to expose darkness and sin in our lives is not pleasant but painful in many ways. But oh, the benefits of walking in the light outweigh any discomfort or pain we might experience as the spotlight of God’s Word shines on dark areas in our lives. What are these benefits? John mentions two benefits in our text.

1. We have Fellowship with One Another

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another ...

There are great blessings and benefits promised to the person who walks in the light. One of these is “we have fellowship one with another.” Now, does the reference to “one another” refer to fellowship between God and the believer or fellowship between believers? Commentators have differing views. Some believe it refers to our fellowship with God, others believe it refers to our fellowship with fellow believers. I have no problem with either interpretation, but I believe it’s both. One of the greatest blessings of walking in the light is fellowship with the God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and with one another. I believe it’s both because fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers is always linked. You cannot properly say that you fellowship with God and then refuse to fellowship with God’s people. Walking in the realm of truth, righteousness, and love, we have fellowship with all those who walk in the same realm. The natural result of living in the light should be joyful relationships with other Christians.

Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2. We are Continually Cleansed from All Sin

1 John 1:7 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.

Another great blessing and benefit of walking in the light is that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin. The term “blood” is often used in the New Testament to represent Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. It is a reference to crucifixion and the giving of His life. I have to underscore that it is not any blood that cleanses us from all sin. It is “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19)

Also understand that John here is not referring to our justification. The subject matter here is not salvation but sanctification. We are not saved by striving to walk in the light, we walk in the light because we have been saved. John is speaking of the effect of the blood on those who have already been justified, who are walking in the light. He is referring to sanctification, by which the power of sin in our lives is gradually broken as we continually walk in the light.

“Cleanseth from all sin” does not mean that believers are completely freed from sin. It does not imply that the person walking in the light no longer struggle with sin. No one will ever be completely free from sin in this life. John’s point is that the blood of Christ removes sin’s defilement and works in us a progressive sanctification.

These are two wonderful blessings of walking in the light—continual fellowship with God and with fellow believers and continual cleansing from sin. What a blessing!

Closing Thoughts

My friend how about you today? Are you walking in the light? You can only walk in the light when you are in the light. That is when you have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. That’s where walking in the light begins. It begins by humbly acknowledging your sin and sinfulness and your inability to save yourself by your goodness and good deeds. It begins by calling upon the name of the Lord and embracing Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. Have you done so? I pray that you will do so today.

Now to those who are already have been justified freely by His grace, let me remind you that the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin. Octavius Winslow writes about the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, “It ‘cleanses us.’” Oh, this is what you do so deeply need, my soul! Sin-forgiving, guilt-removing, heart-cleansing, conscience-purifying blood. All this is the blood of Jesus to you. Wash in it, and you shall be whiter than snow. “He that is washed is clean, every whit.” And mark the tense of the wonderful words on which this meditation is based—it is the present tense. The blood ‘cleanses.’ It has cleansed, it will cleanse, but, as touching our daily walk as believers in Jesus, we have to do with its present cleansing. In our Christian travel through a sinful world the feet are apt to slide, prone to wander, and are constantly contracting fresh defilement, needing the daily washing in the blood (Jn 13:10). What a sweet thought, O my soul! that the fountain is open, and the blood cleanses, even now cleanses us, from all sin.”

The blood that Jesus shed for me

Way back on Calvary

The blood that gives me strength 

From day to day

It will never lose its power

It reaches to the highest mountain 

It flows to the lowest valley

The blood that gives me strength 

From day to day 

It will never lose its power

AMEN!