1 John series: (post #3)

In my previous post, I cited 1 John 1:7 as evidence of the first tell-tale sign of Christianity that John names in 1 John. That sign is Christian fellowship, the Christian having a desire to fellowship with other Christians. Now, for this post, I want to use 1 John 1:7 again as evidence of a second tell-tale sign. This time the sign is what I’ll call “walking in the light.” In order to quote the verse in its context, I’ll also provide the preceding two verses. 1 John 1:5-7 says:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (N.K.J.V.)

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says to His followers, “You are the light of the world.” That means that Christians are spiritual lights in a spiritually dark world. The apostle Paul hit upon this same theme in Philippians 2:15 when he said that Christians are children of God who walk in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and shine as lights in the world.

Please notice, though, that in our text John isn’t talking about Christians shining as lights. Instead, he’s talking about Christians walking in the light. So, what does it mean to walk in the light? Walking in the light is all about the Christian continually taking those spiritual truths and spiritual lessons that he or she has learned from Jesus and applying them on a situation-by-situation basis in daily life.

Many lost people spend their days consumed with worry about paying the bills, putting food on the table, etc., etc. But such a lifestyle isn’t walking in the light of Jesus. Why not? It’s because Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25, N.K.J.V.).

Many lost have a definite hatred toward their enemies. But such a lifestyle isn’t walking in the light of Jesus. Why not? It’s because Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” (Matthew 5:44, N.K.J.V.).

Many lost people spend their lives doing nothing but trying to get ahead, trying to get to the front of the line, trying to make the most money, trying to drive the nicest car, and trying to live in the finest home. But such a lifestyle isn’t walking in the light of Jesus. Why not? It’s because Jesus said, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11-12, N.K.J.V.).

You see, Jesus has left us with an incredible body of teachings — to say nothing of a life lived that exemplified them — that can be described as spiritual light. It is, therefore, the assignment of every Christian to get up each day and walk in all that spiritual light. Oh, and did I mention that walking in that light can be really hard? As a matter of fact, it can be hard enough to make us ask the question, “Who in the world would purposefully choose to walk in Christ’s teachings?” I’ll tell you who: the true Christian. That’s why walking in the light will always be one of the best evidences of salvation.