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“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.”
If you don’t read the whole letter of 1 John, you might think this passage ties your behavior to your salvation. You’d be wrong. While a Christian should display a godly lifestyle, this passage is actually talking about something else when it uses the phrase “walking in the light.” The answer is straightforward when you let the Bible speak for itself.
1 John 2:9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Walking in light = walking in love
John certainly addresses the sin issue, but walking in love and staying out of sin are actually two different topics in this letter. They affect each other, but are two separate issues nonetheless.
Why is that an important distinction? Because it’s important that you know that your salvation is not based on your sinlessness. Your salvation is secure in Jesus. However, a Christian should display godly behavior and character. If he doesn’t. he should remember he’s already forgiven.
Confession of Sin
1 John 1:9 is a hot button issue in the Finished Work message.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We have to keep in mind we’re already forgiven and Jesus is our continual advocate with the Father.
1 John 2:12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
Forgiveness is not the result of the confession of sins, confession is when you assure your heart that you are forgiven and you admit the truth about your destructive behavior so you can release it and turn away from it.
Confess means to “say the same thing.” Confession is not asking for forgiveness again and again, confession is to say the same thing about your sinful actions that God says. God says you’re forgiven, so when you say the same thing about your sins that God says, you're actually reminding yourself that you are already forgiven because of the finished work of the cross. He's faithful and just in his forgiveness toward you that he's already extended to you in Jesus.
So when you confess and say the same thing God says about sin, your conscience becomes cleansed of unrighteousness. Why is this important? So you can live in the freedom of grace rather than the bondage of condemnation.
The prescription for sin in a believers life is to remember that you’re already forgiven. If you find yourself continuing in sin, according to John you should remember that Jesus is your propitiation, remember that he advocates for you, walk in love toward your brothers and remember that you’re already forgiven.
You don’t earn forgiveness through confession and you don’t earn righteousness through sinlessness. Consider this passage.
2 Peter 1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. (forgiven)
A believer should absolutely display Godly character, and live worthy of the salvation we’ve been given, but if we don’t, we shouldn’t question our salvation, we should remember we’re already forgiven. In freedom we live well, in condemnation we are doomed to repeat our sinful patterns. The strength of sin is the law, the strength of freedom is grace.
Today's Church
In John’s letter he addressed false prophets and deceptive teachers who walked away from their faith in Jesus. They were seeking to harm house churches in that region and cause them to walk away as well. John wrote to warn them of deception and call them into unity through brotherly love. He said the fruit of their salvation should be fellowship with one another.
This letter is especially relevant for today's church. We are playing into the enemy's tactic of division. The body of Christ is being played by politicians and mainstream media to pick sides against each other. We must rise above the issues that divide us in the temporary world and unite in our spiritual identities, as children of God. Race, political party, and economic status are weaponized against us, and we’re falling for it.
The world is starving for answers and solutions. People in the world are craving a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, people are picking their groups based on their perceptions of who the bad guys are. We're picking sides based on temporary injustices and fallen human issues.
We can do better, we must do better. If you are a Christian, you owe it to your fellow brother in Christ to lay aside anything that may divide you in this world and unite in your love for one another. In this, we show the world that we follow Jesus. Then out of that unity, we turn our gaze toward the world and collectively show them the unifying and saving love of God. Love is our goal, and unity is our strategy.
Rise up church! Rise above church! Don't fall for the divisive tactics perpetrated against us. Unite in our heavenly father and WALK IN THE LIGHT by WALKING IN LOVE toward one another!!
