week of 07/14/11 2nd recorded HighQuest 1 John 1:1-10

The passage I read was 1 John 1:1-10

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1%3A1-10&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

As I reflect:

In verse 1-4 John relays a since of having been a firsthand witness and conveys that he is thusly writing to proclaim what was seen and heard and experienced so that we can have fellowship with him in that light. Being known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved most” and as “John the beloved”, I have no problem trusting that indeed his account was accurate and I am honored to have fellowship with him through the reading and applying of his account of the gospel.

In verses 5 – 10 he delivers in a few different ways the same message that Christ declared. The message is one of hypocrisy and transparency and states: “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” Looking first at this portion I see that it does not say that, “if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet make mistakes or fall sometimes, then we lie and aren’t really saved.” Instead it says, “walk in the darkness.” I’d like to point out that this is a defining difference between the saved and unsaved. The saved can make mistakes and can fail and can sin (both knowing and unknowingly), but cannot live in sin. In other words we saved few do have the capacity for mistakes and in fact our reliance is completely on Christ in us and not our own merit at all. However, there are a few of the unsaved many of the world who claim salvation and yet still live in sin acting and thinking and speaking just like the rest of the world; showing no repentive efforts or conviction from the Holy Spirit in their lives. These who call themselves Christian and yet live identical to the rest of the world are in fact the liars spoken of in verse 6. They are the hypocrites that say one thing and yet do another…not occasionally, but as a lifestyle. John explains very plainly that actions speak louder than words saying, “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.” Note that it is the action of “walk in the light” that separates us from the actions of those in darkness. One says they are in the light but really they walk in darkness. The other says they are in the light and actually walks in the light. Note also that this walking in light is a condition of the blood purifying us from sin. In other words (my words), you cannot be saved and then continue living the same way. You cannot repent and then continue in darkness. You cannot chose to live like the world and yet also be purified from the very darkness that controls it. To be in the light and be purified from sin, one must walk in the light.

John explains how we are to be transparent (hiding no sin) as he continues, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Thankfully, with our sins known and our hearts convicted to repent, we do have a way to receive forgiveness and purification as John explains in the often memorized verse 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

For me I chose to take from this that walking is the light has a cost of not being conformed to the world and not living in sin, but has a reward of purification from sin and fellowship with the One who purifies. In this walk, we are to be transparent (as we are to God anyway). We should openly confess to one another and to Our Lord to receive forgiveness, encouragement, sharpening, and purification (in whatever form it may come).

My response to the Lord:

Lord I know this study is directly written as a message from you to me. I thank you for the message. What a great topic to study before taking a polygraph, lol. God you are good to me. Help me to be transparent not only with you, but also with those around me that we may have strong fellowship and a greater bond that is based on truth. When I fall into the snares of the enemy in the dark, quickly pick me back up and help me to walk in the light Father. I do stumble and recognize my great need for you in every way. Lord I know you are faithful and that you hear me when I call. Lord I call on you now for your help. In Jesus’ name.