Walking in the Light
June 22, 2023 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
This week is SummerLink, our Presbytery’s annual summer camp for youth. We have ten churches in the Heartland Presbytery. Staff, volunteers, and youth come together from these churches for this fun-in-the-sun week. This year the group is at YouthFront Camp in La Cygne, KS. I have had the privilege of giving the messages each evening.
The theme for camp has been “Walking in the Light.” The phrase comes from 1 John 1:7, but the metaphor is all over Scripture. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). The psalmist calls the Word a “light to my feet” (119:105). Paul calls believers “children of light” (Eph. 5:8). Light is used as a metaphor for God’s holiness, revelation, the coming of Christ, salvation, our holiness, and the eternal presence of God. “Walking in the light” is a comprehensive phrase to speak about our relationship with God.
The apostle John, however, adds an interesting twist in 1 John 1:7. Consider what he writes, “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 cleanses us from all sin.” If the “light” is associated with God, his holiness, salvation, and his presence, why does John state that if we walk in the light, “we have fellowship with one another”? What does walking in the light have to do with fellowship with one another? I have three thoughts.
- This is John’s way to speak about Christian unity. Paul commands in Ephesians 4:3 that Christians ought to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit. When we studied this verse in a recent sermon, I noted that Christians do not create the unity, but maintain the unity. The unity is created by God when he reconciles people unto himself through Christ. John speaks about that reconciliation to God when he says we walk in the light as God is in the light and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. By the death of Christ, we are brought into the light with God. That is where every Christian is. Therefore, we have fellowship with one another as we are drawn closer to God. We maintain unity (or fellowship, in John’s language) not by focusing on one another, but by focusing on God the Father.
- The Christian community is another means of light for the Christian. Jesus is the light of the world. Whoever follows Jesus has the light of life. God’s Word is a light for our feet. Whoever meditates on his Word benefits from the light. The church, the gathering of God’s people, is where God has designed the ministry of the Word to be carried out. The church is essential for the growth and maturity of God’s people. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews says, “do not neglect the meeting together” (Heb. 10:25) for this is part of the means to walk in the light (or, as Hebrews says, “hold fast the confession of our hope” 10:23). We need the church community to walk in the light.
- The cleansing work of Christ is essential for fellowship. The last phrase in verse 7, “and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” is important. John knows we do not walk in the light as we should. John knows that our fellowship with one another is fragile. Plainly put, John knows that we sin, and such sin breaks fellowship with God and one another. In order to forgive one another and maintain fellowship with one another, we need the cleansing of Christ’s blood. This requires the humility to admit when one is wrong, ask for forgiveness, and rely on the mercy of God and others. A couple verses later John gives the promise that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This cleansing is not only for our relationship with God but also our fellowship with one another.
Walking in the light is not an individual effort. Walking in the light is a community project. We need the church. Let the blood of Christ cleanse us in order to unite us in fellowship with one another.
