1 John 1:4-10
4
These
things we write, so that our joy may be made complete
The one who is called of God to make proclamation
of the Gospel Message may have some joy in what he does, but completion is not
present until the Message is delivered. Some who are called participate in
Gospel Ministry but have not joy because there is hesitation to deliver the
Message in God’s favor. Experience reveals that when the Message is delivered
to the specifications of God’s Word His joy is complete in the life of the
messenger.
Note one more thing about John’s statement: “our
joy”. John is not thinking of personal joy only. He is emphasizing the
completeness of God’s joy in the folks who read the Message as well. A glass
half full is also half empty. Why not complete the task and agree with the wisdom
of Solomon,
“ A man has joy in an apt answer, and how delightful is a timely word!.” Proverbs 15:23.
5 This is the message we have heard
from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no
darkness at all.
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and
there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light
from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He
called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis
1:3-5.
The concept of light is significant throughout
Holy Writ and always points to goodness, righteousness, justice and God
Himself. And the poignant aspect of light is that God created the light on the
First Day of Creation separating it from darkness. Because God does things for
a reason, we see Him making a distinction from good and evil from the beginning
of time as we know it.
When the Israelites were fleeing the Egyptian
army, note what God was doing with His light, The angel of God, who had been going before the
camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from
before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of Egypt and the
camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one
did not come near the other all night. Exodus 14:19, 20.
And John reminds us about the coming of the Christ
as the “light shining in the darkness”, “The Light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5. In fact, a better translation
might be that “the darkness did not overcome it.”
The very reason that the Believer is present in
this world is to present the Light of the Christ in contrast to the darkness of
Evil. If your joy as a Believer is to be made complete you must be faithful to the
task of being His Messenger and demonstrate the separation that exists between
the God of Heaven and the gods of this world.
6If we say that we have fellowship
with Him and yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
Fellowship is the most important component of any
relationship for if this is missing there can be no longevity. The simple fact
is that many of us do not know the meaning of or understand the word. Because
this is true it is difficult to have fellowship without an understanding of the
word itself. How is it possible to claim something
that is so foreign to us?
Here are some words
taken from Webster’s Dictionary that give some meaning to the thought:
communion: an act or
instance of sharing
companion: one that accompanies another
intimate: a very close friend or confidant
Each of these words helps to give a better perspective of
the relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and His Followers, the
Believers. Those who continue to live outside that relationship, but insist
that this relationship exists simply do not have fellowship with Him. There is
no communion. The idea of being a companion with the Christ has no meaning and
obviously without them there can be nothing about being intimate with Him.
When I read John’s statement Newton’s Law of Motion comes to
mind, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. This natural
principle of the balance of forces seems to apply here, but in the transaction
between truths and lies. The opposite
and equal reaction to a lie is always God’s truth.
7 but if we walk in the Light as He
Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Here is the result of walking in the Spirit as
Paul encourages in Galatians 5:7-9, “So then do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get
drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
with your heart to the Lord;”
The
fellowship between Believers is one of the many distinguishing signs of the
Body of Christ. My suggestion is that
Fellowship between Believers is the most identifiable result of the
relationship between the Christ and those who are His Followers.
Here is the great comfort of the fellowship that
exists between the Christ and every Believer, “the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin” Anyone who is
a born again Believer has the unique forgiveness of sin that no other being on
earth has access to. John captured the words of Christ as He spoke to
Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John
3:16. God’s gift to all who believe in His Son, Jesus receives forgiveness of
sin and eternal life.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we
are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Here we see a caution coming from the Apostle
concerning some who have claimed that because they have a relationship with the
Christ allows them some kind of immunity to sin.
Paul writes to Titus about those who claim to
know God but, “To
the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving,
nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They
profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being
detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Titus 1:15, 16.
These two men are clearly telling us that God is
not allowing anyone to claim a relationship with Him and hope to find
reconciliation through untruth and false practice.
9
If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here is an earth shaker for every Believer who
might think that only their initial moment of salvation is enough forgiveness
of sin. This, too, is not true. Any relationship is sustained by communication
that is transparent. In this is God’s insistence upon every child to seek
forgiveness for sin. This simply tells us that He does not tolerate a
rebellious attitude to exist within His Family and therefore demands compliance
to His Grace and Justice. His Grace is not cheap, but was paid for at the
Cross. Because He paid the price the Believer must seek Him for forgiveness of
any act of sin.
Paul stresses that the Believer cannot be freed
from sin by living according to the Law and reminds us of the uniqueness of our
relationship in Christ. “But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we
ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May
it never be! For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I
prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the
Law, so that I might live to God. I
have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:17-20.
10
If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
Here we find how a believer knows that he/she is
not a Believer. Christ is evidenced in us when dependence is completely upon
Him. "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love
him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who
does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not
Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.” John 14:23, 24.
Those
who belong to Him will keep His Word because His Word lives in the heart of their
hearts and is expressed in their daily lives.
Jesus is Lord
BW
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