Bible Study on 1 John 1:5-10
“Walking in the Light” in
“Confession of Sin”
- As shared by Rev. Don Schink
Conditions of Divine Fellowship:
[1] Walking in the light – Verses 5-7
[2] Confession of sin – Verses 8-10
Verse #5:
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.”
True Christian fellowship requires that we walk in the light. That basically means that we are responsible to walk in the light that we have been shown. We walk in the light that we’ve received. The Christian message begins with the revelation that God is light. There is absolutely no room for darkness at all. In the vision of the Holy City that John saw, there was no sun, for the Lord God was the light of it.
ILLUS: We don’t expect our kids to do things that they haven’t been taught. However, once we’ve shown them what we expect of them, and we’ve made it sufficiently clear, we expect them to be able to do what they now know to do. Our kids have all been shown how to wash the dishes. We expect them to be washed in hot, soapy water with a few drops of Clorox. A few days ago, I picked up a glass out of the drainer and it had greasy fingerprints and food particles stuck to it. I picked up a spoon and it had a chunk of food on it. I wasn’t about to drink out of that dirty glass nor was I going to eat using that spoon. My son who did this has many good points but dish washing is not one of them. He knows better. He has been taught. He simply does not take the time nor effort to do them right! He is not walking in the light that he has been shown, as far as washing dishes goes. Until he chooses to do it right, we will not be pleased. We will not eat off of dirty dishes. We expect them clean. We expect our kids to walk in the light of what they have been taught.
A true conversion will illuminate one’s heart and lifestyle as to where the light drives out the darkness to the point where they cannot co-exist. If we walk in to a room that is totally dark and we turn on the lights, the darkness disappears. The light overcomes the darkness. It is either one or the other. As the Holy Spirit is allowed to reign and to rule in one’s heart and life, the darkness is dispelled. As we see more clearly, we realize that it is so much better to walk in the light than to stumble around in darkness.
Years ago, I had a blind friend. She talked a lot about the day when she might receive her sight. As we went places together, I would have to hold her hand, guiding her along. I really didn’t mind leading her around. Every now and then, the jokester in me would sort of intentionally run her into things! One night we were out roller skating and some kids cut in front of us and we ran them over. I was really concerned that she’d gotten hurt in the pileup but she came up laughing. She thought that it was great fun.
God guides us from darkness in to the light. He will never steer us wrong. He will take us as far as we allow Him to do.
God expects you and me to walk in the light that has been revealed to us as well. Do we always do so? No. So, just like we do with our kids, He reminds us, by His Word and His Spirit, what He expects us to do. For example, in 1 John, we see the key words, “fellowship,” “know,” and “love” revealed again and again. The message that He wants us to get here is simply, “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” Where there may be shadows which get in the way, we need to allow Him to enable and empower us to get rid of them… that is, whatever may be blocking portions of light that might prevent us from seeing all that we need to see… which is important for our spiritual wholeness! So our goal is to take it to heart so as to bring us to the point where we are seeking to walk in the light of His love and His Word, by His Spirit, more and more every day!
In Isaiah 9:2, we read, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Without the light, the people walk in darkness. With the light, the truth has been revealed to them and they no longer walk in darkness. As the truth of the light has dawned on them, they begin walking in the light! Jesus Christ is the Light of the world!
In Isaiah 42:6-7, we read, “[6] I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, [7] to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
We, too, are called to right living. As we allow Him to do so, He takes our hand, as a parent leads a young child, guiding and directing us daily. He promises that as we yield to Him that He will keep us …. That He will “never leave nor forsake us.” Our freedom is only found in Christ and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit as we allow Him to be everything in us and through us that He wants to be.
In Matthew 4:16, we read Jesus stating, “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” There is no reason for anyone to continue to walk in spiritual darkness. As such, we have the light of the Gospel and His Spirit to guide us in the lifestyle that His Word admonishes us to live. He also empowers us to do so. He, by the Holy Spirit, empowers us for life and for service.
In John 1:4, the Bible says, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” It is in Jesus Christ and Him alone, that we find life and light, enabling us to overcome sin’s darkness.
In John 8:12, John testifies, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He is. He always has been. He always will be! There is no other way that a man, woman, boy or girl can be genuinely saved, accept through the Lord Jesus Christ!
In John 8:12, the Bible says, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” It isn’t a temporary fix. Once we’ve seen the light, we can never again be happy to walk in our old sinful ways. The light is refreshing. It enables us to walk in newness of life and to go on to increased spiritual maturity.
In Revelation 21:23-27, he declared, “[23] The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. [24] The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. [25] On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. [26] The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. [27] Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
It will be such a relief to each of us on the day when we enter into eternity, where there is no more darkness. There is no more impurities, as we deal with daily in this life. There is to be no more reason for shame. The pure joy of holiness of heart and lifestyle will no longer be shadowed by the darkness of temptation to sin. It will be genuinely glorious and a joy to praise, to worship and to serve our Creator, …our Savior!
In John 12:35, we read, “Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.””
There is also the reality of the here and now. As long as we are here, we have opportunity to share the good news of Jesus while there is still time. There are many who are in darkness, caught up in sin, who need to see the Light. Do we sense the urgency of this enough to drive us to action? Do we care enough to share?
In John 12:44-46, the Bible says, “[44] Then Jesus cried out, “When a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me only, but in the One Who sent me. [45] When he looks at Me, he sees the One Who sent me. [46] I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.””
In short, there is no good reason to continue a sinful lifestyle once a the truth has been revealed. As God reveals Himself in Christ, man has all that is needed to have access to eternal life.
When Thomas asked Jesus how they could know the way, Jesus answered, as seen in John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So now, you tell me… in your own words… What does this verse say and what are we going to do about it? “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all.” How can each of us apply this in our own hearts and lives?
Verse #6:
“If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”
Sometimes when we try to explain something that we expect our kids to do, they’ll say, “We know. You don’t have to tell us again.” And I’ll say, “Then if you know, why aren’t you doing it?” In reality, they don’t want to do it! In the same way, if you and I, as Christians, claim to live as Christians yet our lifestyles reveal continued patterns of sin, how can this be? According to the Bible, to do so is to live a lie! So, if this is so in our own hearts and lives, then we’d better do something about it!
In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” We normally want to please those that we love. If we claim to be obedient yet go our own way and do what we please, the Bible calls such ones “liars.”
In Psalm 63:11, we read, “But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God’s name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced.”
Don’t you hate it when you find out that someone has been lying to you? God wants us to come to Him in spirit and in truth. He wants us to approach Him honestly and openly. If something isn’t right, then just say it. Confess it. Turn from it. He already knows. So there is no sense in hiding what He already knows. Just deal with it as the Holy Spirit reveals to us that which we need to take care of.
In Proverbs 19:5, the Bible says, “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.”
In Revelation 21:8, we find an extremely serious warning: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
So the bottom line is that we want to live by the truth. None of us want to see ourselves, … our loved ones … or any of those within our circle of influence be cast out as liars! It is so important to walk openly and honestly as we seek God’s best, in line with His Word and His will for each of us, empowered by the Spirit to walk as we should daily…. And to influence those around us to do the same!
In John 3:19, we find, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” The light of the Word of God reminds man that he is living in sin, apart from the known will of God, which he doesn’t want to be reminded of. He likes his sin. He is unwilling to admit and to deal with it, as such. This is obviously not a good place to be in.
Romans 13:12 reads, “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
This life is so short in regards to time and eternity. James refers to our lives as a puff of smoke… here one day, gone the next. If we were to light a match and blow it out, we would only see the trail of smoke briefly. Then it would dissipate. It would be gone… So let’s just deal with it… whatever it may be that would hinder us from enjoying a right relationship with God.
In Ephesians 5:8, the Bible says, “For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” We too, walked in darkness. Now that we have the light of God’s Word, as revealed to us by the light of the Holy Spirit, at work in each of our hearts and lives, we are to walk in what we now know that we should do!
“If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”
So now, you tell me… in your own words… What does this verse (verse #6) say and what are we going to do about it? How can each of us apply this in our own hearts and lives?
Verse #7:
“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, purifies us from all sin.”
In Galatians 15:16, we find, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
If we find that we are struggling with unresolved issues in our hearts and lifestyles, then we need to prayerfully give whatever those issues may be, over to the Lord so that He can help us. If we allow the Holy Spirit to reign and to rule in our hearts and lives, it takes a daily surrender. It takes open and honest sharing. It takes giving our daily issues over to Him again and again, as often as it takes. We are in the midst of a great spiritual battle. However, as the Word says, “Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world. God is greater!
In Ephesians 4:1, the Paul said, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
In Ephesians 5:2, Paul instructed “and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” In Ephesians 5:15, Paul cautioned, “Be very careful, then, how you live, - not as unwise but as wise.”
We are held captive by something, for better or for worse. So do we really realize that to be held captive in Christ is to be captivated by what is right and just? To be held captive in Christ is where we find peace, joy and the love that enables and empowers us to live above the filth and stench of sinful living! To be held captive in Christ is where we become cleansed by the blood sacrifice of Christ. To be held captive in Christ is to become purified from all sin. We are justified in Him… just as if we’d never sinned!
So again, as our verse says, today, here in 1 John 1:7, “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, purifies us from all sin.”
In 1 John 2:6, John challenges his readers, “Whoever claims to live in Him just walk as Jesus did.” It reminds me of the WWJD campaign a few years ago, which appeared all over, challenging believers to ask, “What would Jesus do?” as we considered how we make decisions.
“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, purifies us from all sin.”
So now, you tell me… in your own words… What does this verse (verse #7) say and what are we going to do about it? How can each of us apply this in our own hearts and lives?
“Confession of Sin”
Verse #8:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
The real truth is in being honest with ourselves and others. If we claim to be sinless we are only deceiving ourselves. Only Jesus Christ, Himself, was the only One Who ever walked the face of the earth Who was absolutely perfect. Even at our best, we don’t even come close to that. However, as we truly surrender to allow the Holy Spirit to reign and to rule in our hearts and lives in line with God’s Word and His will, we are being perfected. Even so, we will not be ultimately perfect until we pass on into eternity to be with the Lord in heaven forever and ever. But we do want to be more and more like Jesus as we grow in His love and His grace daily!
Only Jesus Christ, Himself, is the only one Who has truly walked this earth without caving in to sin. He is the only one Who can honestly say that He did not cave in to temptation. None of us here, today, can say that. As the bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:10). We seek Him simply in response to His speaking to our hearts…. To Him seeking us first… Ours is a response, for better or worse, depending on how we react to the promptings of the Spirit. So, the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God… and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:23-24). He doesn’t leave us falling short. He catches us as we fall… and, as we are willing to allow Him to do so, He deals redemptively, in each of our hearts and lives, … by His love and grace… in Christ!
A prisoner who has been convicted and is guilty of a crime cannot let himself out of prison. He needs to be set free. A prisoner of sin who admits, confesses and repents, cannot save oneself. Each of us needs to be set free by Christ! We can’t do it on our own. We need help. Only He can set us free!
Verse #9:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
So we simply need to be honest between ourselves and the Lord. After all, He knows our every thought and motive. The very hairs (or lack of them) on our heads are numbered. We simply need to humble ourselves and confess our sins, which He already knows about anyway! As we do, God, true to His Word, will forgive and purify us. He will cleanse us.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-19, the Bible says, “[17] Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come! [18] All this is from God, Who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation”
Why would any of us be so idiotic as to reject reconciliation? Why would any of us be so idiotic as to refuse to be rescued from sin? Why would any of us be so idiotic as to refuse so great a salvation? If we are on a cruise and fall overboard, would we refuse grabbing on to the rope that would be thrown to us that would prevent us from drowning? And once we were rescued at from such a turbulent sea, wouldn’t we feel as though we had a new lease on life? As such, then why would we be so idiotic as to refuse being rescued from the filth and stench of sin by the very God Who created us?
So, again, as it says in today’s Scripture, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
This is a very important and precious promise that we have been given in the Word. If we’ll do our part, He’ll do His! Period! It is already a done deal if we’ll simply be open and honest! As we confess our sins, God, true to His Word, will forgive us! He will purify us and allow, enable and empower us to walk rightly as only He can enable us to do!
Verse #10:
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”
In a sense, God could say, “It’s either My way or the highway.” He doesn’t say it that way. However, it is not up to you and I to call the shots. He doesn’t line up with our ideas or concepts. It is up to each of us, as individuals, to line ourselves up with God’s Word and His will for us.
Those believers in the early church who would read this letter would find it especially relevant regarding the affirmation of forgiveness and cleansing as tests of walking in the light. There were people then, just as in our day, who claimed to walk in the light yet lived clearly sinful lives. John points out that they are only fooling themselves. If one is truly walking in the light of God’s Word, it is reflected in his or her moral and ethical behavior. We all know many people who claim to be born-again while living a lifestyle that clearly indicates just the opposite. So walking the walk and talking the talk involves more than mere lip-service.
In Jesus’ warning to the Church in Laodicea, in Revelation 3:14-21, we read [1] A rebuke and the need for repentance; [2] Restoration to rightful purpose in lifestyle; and [3] Resurrection:
“[14] To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. [15] I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! [16] So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth. [17] You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. [18] I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.
[19] To those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. [20] Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.
[21] To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me at My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. [22] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
So there are those who need to realize that they might be fooling some of the people some of the time, but, in reality, they are really only fooling themselves. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. Sooner or later, there is a payday, for better or for worse, depending on decisions made in this life. So, as the Word says, “Be earnest and repent.”
We need to walk in the truth and the light of God’s Word, in line with His Word and His will for each of us. Time is short. Let’s deal truthfully with whatever issues that there may be in our hearts and lives, openly and honestly. God already knows it all. He just wants us to come willingly come to Him, trusting Him completely.
- Please email Pastor Don for questions or comments at: PastorDonNM@gmail.com
- “Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers” unless otherwise stated.
