The Man Walking in Darkness — Living a sinful life
Introduction
In my earlier post, I recounted a trip Nicole and I took to The President’s Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, after many decades, the attraction’s exhibits were dilapidated. Despite this poor state, there was one individual who stood out to us. He loved the attraction; but he appeared oblivious to its decline. He wandered without even a duster. The poor lighting masked the dirtiness of the attraction. He was the man walking in darkness. God does not want us to stay in messy darkness. He wants to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins. We are going to further meditate on this using 1 John 1:8.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Walking in darkness
Leaving the bright lobby, Nicole and I found the exhibition area dark. The first exhibit was a large model depicting the construction of the White House. It took me a while to recognize what I was seeing as my eyes adjusted to the dark. After adapting, I observed both the model’s beauty and its deterioration.
According to John, “we deceive ourselves” and “do not have the truth in us” if we say we have no sin in our lives. If you ask most people whether they have sin in their lives, they will respond, “I do things I’m not proud of, but nothing too bad.” Pressed on their heavenly prospects, many respond, “I hope so. I think I’m a decent person.” Many fail to recognize sin prevents fellowship with God. They claim to have fellowship with God without Christ’s sacrifice and while still living in habitual sin. We cannot have biblical faith in Jesus without acknowledging our sin.
God is light
John is building on an idea he began in verse five when he says: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” John wants us to think of light in its literal and metaphorical sense. Light is the opposite of darkness; light vanquishes darkness; light reveals things hidden in darkness. Just like in Genesis one, and the opening to his gospel, John wants us to remember that it is God’s nature to reveal. God does not hide in darkness, or behind secret knowledge. Instead, God reveals himself so everyone can see his perfect majesty. God is holy, and there is no evil in him.
Someone cannot have God, who is light, in their lives while still living in the dark. John makes this point in verse six when he says, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Does that mean God is not in us unless we are perfect? By no means! John is saying that we cannot have God in our lives while we habitually live in sin. If we have fellowship with God, people will see darkness in our lives diminish as his light grows in us.
Light reveals our mess
Better lighting in The President’s Hall of Fame might have prompted the enthusiastic man to grab a duster. Likewise, God’s light exposes our sin and highlights our need for cleansing. But we cannot clean ourselves. Praise be to God, that through Jesus we can be made clean! Next time, we will meditate on this good news.
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