Bad News First, 1 John 1:5-2:11

Bad News First: The Darkness

If enlightenment was essential to the Gnostics, 1 John blows away their abstract definition of it. Here, we compare and contrast what it looks like to walk in darkness as opposed to walking in light. This section is written in a repeated if/then pattern, describing almost a dozen possible scenarios, going back and forth between negative and positive conclusions. We’ll take the negative scenarios first. Notice the downward spiral of darkness:

Claiming fellowship, but walking in darkness is to lie (1:6)

Claiming we have no sin is to deceive ourselves (1:8)

Claiming we have not sinned is to call God a liar (1:10)

Claiming “I know Him,” yet not keeping his commands, is to be a liar (2:4)

Claiming to be in the light, but hating a brother, is to still be in darkness (2:9)

The visible indicator of walking in darkness is a disconnect between what someone says about themselves and what’s actually true about them. Darkness is seen in hypocrisy. Living one way, but covering it with empty claims, spirals from bad to worse: from lying, to self-deception, to accusing God of being a liar, to being a liar, to still being in darkness, unable to see at all. Walking in darkness is a refusal to recognize sin for what it is, and, instead of pursuing God’s path of resolution, to continue in the opposite direction as if all is well.

Experiencing doubts about eternal life might result from denial of reality in our everyday life. Are we making false claims about ourselves by turning a blind eye to the truth? When our words are empty, we’ll begin to believe God’s Word is empty. Responding to sin in either downplay and denial, or conviction and confession, is indicative of someone’s spiritual state, and John's original readers could learn discernment about themselves or their leaders from these verses. 1 Timothy 5:24 reminds us that some sins won’t become known until long after they've been committed. But God has been fully aware, and He will not be mocked.

If you realize you’ve been walking in the darkness while claiming that there is no problem between God and you, don’t wait any longer to let the light in.  Jesus is described in multiple ways in these verses, proving that belief in who He really is, is the foundation of eternal life. He is the Son of God, the eternal Word who took on physical matter as a human. He is our advocate whose death satisfied God’s wrath against our sin, and whose resurrection proved who He is, once and for all. He is sin’s remedy; denial and cover-up only increases sin. His righteous payment for our unrighteousness is graciously and fully applied to us when we turn to Him in repentance of our sin. Your darkness is not too deep for His light. Have you trusted Him? 

If you have, notice how someone who’s walking in the light lives a certain way and responds to their exposed sin in these verses, and we’ll discuss those scenarios - the good news - next time. Sometimes exposure graciously comes through the truth of the Word internally convicting of sin, but because of the self-deceptive nature of sin, it often requires an outside source to bring it to light. Have you invited anyone to have that kind of access to your life? 

“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen.”  Jude 24,25