New Hope Daily SOAP: 1 John 1

Pastor Vicki Harrison

To read this text, go to: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I+John+1&version=NIV

I John 1:5-7, This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  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.

Today, we begin John’s letters.  These were written by the apostle John when he was much older, probably in Ephesus (some scholars think that John himself may not have written the letters but rather a community of believers who formed around his name and teachings; there is no real way to know).  Regardless, the letters communicate important truths of the faith, especially to those with a non-Jewish background.

Today’s focus verses start off by stating that God is light and in God, there is no darkness.  Another way we might think of this is that God is truth or that what is true can only be seen in light of Almighty God.  Think about what light (or truth) does.  It helps you avoid danger, it helps thinks become clearer, it helps you see, and it provides a path for your journey.

In God, there is no darkness.  Darkness is typically seen as being foreboding and scary.  In God, there is no evil, no manipulation, no hidden agenda, nothing at all deceptive.  

When we walk closely with God, we walk in the light of his truth.  If we are engaging in activities that fall short of that, then we are lying to ourselves.  To elaborate, if we are gossiping, if we are lying, if we are manipulative, if we are hypercritical, if we are deceptive in any way, then we are not walking in God’s light.  That’s all darkness, all sin.  

It sounds almost impossible for us messy human beings, doesn’t it?  Well, it is only possible to walk in God’s light because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.  Because of the blood of Jesus, God sees our sin no more and we can walk closely with him.  Only because of Jesus.  But claiming Jesus is no excuse for continuing to willfully and knowingly sin.  We must partner with the Holy Spirit to allow God to transform us from the inside out.  This is a daily, hourly, and sometimes minute by minute project, friends.  

Whenever I sense that sometime dark or deceptive is going on (in my family, at church, etc.), I lean on this verse in my prayer life.  Since God is only light and truth, I ask God to bring to the surface anything that is dark, anything that is deceptive, anything that is sinful, so that it can be brought to the light.  In the light, it can be dealt with.  In the light, the truth can be exposed.  In the light, we can figure out how God wants us to proceed.  In the darkness, things simply fester.  I’ve found it is a powerful prayer.  God often answers it almost immediately and something comes up, usually when I least expect it.  If we claim to have fellowship with God but walk in darkness, then we believe a lie.  God wants the truth to win out.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, We need you.  We need to walk in your light.  If something is dark or deceptive, bring it to light.  Help us be people of light.  In Your Name, Amen.