Because relationships matter most of all #3: walk in the light

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.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 1: 5 – 2:2

I have a problem with the word ‘sin’. I have no problem with admitting that I screw up on a regular basis, that I don’t always treat others with the respect they deserve, that I sometimes choose a path that takes me away from God rather than living within His will for my life. I know I’m far from perfect. I’m aware of my flaws and weaknesses. But ‘sin’, that’s a word that I grew up being bashed over the head with. I was brought up in a church environment that used ‘sin’ to make us all feel completely worthless. There was an over-emphasis on ‘sin’ and no teaching on grace.

I memorised Romans 3:23 – ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ – without ever being introduced to Romans 3:24 – ‘and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus’.

So just because you won’t hear me using the word ‘sin’, it doesn’t mean I’m claiming to be without sin. Far from it. Who am I to call God a liar? The whole of Creation was perfect, working exactly as God intended, until humans exerted their will and believed they knew better than God how to live their lives and took decisions to distance themselves from God and His perfect way. That’s the basis of sin that underpins the whole of human history. And now, however hard we try, we can never attain the level of perfection God requires for us to be in relationship with Him on our own. No way. And that’s where Jesus and the grace of God come in. If we’re prepared to admit that, then there is a way back to God for all of us, whatever we have done, whatever our struggles are, however hard we find it to make the right choices.

In everything we do, there is a choice. This isn’t about accruing Brownie points to get us into heaven. Nothing we can do will save us. Jesus has got that covered already. But it is about living now in the light of God. It’s about making this life reflect the glory of God and taking our place in the Kingdom of God. In every decision, we are choosing to take steps along the path that leads to life or the path that leads to death. We are choosing to move towards God or away from God. We are choosing to walk in the light or in the darkness. What we say we believe matters far less than the actions we take and the attitudes of our heart. We know what it looks like for someone to say all the right things and yet live in a way that doesn’t demonstrate the love of God in action. It doesn’t add up. We call those people hypocrites. We are sometimes those people ourselves.

Walking in the light is about relationship: fellowship with God and fellowship with one another. Because I’ve been thinking a lot about living a life aligned with the will of God, I’m becoming attuned to how it feels on the inside when I make those choices that align with the will of God. The world gets glimpses of it too: when the world talks of the ‘feelgood’ factor, I think this has its roots in how it feels to be making the right choices, doing the things that align with how God intended you to live your life. Of course, it’s not about seeking the ‘feelgood’ factor as an end in itself. It’s a by-product of living in the light. But maybe you’ll find that a useful indicator that you’re on the right path, just as I do. Of course, as humans we’re great at deceiving ourselves, so I’m guessing you’ll get it wrong sometimes, but I do personally feel that focusing on walking in the light is a healthier approach to life than obsessing about the darkness.

Seek out the light.

Walk in the light.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out.