FURTHER THOUGHTS ON 1 JOHN 1:7
The majority of my blogs are for the encouragement and challenge to God’s people to press on in their walk with God, and to embracing the promises of God to become the person God has called them to be. The Apostle Paul and the Apostle John have so much to say regarding this important aspect of Biblical Truth. They happen to be my favourite New Testament writers, (and if we are honest we all have our favourites).
I mentioned recently 1 John 1:7 NKJV But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Here john is encouraging us to do something WALK Now we are born again believers, we have a responsibility, a personal part to play, if the Christian life is going to work for us. John expresses in another way in 1John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. NKJV
WALKING AND ABIDING ARE BASICALLY THE SAME THING
Walking expresses movement, It must be a constant decision
Abiding expresses commitment not something we do when it suits us.
WHERE DO WE WALK? IN THE LIGHT.
WHAT IS THE LIGHT?
Commentators say: 1. The Light of the Word of God
2. The Light of our conscience
We must be men and women who know and love the Word of God and desire to obey it.
We must also develop a sensitive conscience, we may have wrecked it before we came to Christ, but WE CAN PRAY and ask the Lord to renew our conscience, so if we come anywhere near sin WE WILL RUN A MILE.
We must deliberately practice relating to, and fellowshipping with God’s people, with the attitude of willingness to lay down our lives for them, JUST LIKE JESUS DID, that is what true fellowship is all about.
WHAT IS THE RESULT?
THE BLOOD OF JESUS IS UPON US
(removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations AMPLIFIED 1 John 1:7
The blood of Christ not only CLEANSES but also PROTECTS US. This is another important and essential reason why we must walk in the Light of the Word and our Conscience
Paul also has much to say on this matter in Ephesians 5:8-9 AMP. walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].
For the fruit (the effect, the product) of the Light or the Spirit [consists] in every form of kindly goodness, uprightness of heart, and trueness of life.
Here Paul tells us that the result of being “children of the Light” has other special results. The Amplified describes it as “the fruit,the effect, the product that comes from walking in the Light is:
GOODNESS, one of the fruit of the Spirit (the very nature of the Lord Jesus Christ) being manifest in our life (more and more)
UPRIGHTNESS OF HEART, Christ’s imputed righteousness manifests experientially in our life, we start living a holy victorious pure life.
TRUENESS OF LIFE the truth and reality that we are obeying God’s Word shows through in our lives, this should increase our desire to spend time reading and meditating on the Word.
The N.L.T. expresses it this way For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
I realise I wrote a blog recently that highlighted 1 John 1:7, but just this week the Holy Spirit brought to my attention Paul’s words in Ephesians and John’s words in his Gospel.
I trust these additional thoughts have unpacked 1 John 1:7 even more for you, and you (we) become more aware of the challenge and responsibility that we have to fulfil 1 John 1:7, as the results are beyond our full comprehension.
LET’S JUST DO IT
