- 2011 Black Stump Festival Bible Study (session 1 of 3)
- 2011 Black Stump Festival Bible Study (session 2 of 3)
- 2011 Black Stump Festival Bible Study (session 3 of 3)
If God is Light, Then We Are…
[before proceeding, please read 1 John 1:5–3:10]
In part 1 of this series we began to get a sense of how important John’s faith in Jesus was to him and also caught a glimpse of his pastoral concern for those in his churches. For John, Jesus is the light of God which brings life to those who follow him and share him in community (1 Jn 1:1-2).
I summarised John’s first letter to his churches. Today we want to go a little deeper and bask in the Light that John wanted to share with his readers.
Review: Prologue (1 Jn 1:1–4)
John’s writing style being what it is, there is much debate over how to understand the structure of his letter.
As a letter, it really is more of a sermon in letter form, lacking as it does the usual greetings, conclusion, etc, expected of a letter, which can be found in 2 and 3 John. It is clearly not a personal letter as no names are found anywhere in the letter. We might think of it more like a tract or manifesto to be generally distributed amongst his community.
While John gave very definite cues as to the points that he wanted to make in his letter, the logical flow of his argument doesn’t exactly flow in a recognisable pattern or direction. Some have broken this letter into three sections, but I’m going to assume a two-fold structure as the opening verses, the “prologue”, launch two themes that seem to occupy the interest of the letter.
On that assumption, the logic of the letter would go something like this: John has witnessed the Word of Life that has come into the world (Jn 1:1-5; 1 Jn 1:2). Abundant and eternal life are found only through faith in Jesus. Faith in Jesus is expressed as walking in the Light of God, which shines in the darkness of sin and corruption (1 Jn 1:5-7), and walking in the Love of God, which permeates and directs our community (1 Jn 4:8).
Each of those themes of Light and Love are dealt with in the two sections of this letter that we will explore in each of the two days left to us.
God is Light – And We Should Walk Accordingly
The key to the first theme of this letter, of Light, is identified in 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. (1 John 1:5–7)
For John, this is a message, not the message. That “God is light” is one of many such messages that John will deliver with such cues as “this is the message”. Essentially, John is writing, “this is important; pay attention”.
When John affirmed that God is light, he was recalling an idea that began in the Old Testament with Moses and the Exodus. In Exodus 3:1-5ff, Moses experienced God as fire in a burning bush. In Ex 13:21 God’s presence was a pillar of fire that guided the way of the ancient Israelites as they travelled in the desert (cf. Num 9:15-16). When the ancient Israelites erected their portable sanctuary, God’s presence was signified by the fire of candles in golden lampstands (Num 8:1–4).
Fire brings light, and so God is described as light. Psalm 104:2 states, “[God] wraps himself in light as with a garment”, and elsewhere a psalmist makes the appeal, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord” (Ps 4:6). God’s work among people is described as light that eliminates darkness: “You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.” (2 Sa 22:29; cf. Ex. 13:21; Ezra 9:8; Ps 13:3; 18:28; 19:7–8).
In addition to this tradition, John may also have had in mind those times that the coming of Jesus was described as the revelation of light. When the baby Jesus was presented at the temple, Simeon celebrated his coming as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Lk 2:32). Matthew too summed up Jesus’ early ministry by referring to Isaiah’s description of the Messiah: “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Mt 4:16).
So, when John declared that “God is light … if we walk in the light …”, he is trying to describe an experience that may be something like an illustration that Michael Frost uses of humankind living as in a dark room —outside is all light and sunshine. There is only one grimy window in this room, with just enough light trickling through to give someone a sense that there’s light outside but not enough to satisfy. Our evangelism is like someone scraping away some of the grime to allow a better glimpse of the heaven outside. Who would not be drawn to that light? Who would not live so as to be afforded another glimpse? Who would not also be drawn to others who know what that light is like?
John wanted his readers to have the life of God and so he wrote encouragement to walk in the light of God. Walking in God’s light will require five things of us:
- Resist Sinfulness (1 Jn 1:8–2:2)
John’s first instruction to his readers was to resist sinfulness:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. (1 John 2:1a)
Living in the Light of God starts with recognising the darkness we experience in the world and within us, and then acknowledging its presence. This is the first step towards forgiveness and living right with God (i.e. righteousness). No alternative or half-measure can be acceptable for the Christian.
That John highlighted this point provides a clue to the character of his opponents: They not only lived in the darkness (1 Jn 1:6) but they claimed to be without sin (1 Jn 1:8) and claimed they had no specific sins for which they needed cleansing (1 Jn 1:9). The “truth” of Jesus and in the Bible elsewhere requires us to live right, without sinning (cf. Mt 5:48; Lev 20:26); therefore we can assume that John’s opponents were not living in the light.
Throughout these verses John has been telling us that sin is inherent to human life. Everyone has and does sin. Sin is an active part of our being, a disposition to rebellion and a principle that results in misdeeds. Yet John also wrote that he does not want us to sin (cf. 1 Jn 3:6–10). Which is it?
The only answer can be both/and. We are born in a state of separation from God (i.e. have sin), maintain a natural disposition to rebel, and commit sin (i.e. do sin). Nevertheless, God is eager to forgive and Jesus is our advocate making God’s generosity accessible to all (1 Jn 2:1-2). This is to say that his blood cleanses us (1 Jn 1:7) and Jesus serves the Father as one who speaks in our defence.
Jesus is both our advocate and the one sacrificed because of our sin. We can understand this to mean either that Jesus’ sacrifice makes the sinner acceptable because God’s disposition towards us changes or the sinner becomes pleasing to God because sins are wiped away by Jesus’ death. Either way, Jesus has supplied what was needed to reconcile us to God. His righteousness made his sacrifice powerful (cf. Heb. 7:26–28) so that it brings benefits not simply to a closed circle of Christians, but to the whole world.
To deny our sin is to make God out to be a liar; to confess is to effect our forgiveness in and by Jesus, to be purified of sin’s stain, and to be released of its hold.
- Obey God’s Commands (1 Jn 2:3–11)
To have our sins forgiven is fine, but not entirely spiritually satisfying. Surely there is a deeper experience available! I’m not sure that people long for forgiveness alone, even if they recognise their need of such. We each long for relationship, to know and be known. John enjoyed that relationship with Jesus directly and continued to know Jesus such that he wanted us all to have that experience and life for ourselves.
Yet a relationship with God is evidenced by obedience; hence John’s second instruction to his readers is to obey God’s commands:
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. (1 John 2:3)
I’m sure many among us know of those who claim to be “Christian” and probably live relatively “good” lives following the commands of God even if only superficially. We may even know some who imitate Jesus’ lifestyle as a principle, but John described something entirely different. To know God is not to obey out of a sense of duty or respect but out of a sense of love (1 Jn 2:5-6).
One obvious way that love for and obedience to God is expressed is in our love for those others in our community (2:9-11). According to John, to not love a brother or sister in the family of faith is to still be in darkness, blinded to the truth and to God’s ways for his people. They have understood nothing about the commands of God —“This is not a new teaching!” John wrote, it is from “the beginning” and he has always advocated for it, coming as it did from Jesus (1 Jn 2:7-8; cf. Lev 19:18; Mt 22:36–40).
- Defy the World and its Allure (1 Jn 2:12–17)
John’s third instruction —to defy the world and its allure— may seem a little strange because of its introduction:
I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. (1 John 2:12)
Let us imagine that John perhaps thought to himself that maybe he’d been too harsh, highlighting weaknesses common to Christians. His intention was not to make us feel bad about ourselves but to reassure us in our faith and to encourage us to stand firm against the world and those who oppose us. Thus John took a break to adopt some very family-friendly language, to offer some words of encouragement from a pastor to his flock.
It’s as if he wrote, “Children, fathers and young men —all my brothers and sisters— your sins are forgiven, you know God and have overcome evil. Now I’m writing to you to continue in that way.”
This introduction/tangent then leads into the heart of the instruction:
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. (1 John 2:15)
We all know the truth that there is much in and about the world that will frighten, discourage and even distract us from walking in God’s light as we should. While the world woos us towards sin, let us not be blinded by that darkness —with its “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 Jn 2:16)— which only leads us away from loving God and living according to his will (2:17), our foundation for hope and pleasure and eternity.
- Renounce Those Who Distort the Truth (1 Jn 2:18–27)
Not only is the world passing away, with its desires and temptation and fallenness, but that process is occurring all around us and, most disturbingly, even in the Church! John’s fourth instruction towards living in God’s light has to do steering clear of those who distort the truth.
Here John practically named his opponents and identified the crisis engulfing his community: some among them not only claim to not sin or have sin, but also deny that Jesus is the Christ of God (1 Jn 2:22). Such a person is an antichrist, both literally and figuratively in that their presence in the community was a portent of the endtimes (1 Jn 4:3; 2 Jn 7; cf. Mt 13:24–30).
These people were a part of the community but, for some reason, abandoned the faith of the apostles for something altogether different. They continued to exert a negative influence beyond splitting the congregation in two and John was worried for those that remained.
For those that remained, their hope was for eternal life and the certainty of that hope required that they hold onto the truth they had been taught by John, who was a direct witness to the truth in the person of Jesus Christ. John taught them consistently —“what you have heard from the beginning” (1 Jn 2:24)— in contrast to the new and divergent teaching of those “trying to lead you astray” (1 Jn 2:26).
John could reassure his spiritual children not just with the authenticity of his witness and teaching but also with the “anointing” that is the Spirit of God, which they had received (1 Jn 2:27). That anointing/Spirit was given to “remind you of everything [Jesus] has said to you” (Jn 14:26), “he will guide you into all the truth” (Jn 16:13). That Spirit confirmed the prophecy of Jeremiah that stated,
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time”, declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the LORD’, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest”, declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33–34)
Because the Spirit and Life of God was in them, the people of John’s community knew the truth of John’s witness and teaching because it resonated with their spirits, in contrast to that of the defectors, whose new teaching would have caused discomfort and uncertainty. If John’s followers held fast to that conviction, blessed by a love from and for God, they would not need to fear the influence and attacks of the antichrists that split away from their community (1 Jn 2:27).
- Live Like God’s Children (1 Jn 2:28–3:10)
Holding fast to that conviction and faith would result in confidence, without shame, on the day of Jesus’ return for judgement (1 Jn 2:28), thus leading to John’s fifth instruction, which reinforces and brings to a conclusion the theme of this section: Live like God’s children.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)
Living as God’s children, in this light, begins with an appreciation of his love for us, results in a love that wants to be purified and wants to glorify God, and expects an increasing blessedness in the future (1 John 3:1–3). Those who love others in the community have this confidence; those who do not do what is right, will stand before God in shame (1 Jn 3:10).
Those words bring me back to the apostle Paul, who wrote much the same:
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God … For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5:1–2, 8–10)
Likewise, John’s point here was that his intended audience are the children of God and are to continue to live as God’s children in that conviction. This is the only sure way to repel the attacks of those who oppose the Life and Light of God by their deviant teachings, which, inevitably, is the work of the devil (1 John 3:7–8).
This confidence in our right standing before God, as his children, puts John’s talk about sin into its proper perspective, which picks up where John left off before (1 Jn 1:8-2:2). John affirmed the universality of sin —the theology of Original Sin— but did not perpetuate the defeatist attitude of Augustine that all will continue to sin with or without faith. While John acknowledged earlier that everyone sins (1 Jn 1:8–2:1), here is explaining that the difference for the one in Christ is that he or she is not in active rebellion to God, nor are they succumbing to the habit of sin from which they were delivered when they confessed faith in Jesus (1 John 3:9). John urged his readers therefore to be like Christ in his sinlessness, even if it seems like an ideal hard to reach.
The final tests for those who are children of God: “Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister” (1 Jn 3:10).
What Relevance For Today?
John’s community was ripped apart and wounded by division and disunity based on errant teaching about human nature and the deity of Jesus Christ. As a consequence, those trying to be faithful to the Word of Life shared with them by John were not feeling secure.
John encouraged them therefore with a renewed vision for who they are, as God’s children, and for what God desired them to be. All of this is wrapped up in the image of God as Light: God’s children can know they are so, and will be known as such, because they know the truth of God found in Jesus and live so as to reflect that truth and according to God’s commands. This is more than a feeling —although walking in the warmth of light does feel good— it is an increasing impulse and/or compulsion to do the right thing in all of our choices and behaviours, it is a desire to obey God’s Word, to live an ethical life out of a sense of love for God. This is what it means to be born again (1 Jn 2:29; 3:9).
The recurring example of how to obey God is that one will love brothers and sisters in his or her community of faith. Does John’s emphasis on this make living right with other Christians an easy example or the most difficult example? John highlighted the unity of his community because that precisely was in danger due to John’s opponents.
Perhaps the relevance for us is that it is in community that we get to practice righteousness safely. By “safely” I mean that if we screw up by treating a brother or sister poorly, through any number of bad attitudes or behaviours, at least in our local church there are processes for discipline, healing and reconciliation. If you behave badly in church, someone should correct you gently; if you screw up ‘out there’, you may get yourself fired or beat up and, even worse, you will bring dishonour to God.
When have you been disciplined in your church? Was it a positive experience? Can you see the positive in it now, after the fact? Can you be generous enough to discipline and encourage others towards godly living?
Knowing God and his son, Jesus Christ, and thinking rightly about them is necessary for the free, full and forever life that Jesus promised … and that life is experienced firstly, and probably best, in the Christian community, then, in the power of the Spirit, overflows into our life in the world. It is from such an assurance that we can respond faithfully to the challenges that confront our beliefs and values. God is light, his children walk accordingly, and that makes all the difference!
Something To Think About
Revisit John’s harsh demand to resist sin yet compassionate sympathy for mistakes. Of which are you more aware? Discuss with a friend or mentor how to balance these concerns in your life.
Prayerfully consider what “heresies” you encounter in your community or when you mix with other Christians. How you will respond in the future? How will you encourage your wayward brother or sister back to the message of the apostles?
