Christians are meant to “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7, NKJV). What does it mean to walk in the light, and what are the benefits of doing so? The benefits that will be examined are the communion we have with God, the community we experience with other Christians, and the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.
Communion
God dwells in “unapproachable” light because He is light (1 Tim. 6:16). Christ claimed to be the “light of the world” (John 8:12). The radiant light of God left Moses’ face glowing at Mount Sinai to the extent that Moses had to cover his face with a veil in the presence of the Israelites (Exo. 34:29-35). As Christians, we are to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11). John writes that we cannot have fellowship with God if we “walk in darkness” (1 John 1:6). When we “put off…the old man” to “put on the new man,” we should seek to avoid practicing deeds of darkness and strive to walk in the light (Eph. 4:22-24). To truly have communion with God, we must endeavor to walk where He is—in the light. This is done when we “draw near to God”; James promises that when we do, God will in turn draw near to us (James 4:7-10). As God walked “in the cool of the day” with Adam and Eve, we can walk with Him if we (1) are in agreement, (2) walk “in the Spirit,” and (3) “walk by faith” (Gen. 3:8; Amos 3:3; Gal. 5:16; 2 Cor. 5:7). Because “faith comes by hearing…the word of God,” to “walk by faith” with God, we must study His word and live by it to be in communion with Him (Rom. 10:17; Psa. 119:11, 105).
Community
As each Christian walks with God, a blessed community that is founded on the truth of God’s word is experienced. The prophet recorded this stunning declaration: “[T]he Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:20). The apostle Peter declared that the people of God (i.e., the church) make up the spiritual temple of God (1 Pet. 2:4-10). Paul plainly stated the profound truth that God dwells in and among His people, the church (2 Cor. 6:16). If we desire, then, to dwell with God, we must be a part of His temple—the church. Our citizenship is in heaven, after all; we are mere sojourners on this earth (Phil. 3:20). Is it then possible for Christians to “dwell together in unity” (Psa. 133:1)? If we want true community as Christians—if we long to be united—we must unite on the truth (1 Cor. 1:10). Unity cannot be achieved by tolerating the darkness we are meant to expose (Eph. 5:11)! If we all strive to abide in the truth, we can walk with God in true community with one another.
Cleansing
The Lord has promised that “if we walk in the light as He is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). In this one verse, we see the cleansing agent, the stain being cleansed, and the extent of the cleansing. The cleansing agent is the “precious blood of Christ,” which He shed “for the remission of sins” (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 26:28). It is only when one is baptized that His cleansing blood is accessed (Gal. 3:26-27). The stain cleansed by His blood is that of our sins, washed away first in baptism (Rev. 1:5; Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 6:9-11). The extent of the cleansing is all of our sin (1 John 1:7). The condition John gives for this continual cleansing is “if we walk in the light.”
Let us strive faithfully to walk in the light that we may have communion with God, community with one another, and the continual cleansing of our sin.