Throughout scripture we see light over and over again, on the first day of creation “God said, let there be light” Genesis 1:3, “your word is the lamp to my feet and light to my path” Psalm 119:105, and the pillar of light leading the Israelites in Exodus. All of scripture points us to God and light is no exception to this. God is light, He is perfectly perfect, He is the creator, the author, He is holy, sin or evil can not be in Him. John is reminding them that God is the source of all light and anything good is from Him.
John says that if we say we have fellowship with God while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth, which should make every one of us go “uh oh” because we are all prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the Lord I love. Our pretty good, best effort attempt to walk in the light is still walking in darkness! Even if we only sin once in our whole lives, we are still sinners (James 2:10). We need a savior to cleanse us from our sins. Have you ever tried to walk around in the darkness, feeling around trying to avoid running into anything? It doesn't take long walking in the darkness before you run into something. It would be impossible to continue to walk in darkness all the time and not stumble around and fall and walk around with stubbed toes and bloody knees.
We need someone to turn on the lights for us, not just tell us to try harder. The reality is we all have a sin problem, because we have sinned against an almighty, infinite God. It requires an everlasting punishment so Jesus came to live a perfect life and die the death we deserve on the cross and when He died that death, He received the punishment we deserved because of our sin. Jesus' death didn’t just cover most of our sin or all the sin except that one sin you aren’t sure God can forgive you of or everyone else's sin except yours, it covered ALL sin! Everything you have ever done and will ever do, not just yours but for the whole world. Jesus already paid the price, and we serve a just God. It wouldn’t be just for God to punish us and Jesus.
John cautions us that while we rejoice in the fact that Jesus paid the price for all sin, that doesn’t give us the freedom to sin, our obedience to God matters. If you are choosing not to keep God’s commandments, then God might not be your commander because obedience is a reflection of who the Lord of your life is. 1 John 2:3 says that we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. We first know Jesus and then as a result we keep His commandments.
As you abide in Christ, you will begin to walk in the ways He walked, walking in the light, in obedience to His commandments, not because you need to earn your way to heaven but because you know that when Jesus said “it is finished” it counted for you, and you no longer have to stumble around getting beat up in the darkness. Jesus turned on the light. You are forgiven, cleansed from ALL sin, and He is still there sitting at the right hand of God as your Advocate.
1. When you stumble, what do you do? Do you regret and resolve to do better or do you repent and look to Christ for restoration?
2. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, and for the whole world’s sins. (refer to the definitions section for more on propitiation) Do you ever find it difficult to believe all your sins are truly forgiven, why or why not?
3. How does the idea that knowing God leads to obedience to His commandments challenge the way you think about obedience to God?
Read 1 John 1:5-2:6 with your family and use these questions to guide your conversation about what 1 John 1:5-2:6 says and what it means for our lives today.
1. To walk in darkness can be like “God, I don't need you, I got this” or “I don't need Jesus as a savior because I can keep the rules.” Change these phrases into what someone walking in the light might say or come up with a few of your own examples.
2. John wants to make sure that we know just because Jesus died for all sin that doesn’t mean we get to sin as much as we want. Discuss what it means to be free from sin and not free to sin. If you have younger children, instead discuss why it is important to follow what the bible teaches us are God’s commandments and what it means that God forgives us.
3. Knowing God leads to obedience to His commandments, what are some ways that you can choose to obey God’s commandments today?