In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5)
God, by the hand of the Apostle John, wrote these three small epistles to the churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Many different groups whose teachings opposed Christianity were growing in that area and infiltrating the church. The believers were encouraged to continue studying and obeying the Word of God, and to continue in fellowship with Christ and the believers, so as to not be drawn into false beliefs.
Throughout this first letter, believers are: warned concerning indifference to morality and sin; admonished concerning a love for the things of the world as opposed to a love for the things of Christ; stressed the importance of exhibiting a pure and righteous love, especially when relating to another brother in Christ; finally, expained that a true faith in Christ as the Son of God is the foundation on which all Christianity is based. *Stong's Key Word Study Bible notes!
John is clear in the opening verses, which are so similar to the opening verses of the Gospel of John, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word of God in the flesh, who existed from the beginning with God the Father. That Truth must be accepted and believed, even if it's not quite understood completely. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. (I John 1:1-4)
For us who are Christians, we have to resolve how we're going to deal with two issues, "darkness" and "sin". This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (I John 1:5-7)
How do we walk in the light? “Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant [Christ]? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God. (Isaiah 50:10) We must fear God - not be afraid of Him, but respect Him as the Creator too much to treat Him as less than who His is. We must obey the Word of God - read and study the Bible to understand what we should and shouldn't do, and then trust the Holy Spirit of God to empower us to walk it out day by day. Then we must put our complete hope, faith and trust in God - not ourselves and not someone or something else. All of these demonstrate that we are walking in the "light"!
The second issue is seeing ourselves for who and what we really are apart from Christ - sinners! If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (I John 1:8-10) None of us are perfect, nor will we be outside of Christ, For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:22-26)
The Word of God is perfect, and through His Word, we will overcome darkness and sin:
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. (Psalm 19:7-9)
Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the requirements of God's Word. For those who haven't, choose today to believe in Him. For those of us who already have, let's not compromise what we believe, because He sacrificed so much for us, for all mankind: My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation [satisfactory sacrifice] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (I John 2:1-2) AMEN!
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