Love On: A Study Through 1 JohnSample

By Danny Saavedra

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."—1 John 1:7 (NLT)

Two days ago, we learned that God is light . . . “not the light, or a light, but light itself . . . He is Himself all light, and is the source and fountain of light in all worlds” (Joseph Barnes). All light, all that is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) in this universe, it all radiates from Him. Isn’t that a beautiful thing to think about?

Today, John tells us something so amazing: We have access to this light of God! The light of Christ can be our default setting. It can be our new normal, our modus operandi. We can exist in it; we can live, breath, and bask in that marvelous light every minute of every day. As disciples, this reality is available to us. But in the same breath as John lays out this good news, he also provides us with the key to experiencing it: We must live it out! We must walk it out!

The word for living is peripatōmen (“to conduct one’s life in a certain way; to walk around; to go full circle”). Basically, if we want to experience the light of God, we must walk it out fully, we must conduct ourselves as the One who is light! The fully devoted Christ-follower will, in his or her character and feelings, resemble the Lord Jesus. 

That’s right, friend . . . as a disciple, if you want to experience the abundant life Christ came to give you in all its fullness, you must walk in the light; you must “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27 NIV).

So, what does it look like to walk in the light? According to Joseph Barnes, “1) leading lives of holiness and purity; that is, the Christian must be characteristically a holy man, a light in the world, by his example, and 2) walking in the truth; that is, embracing the truth in opposition to all error of paganism and infidelity, and having clear, spiritual views of truth.”  

And here’s something so amazing to think about . . . we aren’t alone in seeking to walk this way. We can share life with and walk step-by-step with like-minded brothers and sisters. When we do that, we’ll resemble each other. We’ll all be known by our lives and by our love as we love the same God, embrace the same causes, and live for the same goals. We can have fellowship with each other as we walk in the light and experience the cleansing of sin. 

DIG: What does walking in the light look like? 

DISCOVER: What are the keys to living like Jesus? What are His most prevalent character traits and habits? How can you implement these traits and habits?

DO: Are you walking in fellowship as you seek to live in the light? If so, pray over your brothers and sisters, your group of like-minded friends, and loved ones. Pray the Lord would give you all unified vision; a shared passion for displaying the gospel, and accountability. If you don’t have that kind of fellowship today, seek out a believer or find a small group and engage in Christian discipleship relationships.