Prayer:
I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings, from the wicked who oppress me, from my deadly enemies who surround me (Ps 17:6-9, NKJV).
Protect us, Oh Lord, from our enemy, the darkness of this world, as we strive to be your lighthouse for righteousness on this earth. Amen.
Main Scripture: Read 1 John 1:1-10.
…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 (1 John:5c-6).
Associated Scriptures:
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble (Proverbs 4:18-19).
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (John 12:46).
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, oh Lord, keep my lamp burning my God turns my darkness into light (Psalms 18:25-28).
Correlative Quotes:
Apart from its literal meaning, darkness often has a figurative meaning in the Bible. Its most common figurative usage is as a symbol for evil. This symbolic usage is natural, for wrongdoers prefer darkness to light. It enables them to carry out their wrongdoing more easily (Nehemiah 6:10, Psalms 91:5-6, Jeremiah 49:9, Luke 22:53, John 3:19-20, Romans 13:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:7).[1] – Don Fleming
Men are apt to say that they have fellowship with Christ and yet continue to walk in darkness. It arises sometimes from their desire to stand well with their fellows, or because they do not realize how much darkness is still in their lives. But whichever be the cause, they lie and do not the truth. It is better far to walk quietly in the light, so far as we have it ; and thus, we shall secure His blessed fellowship, and His blood will be continually cleansing us from sin, removing all hindrance on Christ's side to the free communication of His choicest gifts.[2] – F. B. Meyer
That God is, in his very nature, light, is an announcement peculiar to St. John. Others tell us that he is the Father of lights (James 1:17), the Possessor of light (1 Peter 2:9), dwelling in light (1 Timothy 6:16)); but not that he is light. To the heathen God is a God of darkness, an unknown Being; a Power to be blindly propitiated, not a Person to be known and loved. To the philosopher he is an abstraction, an idea, not directly cognizable by man. To the Jews he is a God who hides himself; not light, but a consuming fire. To the Christian alone he is revealed as light, absolutely free from everything impure, material, obscure, and gloomy. Light was the first product of the Divine creative energy, the earnest and condition of order, beauty, life, growth, and joy. Of all phenomena it best represents the elements of all perfection. "This word 'light' is at once the simplest and the fullest and the deepest which can be used in human discourse. It is addressed to every man who has eyes and who has ever looked on the sun." It tells not only "of a Goodness and Truth without flaw; it tells of a Goodness and Truth that are always seeking to spread themselves, to send forth rays that shall penetrate everywhere, and scatter the darkness which opposes them."[3] – Spence and Exell
Study:
God is Light. Since He is Light, there is no darkness in Him. The light and the darkness cannot inhabit the same space. Light diffuses into the darkness and all that is within the darkness is exposed. Nothing can be hidden from the Light. (Ephesians 5:13). Just as physical light exposes physical darkness, so where spiritual light exists there can be no spiritual darkness.
If we have the spiritual light of God living in us, we cannot be consumed by darkness. Every thought and action that is expressed from the spiritual light within us is pure and unabated in its declaration. The opposite is true of any spiritual darkness in us. Spiritual darkness produces actions that are opposed to the will of God and are therefore acts of unrighteousness. It would be oxymoronic to say that a thought or an action is “sinful righteousness” since the two are exact opposites.
Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later (1 Tim 5:24-25, NKJV).
There are three types of unbelievers alluded to in 1 John 1:5b-6. The first is the person who walks in complete darkness, blind to the truth. The second is one who knows the truth and has rejected it. The third type is represented by the person who claims to have fellowship with God but is a liar and does not know Him.
The characteristics of these three types of unbelievers are different. There are those who live in the darkness. They may have never heard the truth even though they see it around them in God’s people and His creation (Romans 1:19-20).
At the same time, there are those who have been introduced to the light and have chosen the world instead. John 3:19-20 says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” These people have heard the gospel of Christ, have understood the ramifications of their decision and have rejected the truth and chosen instead to sin against God. They avoid anything spiritual because it convicts them of their choice.
The third type, referenced in verse 6 of 1 John 1, understands the truth of the gospel message, maybe even attends church regularly, but has rejected the truth. However, rather than choosing to live openly in disobedience to God, they live like other Christians except in their own strength. They make this decision for reasons of companionship, material gain, position, peer pressure, personal acceptance, and/or the feeling of self-righteousness. Their desire to attain worldly satisfaction through the pretense of being a believer is the motivator for their Christian-like behavior not the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The point of identifying those who are not truly walking in the light is not to condemn them. Ephesians 2:1-2 clearly points out that, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” We are all guilty. We have all walked this path of unrighteousness. Instead of condemnation and exclusion, we are to establish guarded relationships with them so that we might share the gospel with both our lives and our words.
"Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy" (Revelation 15:4). He only is independently, infinitely, immutably holy. In Scripture He is frequently styled "The Holy One": He is so because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Holiness is the very excellency of the Divine nature: the great God is "glorious in holiness" (Exodus 15:11). Therefore, do we read, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13). As God’s power is the opposite of the native weakness of the creature, as His wisdom is in complete contrast from the least defect of understanding or folly, so His holiness is the very antithesis of all moral blemish or defilement. Of old God appointed singers in Israel "that they should praise for the beauty of holiness" (2 Chronicles 20:21). "Power is God’s hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels, eternity His duration, but holiness is His beauty" (S. Charnock). It is this, supremely, which renders Him lovely to those who are delivered from sin’s dominion.[4] – A. W. Pink
Summary Statement:
As believers, we are to live in the light of God and let that light shine from us. Our lives are to be beacons in a dark and sinful world. Those who do not have the light of Jesus directing their lives do not have life but are the walking dead. Some do not know what they don’t have but they have the evidence of the light all around them. In addition, others have seen the light but have chosen to live in unrighteousness, deliberately rejecting the truth. Still, other unbelievers live around the light and pretend that they are fellowshipping with the light for their own benefit.
All three groups need to see the true light in us and the freedom that emits from that light. That’s our job as Christians, not to be self-absorbed with delighting in our own freedom but sharing the riches of His kingdom with others.
Lesson within the Lesson:
Contrast the light of righteousness with the darkness of unrighteousness?
What are the ways that spiritual darkness reacts to the light of Jesus in believers?
How does spiritual darkness manifest itself in the lives of unbelievers?
What is our responsibility to those who are living in the darkness?
[1] Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Darkness'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. Public Domain USA, http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/bbd/view.cgi?n=183.
[2] Meyer, Fredrick Brotherton, Our Daily Homily, Public Domain, Grand Rapids, 1899, MI: Christian Fleming H. Revell Company, enduringword.com/downloads/our-daily-homily/.
[3] H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, The Pulpit Commentary, Public Domain, 1897 Funk & Wagnalls Company New York And Toronto, biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/1_john/1.htm, free to publish.
[4] A. W. Pink, The Holiness of God, Public Domain, godrules.net/library/pink/ 249pink1.htm.
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