1 John 1:7. New American Standard Bible 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
John now writes if we walk in the light as He is in the light. In the previous verse John spoke that if we walk in darkness and claim to be in Christ that we lie and do not practice the truth. To experience all the benefits and blessings of following and knowing Christ requires us to walk in the light. It requires that our lives be built upon the truth of God’s word and that in every decision and choice we make, at the foundation of all of it is the word of God.
To follow Christ and not know the word of God is to greatly hinder what Christ desires to accomplish in our lives. God’s word is the road map of our lives. Through the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, He leads and guides us into all truth and all that He speaks to our hearts will always align with God’s word. The Christian who fails to daily spend time in God’s word, is the Christian whose life will be marked by defeat and immaturity. But for the believer who has made the study of God’s word the priority of their lives, daily they will grow, be refined, and pruned by their Father in heaven. Within them the very character and nature of Christ will be produced.
Walking in the light enables us to have fellowship with other believers. This word fellowship in the Greek means fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, or social intercourse. True biblical fellowship with fellow believers is close, intimate relations. It is not surface and shallow. Often in our American culture and busyness we have lost this in our churches. Sadly, the only experience some have with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is one day a week, a passing high or hello or even a hug, but they miss the benefits of true fellowship.
Living for Christ or as John writes, walking in the light, enables us to enter into fellowship in the body of Christ. If we walk in darkness, it will impact every aspect of our lives. The reason we are able to enter into fellowship is because the blood of Christ cleanses us from all our sins. In Christ we are brand new creations (2 Cor 5:17). But we still have our sin nature and at times we may sin and fall short. But thank God in His grace and mercy He has told us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us.
It is important to see that John writes all sin. Not some sin, not just our past sins, but our past, present, and future sins. When Christ died upon the cross, all of our sins that we have committed and will commit were nailed to the cross. God understands how broken we are by sin. That we are powerless against sin in ourselves. But the more we abide in Him on a daily basis, and allow the Spirit of God to transform us, the more we will find our victory over sin in time becomes effortless because it is not our strength or our ability that enables us to overcome. It is The Spirit of God living within us and it is the person of Jesus Christ produced within us.
Victory is what marked the life of Jesus. In him we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). But sadly, many Christian fail to understand this and because of this, fail to live it out on a daily basis. But when we come to a right understand of truth and this is revealed to us by the Spirit of God, it is a life changing moment where we become the victor and a vessel of God’s glory upon the earth.