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 (I John 1:7 NLT).

There is no darkness in God (v.5).  We are lying if we say we know God but continue to live in darkness (v.6).  If we claim we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves (v. 8).  Residing with dark, secret things in our heart leads to all kinds of evil.  The only solution is to let in the light.

The problem is not in having sin; the Bible is clear that we are fooling ourselves if we say that we have no sin. The difficulty comes in trying to hide it.  God is light and has no darkness.  Light and darkness do not coexist.  When we receive Christ, a process starts where light dispels the darkness.  When we knowingly hold onto or hide our sin we try to create a state that spiritually cannot exist, light and darkness coinciding.  Of course, we never reach perfection, at least in this life, but if you are not advancing towards the light, then you are coming closer to the darkness. 

 Light penetrates transparent objects. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9 NLT).  God is not willing to cover what we are not ready to uncover.  At times living in the light can be a bit uncomfortable, but not nearly as shameful in the long run as living in darkness.  God is committed to us being known for who we really are.  Humble yourself or humiliate oneself, the choice is ours.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]