Light/Darkness (1 John 2:5–7)

1 John 1:5–7 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)

Walking In the Light

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and there is no darkness at all in him. ⁶If we say we have fellowship with him and yet we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth; ⁷but if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Light and darkness are prominent themes for the apostle John. They are powerful pictures of the warfare between good and evil waged in every human heart. In the Bible, light is always used as a picture of God and his truth, understanding, and righteousness. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light.” Psalm 104:2 describes the Lord who “wraps himself in light.” Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

These references make it clear that God is the ultimate source of truth, understanding, and righteousness. The Word of God is a “lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105). When we walk in physical darkness, we are in danger of stepping into a hole or bumping our heads or getting lost. Just a little light from a flashlight (modern lamp) lets us avoid all these dangers. The same is true with God and the light his Word sheds in our lives. We can avoid accidents or getting lost by doing what the Bible says (that is, walking in the light).

“Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). When we walk in darkness, we live in falsehood, misunderstanding, and sin. However, this passage teaches us that if we remain in darkness, it is because we do not want to walk in the light. The light exposes our motives and actions for what they are. We do not like this because we want to continue in our sin. Each person is confronted many times daily with opportunities to choose to walk in light (truth, understanding, and righteousness) or darkness (falsehood, misunderstanding, and sin).