Walking in the Light

I made a few false starts as I tried to write this chapter. I kept thinking about the distinction that scripture makes between the ways of man and the way of God. The ways of man seem right, but end in death. The way of God is narrow, hard to find and hard to stay on, but it leads to life. Those walking in the ways of God emerge undefiled, while those walking in the ways of man emerge unclean. God did not call us to uncleanness, but to holiness.

Then, I continued on the thought that ended the last chapter—that the truth of God is not a collection of facts to be remembered but a way that we are to walk in.

All those things are true, but they are not the point that I need to make in this chapter. I do have one thing to say on the subject before moving on the real point of this chapter: God has saved us so that we can walk in his ways. He does not save us because we walk in his ways, nor does he cleanse us to walk in the paths of uncleanness.

But the real point of this chapter is to reiterate the message of the previous two chapters: we need the truth that comes from God for all of life. This is especially true in times of affliction.

God provides three means of communicating his truth to us, and these three means work together. I wrote about how the truth of God is written in scripture and I wrote about how the Holy Spirit helps us understand the truth that is written in the Bible and to believe that it is true about us.

In this chapter, I want to write a little about how God communicates his truth through the lives of fellow Christians. This is one of the main points of 1 John 1:5-10:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Walking in the light implies not only obedience but outspoken honesty about our disobedience. If we walk in the light, we are cleansed. If we confess our sins, we are cleansed. See the connection?

This passage has much to say about confession.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. It is really hard to imagine a life with God that includes secrets about who we really are. Light shows things for what they really are. The better the light, the more you see.

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. We naturally prefer darkness to light because we think that, in the darkness, no one will know the uglier truths about us. But God, who knows all things, tells us not to pretend to be sinless. It’s a lie and he knows it.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Speaking the truth about ourselves is necessary for true fellowship. Christians get the idea that they have to pretend to be something they’re not in order to fit in with the church. That way of life is a thin lie that anyone can see through. It separates us from God and from one another. If you want to be warmly embraced by those who love God most, then be honest about your own sins. The blood of Christ cleanses us from those sins, so it’s ok to talk about them. The fellowship we have in honest relationships with other believers is vital. If we fail to live honestly and lose the fellowship that comes through confession, in times of affliction, the accusing, condemning voice of Satan may be the only one that we hear.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. “But what if I confess my sins and people just look down on me?” You should pray for anyone who does that, because they’re deceived and living a lie. Even the followers of Christ are sometimes like that. Those who don’t follow him almost always are.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But God isn’t like those people. If we confess our sins—not just as an occasional act, but as the continuous honesty that this passage calls “walking in the light,” then we get the opposite of what we would expect. We’re afraid we’ll be condemned and seem dirty, but we’ll be forgiven and cleansed. God is faithful to forgive and cleanse, and he’s just in doing so. I love the words “and just.” This means that, in light of what Christ did on the cross, it would be wrong for God to do anything else. God laid all our sins on Jesus. There is therefore now no condemnation.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. In case you haven’t gotten the point yet: don’t pretend to be without sin. God knows better. Your wife knows better. Your kids know better. Your dog knows better. Who do you think you’re fooling? Jesus came to save sinners.

So, like the Scottish proverb says, “confession is good for the soul.” On the other hand, silence about our sin is poisonous. Psalm 32 opens with these words:

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

The sins we hide in darkness will eat away at our bones.

I’m not saying that you should openly confess everything to everyone. Don’t apologize to the woman for saying that her child is ugly. Don’t tell your wife about the time you said, under your breath, that her dress really does make her look fat. Confession isn’t to make us feel better at the expense of others. You don’t need to confess to the gossips. You should be careful of what you confess to young Christians who might be tempted to use your weakness to justify their own destructive behaviors.

I think walking in the light of confession involves two things. First, everyone should know enough about your life to be certain that you understand your constant need of mercy and grace. When the details are needed, share them. When they’re dangerous, talk around them. But the sum of your conversation should clearly communicate your own understanding of your own need for a savior, now as much as ever. Second, you should cultivate a few relationships where you can be honest about the sins that God is bringing to your attention most pointedly. When you confess to someone the embarrassing details of embarrassing sins, you are bringing that sin into the light. Everything that was so appealing in the darkness is appalling in the light. When you enter into a relationship of confession with another Christian—keeping that sin in the light—its power over you will weaken. You will be cleansed when you confess.

And now, for my confession. I started this book just after Christmas. Now, it’s Passion Week. Three months into this project, I’m still struggling with all the problems that brought me to this point. I’ve had high moments and low. Almost daily, Satan has haunted me with threats of complete ruin. He tells me God doesn’t hear me, God doesn’t care. Some nights, I wake up and can’t get back to sleep because of the anxiety. Often, I’m not anxious “about” any particular thing. It’s more like a general sense of dread.

But God has promised that he will never leave me nor forsake me. I have seen the reliability of this promise a number of times as the Holy Spirit has convinced me of God’s love for me in my prayers and as I see God’s fatherly care every day. None of the worst of Satan’s threats have come to pass. I have not come to ruin. God has not left me.

A few days ago, I read about the Last Supper. After the meal, Jesus became “sorrowful and deeply distressed.” We think it’s strange when we find ourselves troubled and deeply distressed. But the truth is that Christ had troubles and we will, too.

In his troubles and distress, Jesus walked in the ways of God. For him, God’s path included betrayal, abandonment, false accusations, beatings, mockery and, finally, crucifixion. In his sorrow and distress, Jesus walked this path.

Troubles are not a free pass for disobedience. There are no sick days in the Christian life. It is God’s will for us to continue in the good works that God has called us to, even in times of affliction [1 Peter 4:19].

I lead a Bible study for men and I mentor younger Christian men. I help lead a mission organization, and help out with local ministries, like Prison Fellowship. I am a husband, a father, and an employee. People depend on me.

When I found myself in troubles and fears that I could not bear alone, I didn’t just drop out of these things. Nor did I put on a fake smile and try to hide my sorrows from everyone. But as I continued in all these good works, I told others of my experience of sorrow, fear, and disappointment.

And just like the Bible says, my effectiveness increased. When I am weak, THEN I am strong.

As he died the death that brought us life, Jesus didn’t try to cover up his sorrows. He told his disciples that he was so upset he felt like he could die. He cried out in pain. He told his executioners that he was thirsty. He called out to God, “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?”

God also wants us to walk in his ways, even in times of trouble. It’s not enough to read about the way of God in the Bible or even to have the Holy Spirit show us the way by helping us understand what is written in the Bible. God wants us to walk in his ways and to do so honestly, facing our sorrows and calling them by name in prayer and in truthful confession.

Failing to walk in God’s ways in times of trial robs us of joys, magnifies our sorrows, and adds new ones. Some of the greatest joys during this time of great trouble have come through my own acts of service. Even though I need help, I can still help others. Most of my greatest joys over the past few months have come in response to helping others.

Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. This is true in a literal sense—the richest happiness is to be found in giving to others. In times where joy is sorely needed, don’t miss the mother lode that is found in giving yourself away to others.

Walking away from God in times of affliction puts us at a distance from our only source of strength and help. We walk with God when we walk in God’s ways, even when it feels like we’re walking alone. Walking in another way will only magnify our sorrows.

In times of affliction, Satan will speak to us as he did to Job through his wife: why don’t you curse God and die? The temptation to become angry with God or use our sorrows as a justification for sin is self-defeating.

Sin brings only sorrow. New sins bring new sorrows.