Post by foxjj on Nov 7, 2023 15:55:32 GMT
Living In God’s Light
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.” - Psalm 89:15-16. That God is Light is an important teaching in The Bible conveying the purity of God compared to the darkness of sin in our world. Many will ask, if this is the case why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? In order to understand this, we must realize that one of the greatest gifts God has given humanity is the gift of choice. John 3:19-21 illustrates it this way: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
David wrote: “The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” - Psalm 27:1. His words are the unique message of hope for all who accept the truth of The Bible. The Good News of The Gospel is that Jesus came into the world, He was God’s light as He explained in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” For all who have accepted this truth concerning Jesus there is a new experience of life. We no longer live according to the world’s standards, but God’s standards. Believers no longer have to strive in our desire to please God, for the Gospel message declares that our Heavenly Father has undertaken reconciliation through His Son. While writing concerning the unique relationship that believers have with The Father and The Son, John wrote:
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” - 1 John 1:5-10.
The Fellowship with God that John writes of, is the Spiritual Union that Believers have with the Father through Jesus Christ, this is the uniqueness of Christianity. In my pre-Christian days I had no consept of fellowship with God. It wasn't until submitting my life to Jesus Christ that the opportunity of this fellowship became a reality. At that juncture in my life I no longer “Walked in Darkness,” which refers to living a life outside of The Light of God's Truth, and thereby fail to receive the gift of forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
Where John mentions “Purified by The Blood of Jesus,” he is addressing believers who possess the knowledge that The Lord Jesus has fulfilled the Old Testament practice of blood sacrifice, as explained in Hebrews 9:11-12: “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." What a message. You and I can live in God’s Light by accepting His Truth as revealed in Jesus, thereby receiving Redemption which is The Good News of The Gospel.
Today let us give thanks for The Good News of God’s Light.
John Joseph Fox.
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.” - Psalm 89:15-16. That God is Light is an important teaching in The Bible conveying the purity of God compared to the darkness of sin in our world. Many will ask, if this is the case why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? In order to understand this, we must realize that one of the greatest gifts God has given humanity is the gift of choice. John 3:19-21 illustrates it this way: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
David wrote: “The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” - Psalm 27:1. His words are the unique message of hope for all who accept the truth of The Bible. The Good News of The Gospel is that Jesus came into the world, He was God’s light as He explained in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” For all who have accepted this truth concerning Jesus there is a new experience of life. We no longer live according to the world’s standards, but God’s standards. Believers no longer have to strive in our desire to please God, for the Gospel message declares that our Heavenly Father has undertaken reconciliation through His Son. While writing concerning the unique relationship that believers have with The Father and The Son, John wrote:
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” - 1 John 1:5-10.
The Fellowship with God that John writes of, is the Spiritual Union that Believers have with the Father through Jesus Christ, this is the uniqueness of Christianity. In my pre-Christian days I had no consept of fellowship with God. It wasn't until submitting my life to Jesus Christ that the opportunity of this fellowship became a reality. At that juncture in my life I no longer “Walked in Darkness,” which refers to living a life outside of The Light of God's Truth, and thereby fail to receive the gift of forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
Where John mentions “Purified by The Blood of Jesus,” he is addressing believers who possess the knowledge that The Lord Jesus has fulfilled the Old Testament practice of blood sacrifice, as explained in Hebrews 9:11-12: “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." What a message. You and I can live in God’s Light by accepting His Truth as revealed in Jesus, thereby receiving Redemption which is The Good News of The Gospel.
Today let us give thanks for The Good News of God’s Light.
John Joseph Fox.