Walking in Truth
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;” 1 John 1:6 NASBS
Dear Reader, Religion without regeneration is one of the greatest obstacles to true biblical Christianity. It attempts to reconcile an intellectual acknowledgment of Jesus Christ with a faith that pursues moral obedience without genuine conversion. This is a dreadful condition for the soul, as it places its hope in external rituals, ceremonies, and ordinances as a means of justifica-tion— only to one day awaken in the fires of eternal judgment.
The apostle John, addressing a faithful group of Christians who stood firm while many others fell away, wrote, “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by 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, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
The word “walk” in the above statement, conveys a sense of intimacy, speaking of that which governs the seat of the feelings and the affections within the heart. It reflects a profound inner transformation of the heart that leads to a desire for holiness, pursued through obedience to God’s word, driven solely by love. This love is sacrificial, aligning itself with the truth of God’s word out of a deep commitment to honor Him. As the Scriptures tell us, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
James, the brother of Jesus, writing to a persecuted church, warns us of a faith that is damning— a faith that bears no fruit from a loving relationship with Jesus Christ that can only be formed in the heart by the work of the Holy Spirit. This is the kind of faith the demons possess; they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but have no desire to walk with Him in intimacy or to live in daily obedience to His word, trusting fully in His atoning death for the propitiation of their sins. It is a sobering thought that James parallels false conversion with the condition of demons, who have no hope whatsoever.
The author of Hebrews makes it clear that there is nothing man can do to achieve perfection. Therefore, God sent His Son Jesus, “a Son, made perfect forever,” to bridge the gap between fallen humanity and the righteous demands of His law, which no one born by natural means can fulfill. So Jesus “had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters relating to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
In other words, Jesus Christ was born through a divine miracle, and not by natural means. He fulfilled the righteous demands of God’s law, never once sinning by thought, word, or deed. Then, He laid down His life, becoming the sacrifice and bearing the full weight of God’s wrath against sin. Afterward, He was raised from the dead and now mediates at the right hand of God, having made purification for sins for all who come to Him in faith and repentance, legally justifying them and freeing them from the condemnation of the broken law.
In light of what has been said, let us take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul, written to the church in Corinth: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.“ May God’s grace lead us to the truth concerning our own salvation.