Darkness into light

Pastor Carol Grace ♦ July 20, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

1 John 1

Common English Bible (CEB)

Announcement about the word of life

1 We announce to you what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have seen and our hands handled, about the word of life. ² The life was revealed, and we have seen, and we testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. ³ What we have seen and heard, we also announce it to you so that you can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy can be complete.

The message: God is light

⁵ This is the message that we have heard from him and announce to you: “God is light and there is no darkness in him at all.” ⁶ If we claim, “We have fellowship with him,” and live in the darkness, we are lying and do not act truthfully. ⁷ But if we live in the light in the same way as he is in the light, we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin. ⁸ If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. ¹⁰ If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

If you have ever taken a tour of a cavern, there inevitably comes the time when all of the lights are extinguished and you are in total darkness.  Then, as if by magic, one match is struck and the light pierces the darkness just like the sword of the Word of God pierces our souls.

Christianity is not just about salvation, but it is about transformation.  We who were in the darkness of our sins step into the marvelous light of the truth of God’s grace and we are a changed people .  Through the transformation of salvation we are restored into a right relationship with God, our father, and with all those we meet.

Our relationship with Christians becomes sweeter, and our relationship with those who have not yet accepted the gift of salvation becomes both urgent and compassionate. no longer rules our lives, but instead the divinity of Christ covers our humanity.  Yet, we cannot claim that we no longer sin because that sin nature is always within us, struggling to be the dominant force in our lives.  It is only through the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of His spirit that we can be world overcomers.

 PRAYER:  Father, how great is your love and your grace.  May we appropriate your grace each and every day so that we will not only be transformed but we will do all we can to share your love with others. Amen.