HOW CAN A PERSON WALK IN THE LIGHT?
In these last days, the world is filled with darkness, sin, lies, deception, and temptation. Many people profess with their lips that they believe in Jesus, yet their lives continue to walk in darkness. However, the Lord Jesus declares, “I am the light of the world.” Those who truly follow Him will never walk in darkness.
Then how should a person follow Jesus and continually walk in the light? How can a person, through the indwelling presence of Christ, recognize sin, turn away from sin, grow progressively in holiness, and be cleansed from all sin by the precious blood of Jesus?
1 John 1:7
“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, cleanses us from all sin.”
How, then, can a person walk in the light? And why does the blood of Jesus cleanse a person from all sin when that person walks in the light?
John 8:12
Jesus spoke again to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 14:6
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:21
Jesus said, “Whoever continually has My commandments and continually keeps them is the one who continually loves Me. The one who continually loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love that person and reveal Myself to him.”
John 14:23
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
From these Scriptures, we see that the Lord Jesus is the light. Those who continually keep the words of the Lord Jesus experience His abiding presence within them. Through His indwelling presence, they are able to continually walk with Jesus and therefore continually walk in the light.
Those who continually keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus will also experience His manifestation in their lives. To see the manifestation of Jesus is to experience the living reality and transforming power of His Word.
Those who continually keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus are able to walk with Him in the light. Those who truly follow Jesus will not continue walking in darkness, but will continually receive from Him the way, the truth, and the life. As they abide in Him, their lives are progressively sanctified and set apart for God.
Through the light of Christ, they increasingly recognize the true nature of sin, learn to hate what is sinful, and turn away from a life of continuing in sin. As they walk in the light, the blood of the Lord Jesus cleanses them from all sin.
Yet many people are unwilling to obey the commandments of Jesus. They repeatedly confess their sins to God and repent with their lips, yet they continue committing the same sins again and again. Why does this happen?
When a person refuses to obey the commandments of Jesus, that person is not walking in the light but remains in darkness. How can such a person be delivered from the dominion of the flesh and overcome a life of continuing in sin?
Scripture warns that God does not listen to sinners who persist in rejecting Him. When a person knowingly refuses to obey the commandments of Jesus, how can that person claim to be walking in fellowship with Christ? How can such a person truly know the truth, recognize sin, turn away from sin, experience the indwelling presence of Jesus, faithfully follow Christ, enter the kingdom of God, and receive eternal life?
Conclusion
The Lord Jesus is the Light of the world, and He is also the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If a person truly loves Him, that person must hold fast to His commandments, obey His Word, and continually follow Him.
When a person abides in the Word of Christ, the Father and the Son make their home with that person. The believer no longer walks in darkness but walks with the Lord in the light of life. Under the illuminating light of Christ, a person can increasingly recognize the seriousness of sin, hate sin, turn away from sin, and experience the cleansing power of the precious blood of Jesus.
Therefore, true repentance is not merely confessing sin with one’s lips. True repentance means turning to Christ, obeying His Word, forsaking darkness, and walking in the light.
Only by loving Jesus with all one’s heart and soul and continually keeping His Word can a person abide in Christ, faithfully follow Him, and continually walk in the light. In this life of abiding obedience, the believer continually experiences His truth, His life, His cleansing, and His sanctifying work.
Therefore, let us not merely say that we believe in Jesus. Let us follow Jesus, obey His Word, abide in Him, and walk in His light. May we remain faithful to Him throughout our lives, continually walking in the light of life until we have finished the course He has set before us.
