True Fellowship {1 John 1}

Today's Scripture Passage: 1 John 1

I've reached an age where all my grandparents have passed on from this life, and I realize there is so very much that I'd like to know about them, but it's too late. My grandparents all married late in their lives, so they were all in their sixties when I came along, and I was too young to realize the value of their wisdom they had to share with me back then. 

I wish now that they had kept a journal, or written letters so I could have known more about their lives before I arrived, but all I have are a few photographs.

I get a sense that John is doing just this in this letter that has found it's way into our Bible. John is an old man now. He is the last living disciple among the original twelve that walked so closely with Jesus while on earth. I believe John, knowing that he may not be on earth much longer, wants to leave us with assurance that all we've heard about Jesus is true,

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life...
We have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father
and was revealed to us" (1:1-2)

But this wasn't John sole purpose for writing. Notice what he goes onto to say next,

"What we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may have fellowship along with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."( 1:3-4)

John's joy will be complete when he is assured that he has left us all we need to experience the same fellowship he shares with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Pretty neat, huh? 

So what do we need to know and do to experience that same fellowship?

"Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth." (1: 5-6)

John tells us plainly that in order to enjoy the same fellowship with God we must walk in the Light.  We need protection from the darkness! We need to move away from the darkness and move towards the Light. Do you see the turning taking place, which is called, repentance? Repentance simply put is an about face, yet more than simply an action, it's a matter of the heart. We need to get honest with God as the Light exposes more of the darkness.

We want to move away from the darkness and hidden sin to repentance and experience complete forgiveness because of all  Jesus, our Savior did for us! Sometimes I think we don't speak about this enough these days, and John wants to address that too when he tells us, "If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth." We need to get honest with God and with ourselves.

Repentance is what is required to be set free from the darkness and come to fellowship with the Light!  And who doesn't want to live freely in the Light of God’s love and care?

Who doesn't want to rejoice in His salvation? Living redeemed lives under His complete protection and guidance!

I also don't want you to miss this. John threw in an added bonus for us in verse 7, 

 “If we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a SHARED life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges ALL our sin.”  (emphasis mine)

Now I can see why John was so joyous to be able to share this with us!! Can't you?

Blessings, 

sue