You are free to publish this article if the resource box is left intact. Please use it liberally to spread the wonderful news. Total words in article 774. One of the glorious promises we have from our Heavenly Father is that we are cleansed of sins we commit out of weakness. We dont have to worry about dying before we can ask forgiveness. If we are living according his principles our sins are taken away as we commit them. This is just one of the many applications of his marvelous grace. 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 (1JN 1:7). What does it mean to walk in the Light? It means to walk with God. Enoch walked with God and was no more because God took him (Gen 5:24). Since he walked with God who is light (1JN 1:5), he walked in the light. It does not say that his walk was perfect, but that God took him. I like to think that God loved him so much that he couldnt wait any longer to have him in heaven, so he took him directly, bypassing the dying process. This may be a message from God that he loves us that much too. Amos 3:3 asks, "Can two walk together except they agree?" To walk in the light with God, we have to be in agreement with his requirement. The term walking refers to our manner of life. If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable (PR 28:9). We are not under the law that Solomon spoke of but we must meet the terms given in the New Testament. We must be in harmony with Gods ways. We must have pure motives. Our attitude is as important as our actions. Job questioned God about his suffering but was taught that mankind cannot comprehend such complex things but we must trust our maker to take us through them. In the Bible light represents everything that is good and darkness depicts evil. God is light and there is no darkness in him. Jesus was a light shining in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not (JN 1:5). We are to have no part of the unfruitful works of darkness(EPH 5:11). Christians are to be sons and daughters of the light and of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness(1TH 5:5). Our Lord does not control us like robots. He is the best friend we ever had. No one else died in our place. He wants our relationship to be personal, and for us to serve him out of love and appreciation. We have the power to control our thoughts, words and actions. If an evil thought pops in our mind, we can refuse to let it linger and fester, creating a desire to act on it. We can think about things that will please our Lord. Walking in the light implies that we are illuminated with knowledge from above. That makes it imperative that we have recently spent time reading and mediating on the word of God. Light overcomes the darkness and reveals where we can safely step. This is to be taken from a spiritual perspective. Our spiritual knowledge permits us to take physical actions that are pleasing to the Lord. Some have taught that physical acts are separate from our spiritual life. This is a lie from the devil. The Bible plainly says that we reap what we sow. If we sow to please our sinful nature, we will reap destruction (GAL 6:7-8). This does not mean that we never sin. The weakness of the flesh draws us to satisfy our physical appetites. We want to serve God, but we cannot resist every temptation. This is where the continual action of walking in the light comes into play. As long as we continue to live the Christian life to the best of our ability, our sins are continually being forgiven. The sins we commit out of weakness are taken care of by Gods grace. The willing sins are the ones that will condemn us. When we know something is wrong and we continue doing it anyway, no sacrifice for sins remains (HEB 10:26). The benefits of walking in the light far outweigh any earthly activity. Eternal life begins when we become Christians. We are given a seal guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are Gods possession(EPH 1:13-14). The seal is the Holy Spirit that is promised in Acts 2:38. The Lord lavishes his grace on his children. He takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation (PS 149:4). |
