Facebook post 260 (Send Saturday September 24, 2022)
From first John 1:1-2:11, we understand God is “Light, Life out of darkness by forgiveness and Love”; therefore, our close, intimate, sweet relationship with God, through Christ Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, must include God’s fullness (Ephesians 3:14-21), or selfish desires will replace His place in us.
First John 1:1-2:11—1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life–2 the life was manifested (revealed), and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—3 which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. … 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate (Mediator) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He is the propitiation (atonement) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know Him if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Without God as our Light, we walk in spiritual darkness, possibly not in every area of life, but in the areas where the world’s lust draws us, for our desires is to be “accepted by the world’s ways”; thus, we “suppress (conceal) the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18-19), and “lust for worldly acceptance”, yet being spiritually blind, we cannot “see the world’s lust in us”.
Therefore, we cannot “see our need for God’s forgiveness”, but when Adam and Eve sinned, they “saw their nakedness and shamefully covered themselves with leaves”, but in “spiritual darkness” we “suppress, conceal” the truth and “shamelessly open ourselves to worldly lust”, which is not necessarily “chemical addictions” but lust or strong desire for anything but God.
Likewise, without God as our Life out of darkness by forgiveness, we continue this “shameless life” until our spirit and mind are hopelessly hardened to God and His command to dress modestly (orderly; 1 Timothy 2:1-15), or we have to be “hidden” on social media posts.
And without God as our Love, we absolutely do not care what anyone thinks about how worldly we become, for we do not care about 2 Corinthians 6:1-18, that Christians, members of Christ’s body, are to be “different in every way”, so we “stand out” from the world; not as “better than the world” but for the world to see Christ Jesus living His life through us, as stated in Galatians 2:20.
Since God is Light, Life out of darkness by forgiveness and Love, then God’s children, born-again, blood-bought, forgiven, members of Christ’s body, the church, should be as He is in this “darkened world of selfish lust for what pleases us only”, regardless of God’s plan for us, for we have not humbly submitted to His Lordship and Ownership, thinking we are still master-owner of both our bodies and lives (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).
Christians have stopped walking in our God-given authority and allowed the devil to take it from us and use it against us, yet we are too blind by worldly lust to see we gave our authority away, in the same way Adam gave the devil his God-given authority, to use against him. But how to constantly “live and walk” in our God-given authority is not taught in today’s churches, because it is no longer lived in today’s “Christians”.
Jim Nabors
