This week in our Rooted in Christ readings, we are looking at 1 John 1.  Yesterday we looked at the world of the text for verses 1-4, today we are going to be looking deeper at 1 John 1-5-10.

One of my favorite bible study tools, and it is the one that I use to help me with these readings is the Lumia bible website.  It is one of the easiest tools I’ve found to better understand the Greek and Hebrew of a passage.  I’d encourage you to take a look at it sometime.  Today when I was reading through our passage, something early caught my eye about the word “message” in verse 5.  This is a word that is only used twice in the New Testament, here and 1 John 3:11.  This word is a specific call to the eye witness nature of the message being given, as well as an Apolostic authority.  In other words, John is saying that what is going to say was something that he himself saw and this message carries with it the weight of authority from an apostle.  In other words, this is a message that is not only valid because John saw it, but it is valid because John is an Apostle and has been commanded by Jesus Himself to this mission.

We are told that God is light and there is no darkness in Him.  We cannot claim fellowship with Him if we keep walking in darkness.  To walk in darkness implies something more than temptation.  It implies a “fellowship” with.  It doesn’t mean that we are facing temptation, but that we are seeking to be in relationship with sin.  We are seeking it out. It is a part of our lives and we are not trying to turn away.

We can’t walk with God and walk with sin.  This doesn’t mean that we can’t sin.  It means that our walk with Jesus is going to call us to leave behind that sin. We walk with Jesus, not with sin.

Now, what about sin?  We will sin.  We will mess up. We will fall.  So, we are encouraged today, if we do sin, if we do mess up, but confess, in other words, turn from, not seek to walk with, this sin, we be forgiven.

This passage is not saying, do not make mistakes.  We will all make mistakes.  It is saying, do not keep walking in sin. Turn to Jesus. Confess. And be forgiven. That is what it means to walk in the light.

If you’d like to get each day’s daily scripture reading sent to your phone along with this reading guide, text @39110 to 81010 to sign up!