Two Implications of What It Means to “Walk in the Light”

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John uses the expression “walk in the light” early in his first letter. Here’s how he says it: “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” (1 John 1:6-7).

What exactly does it mean to “walk in the light”?

“Walk” is a favorite New Testament expression for a settled life pattern. Taken together, the overall pattern of a man’s behavior is his “walk.” To walk in the light, then, is to have a settled life posture of obedience to God. We have defined a disciple as someone who is, by the power of the Spirit, constantly about the task of bringing every sphere of life into obedience to Christ. In other words, the disciple is constantly about the task of bringing every aspect of his or her life into the light.

A man’s “walk” is perhaps the clearest indication of his heart posture because the consistent pattern of his life – his “walk” – reveals the normal posture of his heart and mind. Is he typically frustrated and irritated or patient and understanding? Is he normally truthful, or has he earned a reputation for shading the truth? If you could spend a long time with a man, you would see him react in a variety of situations, you would begin to get a picture of his walk, and you would begin to get a glimpse into his heart.
 
But there’s more.

John’s letter expands on what he means by “walk in the light” in the context:

1. Generally: to “walk in the light” means that a man isn’t harboring secret sin: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:5-6).Dan Sietman, our counselor, once remarked that “we are only as healthy as our secrets.” He’s right. This is a matter of integrity, which is vital in our own personal well-being and in the well-being of our families and fellowship.

When a believer tries to maintain two personas – a public persona for the approval of others and a private persona for indulging in secret sin – he or she is not walking in the light. And that cognitive dissonance is difficult to maintain. When we try to maintain two personas, God’s Spirit will trouble our hearts and urge us to repent, to turn away from our secret sin and, as the psalmist has it, “unify” our hearts to fear His Name (Psa 86:11).  

2. Specifically: to “walk in the light” means that a man loves his brother; here John adds a note about the blindness of self-deception: “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9-11).

I cannot harbor bitterness in my heart against my brother and walk in the light. No matter how well behaved I am in all other aspects of my life, the resentment in my heart will testify against me that I am in darkness. And the real problem is that the darkness in my heart will blind my eyes. We’ve all seen how bitterness can warp a man’s mind, and yet he is blind to the corrosive effect of bitterness on his heart and life.  
 
So what does it mean to “walk in the light”? It doesn’t mean I never rebel against God, nor does it mean that I never react badly to difficult people or difficult situations. Walking in the light means that my heart is inclined toward God in my desire to honor Him in what I say and do and think, and it also means that when I have rebelled against Him, I am quick to repent and confess.

Persevere.
Paul Pyle
Pastor of Discipleship