”But 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.
1 John 1:7New International Version (NIV)
1 John 1:7 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
Two (2) Benefits of Walking in the Light
In 1 John 1:7, John commanded us to “walk in the light“. And he attached two (2) benefits to the same. That is fellowship with one another and purification from all sin.
Foundation
Firstly, John laid a foundation for this command in 1 John 1:5. Therefore, John wrote: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him, there is no darkness at all” in this verse.
Then in verse 6, he gave the negative implication of God being light. He, consequently, wrote: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth”. That is, when you have fellowship with God, you can only walk in the light, not darkness. Consequently, when you walk in darkness, you cannot claim to walk in light.
Thereafter, John gave the positive implication of God being light in verse 7. He, therefore, wrote: “But 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”. And then in verses 8 to 10, he clarified how God purifies us from all sin. That is when you confess your sins and do not claim to be without sin.
John, therefore, ended up implying that we shouldn’t claim to be without sin. In fact, the apostle Paul, in Romans 3:23 stated: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.
Walking in the Light
Nevertheless, walking in the light is the opposite of walking in darkness. It is living your life as a manifestation of your new birth in Christ. That is living under the control of godly desires.
Consequently, two (2) things will result:
- we’ll (you’ll) have fellowship with one another, and
- (you’ll) be purified from all sin.
Moreover, John gave clarity regarding fellowship with one another, and verses 6 and 3 give direction on the same. And it, therefore, emerges that fellowship with one another is fellowship with both God (verse 6) and fellow believers (verse 3).
Additionally, John outlined that the other benefit of walking in the light is cleansing from sin. That is both progressive sanctification (1 John 3:8-9 and Hebrews 9:14) and the ongoing experience of justification (1 John 1:9). And the latter relies on confession of sin.
Walking in the light is necessary for salvation
Therefore, walking in the light is a necessity for salvation. The opposite is a denial of God’s demonstrated love for us.
Prayer/Blessing
Father in heaven, I praise Your name for the blood of Jesus which has cleansed me of all my sins and identified me with the righteousness of Christ. Your grace gives me the choice and strength to walk in Your light. Therefore, I am able to live my Christian life in the darkness of the world.
May You grant me more of Your grace so that I may be able to walk in the Light as Jesus is in the Light? I pray this in His precious Name, Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Ecclesiastes 9-12 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
