If We Walk

I John 1:7 states, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

John wrote the text with the purpose “that our joy may be full” (I John 1:4). Many miss this joy by seeking fulfillment in other places.

I came upon a man one day who was drunk, crying in a phone booth, trying to call home. After a few minutes of talking with him, he asked if I would walk him to his house. We left from the bar where he had been, walked to the end of the block, turned right, walked to the next corner, turned right, then the next corner, right again. The last right turn brought us back to the bar. He went in and I with him. The bartender took the last of his money and gave him a small drink. There was no way he could stop drinking until the money was gone. I worked with him for a few months, trying to bring him to Jesus. He made a lot of progress, but finally got off the wagon. What a sad way to look for joy.

Our text speaks of a walk in the light, not staggering around the block. Some miss the walk because they want just a little darkness. A little sip with the right crowd seems to be okay, even pleasant. 

John states in verse 5 (of the same chapter), “…that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” If we walk with Him we must give up all darkness. We can profess that we are Christian and have fellowship with the church, and miss the joy of walking in the light by allowing a few shady thoughts and deeds to remain in us. We may tell ourselves all is well, while missing the full joy of a total commitment . In verse 6 John says we are living a lie.

The text also says that while walking in the light of sweet fellowship with Him, there is a continual cleansing, “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” This is a present ongoing tense, not past or future. In Revelation 5:6 we have a picture of a Lamb “as it had been slain.” The cleansing doesn’t stop. The walk with Him is a cleansing walk.

John 6:66-67 says, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve, will ye also go away?” Will you and I keep walking with Him?

The chorus to the hymn, “I’ve Discovered the Way of Gladness,” by Floyd W. Hawkins, goes like this: “I’ve discovered the way of gladness. I’ve discovered the way of joy. I’ve discovered relief from sadness, ’Tis a happiness without alloy. I’ve discovered the fount of blessing, I’ve discovered the Living Word. ’Twas the greatest of all discoveries, when I found Jesus my Lord.”

Maybe you want that joy but think that it can’t work for you. After King David committed sin with Bathsheba, he called out to God, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit” (Psalm 51:12). God did. We can stay in fellowship IF WE WALK!