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Date: April 1, 1938Place: PenangScripture Reading: 1 John 1:5-7
First John 1:5-7 shows us two things. First, God is light, and second, God dwells in the light. If God were not light, man would not know sin. At the same time, because God dwells in the light, man can see God.
In Genesis God created the heavens and the earth. More accurately, God re-created the heavens and the earth. We see life on the third day, but there was light on the first day. We first find light and then life. This shows that light is more important than life. In God's work He commanded light to appear, and then the rest followed.
What is the meaning of light? The Old Testament does not tell us what light is. But in the New Testament, Ephesians 5:13 speaks of light. This is the only instance in the entire Bible that speaks of the function of light. This is why I treasure this verse. Light is that which makes manifest the hidden things. There is no need for a person to search for light. Once he comes into the light, he is enlightened by it, and the light searches him. Light functions by making the hidden things manifest. Light is that which exposes the hidden things. Being enlightened is having the hidden things exposed. When a man is under the light, it is not strange for him to realize his sins; rather, it is strange for him to sin and remain oblivious to it. As long as you are a regenerated person, God will surely speak to you and shine on you. You will not do anything that is contrary to human decency or the biblical standard of morality. God shines His light on those who are regenerated. But we must obey and take heed to God's commands, the enlightening of the Spirit, and the inner leading of the Lord.
Those who boast that they are right are surely not in the light. In 1904 and 1905 the greatest known revival in church history occurred in Wales, England. Evan Roberts was instrumental in bringing in this revival. He once asked his congregation when was the last time they confessed their sins to others. Some said that it had been over five years, while others said that it had been over ten years ago. Then he told them that those who had not recently confessed were fallen, while those who had made a recent confession were living in the light. At that time Mr. Roberts was only twenty-eight years old, and some despised him for his age. The problem does not lie in our mistakes. The problem lies in the fact that when we make mistakes, we do not recognize them as mistakes. This proves that we lack God's light. The starting point of the Christian life is the enlightening of God. The more we draw near to God, the more we will see light, and the more we will be humbled and conscious of our sins.
For a Christian, the first step toward growth in the spiritual life is to see God. When a person sees God, he sees himself at the same time. No one who lives in the presence of the Lord is self-assured. The more a person sees light, the more he lives in fear and trembling. Paul's attitude was always one of fear and trembling. This should be the attitude of every Christian. A Christian should not trust in himself. Only those who confess their sins are living in God's light; they are the ones who are not walking in darkness.
What is darkness? Darkness means the ignorance of sin. Those who are in darkness are oblivious to sin. The more a person sees light, the more he knows sin, and the more sensitive his feelings are toward sin. God is light, and He dwells in the light (1 John 1:5, 7). As soon as a man comes into the light, the light exposes all that he is. God is light, and light enables us to know ourselves.
What does it mean for God to be in the light? In the Old Testament age God dwelt in the Holy of Holies. There was no natural or man-made light in the Holy of Holies; God was obscure. He was a riddle and a mystery to man. Man could only make conjectures about Him; he could not fathom who He was.
In the New Testament age God manifested Himself. This means that God has become a revealed God. Although He was a God who hid Himself, He reveals Himself and manifests Himself through the light of the gospel (2 Cor. 4:6). Now we know the kind of God He is, and we know the great things that He has done for us. Man is able to know himself because God is light. Man is able to know God because God dwells in the light. First, God is light. Second, God manifests Himself in the light of the gospel.
First John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light..." Once we receive God through the revelation of the light of the gospel, we no longer walk according to the law but according to grace. Light in the Bible is related to the light of holiness and the light of the gospel. The light in 1 John 1 is the light of the gospel. We know God through the light of the gospel, and we walk in this light. As a result, "the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin."
God is light, and this light exposes the true condition of man. God is in the light, and this light reveals Him as the God who is full of grace. Although our sins may be serious, we can come to Him boldly and allow the blood of Jesus His Son to cleanse us from all our sins. May the Lord show us these two different functions of light. Light enables us to see God and to receive Him as our Savior. Light also enables us to see ourselves and points out the need for the blood of the Lord, which washes away our sins. It also points out our need to walk in God's light.
