God is Light, a radical message. Ds. S. de Marie (published in # 03 and #04 De Bazuin Vol.10)
1 John 1: 5,6


Radical

True life with God is extraordinarily rich, but at the same time also radical.
“God is light”. There is nothing and absolutely nothing that inclines toward the darkness of
unrighteousness and the dissolution of death. In Him everything is light and life. That means that
everyone who has communion with Him, who belongs to Him, walks in His covenant, travels on
His path, also walks in that light.

This is also the message of the ear and eye witnesses of verse 5. True preaching which cannot
be questioned. It is divine truth and must therefore be accepted by divine authority.
Why is this said with such certainty?

It has to do with the previously identified error in which the Godhead of Christ is denied.
But it is also necessary because this proclamation goes contrary to our own flesh, against human
reasoning and considerations, human feelings or ideas, human haughtiness and pride, human
self will or opinion. Therefore John states clearly: what I proclaim, I have so heard from Christ
and speak to you in the name of Christ. It is a word of grace, but also a radical word. The gospel
of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life is not according to man. It will have to be accepted from
grace given.

“God is light and in Him is absolutely no darkness”. Here the absolute separation between light
and darkness rings out. It cannot be more drastic.

Light

What is light, what is darkness? Light typifies how God is. Completely crystal clear, lucid, true,
pure, holy. righteous, good and glorious. Transparency without any haze of confusion. Clarity
that unmasks every veil of covering up. Truthfulness which sides against every form of lie or
concealment thereof. Purity wherein no stain appears. Holiness which tolerates no single sin.
Righteousness against unrighteousness. Goodness opposite wickedness.

This divine light signifies good, salvation, for us. Because this divine light also disperses light and
life again, brightness, goodness, flowering, growth, salvation, joy.

As Ephesians 5: verses 8 and 9 say: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and
truth).”

Darkness

God also opposes any attack against His light. Such an attack He will not bear or tolerate: ‘in
Him is no darkness at all’. Darkness signifies: there is no goodness in it, no justice, no truth but
lies, injustice, confusion, twisting, sin and mischief, destruction. The prince and world rulers of
darkness sow only evil, lies and defamation, and spread revolution, unrighteousness, death and
destruction. God will have absolutely no fellowship with them. John does not only indicate a
wishful situation here, an ideal situation, nor of a state of perfection of the last day. No, John
points out who God is. Who He was, and is and shall be as the unchangeable God. Light and
life.

Who does not tolerate any form of darkness from eternity to eternity.
And that is how He is proclaimed.

Fellowship and walk

Who would therefore not want to belong to Him? What joy for those who may live in His loving
favor and who may walk in His light! As children of the light.

Now John comes to his application: If you have covenant communion with God, there will be
consequences for you. Verse 6: If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness,
we lie and do not practice the truth.

We could say that we believe, call ourselves Christians, are baptized, member of the church but if
that is not evident in our behavior, speaking and dealing, then we speak with a double tongue.
Then our lives are not in line with what we say. Then, says John, we lie and do not do the truth.
If we live just as the world, with all the cravings of a worldly lifestyle, greed, selfishness and
gossip, then our thinking and acting is a lie against God and man. Then we show exactly that we
are not a child of light, but a child of darkness. Our behavior goes contrary to having fellowship
with God.

God shuts out every compromise with the world, sin, and our own sinful flesh. He wills that,
renewed by His Spirit, all our life’s pathways are holy, as He is holy (1 Peter 1: 15. 16).
Continuous purification. 1 John 1: 7-10

Brotherly love as test

Walking in the light, in God’s ways, according to His Word and in His favor, is having fellowship
with Him. But then, John says, there is also fellowship with each other. Because loving
fellowship with God must reach out to mutual love with the brotherhood. This brotherly love is an
expression of our love to God, of our fellowship with Him.

The proof of whether we walk in the light of Truth must appear especially from the communion of
saints. A communion where we deny ourselves in favor of the other. By which we humbly
consider another more excellent then ourselves. By which we offer ourselves to receive the
church communion. The light of God is a radical light. It gives life and love. But it unmasks and
fends off decay and hate.

Cleansing from all sin

But who is perfect in this? Who shall sojourn in God’s tent, who will live on His Holy mountain,
Psalm 15 verse 1? Who can walk in the light as the Lord asks? Isn’t everyone sinful? Isn’t every
person out to hate God and his neighbor? Doesn’t John set an impossible demand?

That would be the case if he didn’t bring forward the following: ‘and the blood of Christ, His son,
cleanses us from all sin‘.

Here the apostle points to the all decisive atoning work of our Savior. If He had not poured out
His blood for us, if he had not cleansed us from our sins we would all have remained in darkness.
There would have been no possibility for any of us to walk in the light and have communion with
God. And no mutual fellowship either.

Therefore the error: ‘if Christ was not the Son of God‘, has this against it: then He could not have
accomplished His work of salvation. Then he could not have forgiven our sins out of grace and
give us eternal life. But Jesus Christ is God’s Son and has worked out fellowship with the Father
and the Son for us as man and God (verse 30). Through His work of atonement, namely the
cleansing of all our sins by His blood.

Note what it says here: all sins. There is absolutely no darkness in God (verse 5): God does not
tolerate any sin. Therefore our fellowship with Him must cleanse us from all our sins. No
darkness may cleave to us.

No more sin?

John points to a great pitfall for believers in verses 8 to 10. That is that we would think that now
that Christ has died for our sins it is all over as far as sin is concerned. As if from now on we no
longer need the cleansing blood of Christ. But if we think this way we make Him to be a liar
according to verse 10. Then we do not listen well to Hs Word. We then mislead ourselves and
the truth is not in us (verse 8).

There are evangelicals who think that through Jesus’ blood believers are henceforth without sin,
can not sin anymore. Regrettably this is not yet so. We have no perfect faith, nor a perfect life of
faith. Daily we have to struggle against the weakness of our faith and the wicked cravings of our
flesh. As redeemed people we also stumble daily. But ~ and this is important ~ by grace and
through the Spirit of Christ, who gives us a renewed heart, it is something we no longer want.
Now we desire to confess our sins and to struggle against them.

Confessing our sins

Verse 7 reads: The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

We will have to confess this! The cleansing by the blood of Christ is ongoing for us, necessary
even daily. Therefore we will have to call upon God being conscious of the guilt of sin, wherefore
we humble ourselves before Him, debase ourselves. In order to confess our sins, to name them
particularly, and to ask for forgiveness. Pray of them before God whether He will blot them out on
the grounds of the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. And if He would cover our uncleanness with
that blood.

If we do so we will be assured of knowing our cleansing. Because Christ pleas for us Himself as
High priest, our Paraclete at the Fathers right hand.

Verse 9 reads: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. Everyday we must take shelter with Christ and His blood. Wherefore we also
pray for His Holy Spirit. Whether we may persevere in the war against sin in the power of His
Spirit. Then we will receive the forgiveness to walk in the light of God and to inherit eternal life.

He is faithful!