Walking in the Light
John 8:12 // 1 John 1:5-8

In the last couple of weeks, I have been discussing our new identity once we choose to follow Jesus.  There are many people who profess to follow Jesus, but they still don’t understand what it means to truly follow Jesus; they don’t know who they are in Christ.  As followers of Jesus we must know him, and we must know who are to be as his people.  Not knowing who we are in Jesus would have us misrepresenting God in the world.
The Bible gives us many illustrations to help us understand who we are in Christ. We are a God’s new creation, we are ambassadors in this world, agents of reconciliation.  We are the light of the world.  This is what Jesus said his followers are in the world.  We have made the journey from darkness into light by our faith in Jesus.  He said that those who follow him won’t walk in darkness.  John 8:12
“I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
What does it mean to walk in the light?
If you examine the text carefully you realize that Jesus is saying that not following him is walking in darkness.  Following him is stepping into the light.
Even after we become followers of Jesus, we not always walk in the light; we don’t always follow what Jesus tells us.  This is one of the reasons we are constantly reminded in Scripture to walk in the light since we are children of light.
1 John 1:5-10
Walking in the light is to have fellowship with God and with one another. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. NLT
The Bible is very clear that there is not fellowship between darkness and light.
(2 Cor.6:14) They don’t mix. When you have one, the other is gone.  So, you either in communion with God or not. You are either walking in the light or darkness.  To claim to have fellowship with God but walking in darkness is living a lie; It is to deny God’s truth.
Paul reminded the church in Ephesus to live as children of light. Eph.5:8
“You were once darkness, but as light you are to live as children of light.”  The fruit of light consists of what is good, right and true.
To walk in the light is to do what is good, right and true according to God’s standard.
To walk or live in the light is shown in loving your brothers (Christian family). 1 John 2:9-11
To claim to be in the light and yet hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light.  Walking in the light is to follow Jesus’ commandment to love one another.

The Bible calls Jesus’ followers, children of light.  As his children, we are to be known for our living or walking in the light.
Walking in the light means we have fellowship with God and with one another.  Not following Jesus’ words is to walk in darkness. Hating your brother or sister in Christ is to walk in darkness
Walking in darkness is to be away from the truth of God.

Walking in the light is measured not what you say, but what you do. Your deeds.

Action verbs: Following God’s word (going against God’s word is to walk in darkness), doing what is good, right and true, loving your brother.

When we stop following Jesus for whatever reason; we stop listening to him, we are stepping into the darkness.  Walking into the light is to choose to follow him again where he leads us.
1 John 1:6
As God’s people we don’t forget who we used to be before we knew Jesus; but we must always remember who we are because of the identity we have in him.
We once were darkness, but now we are children of light and we must live as such in this world.