© 11 Colin Melbourne
Christ’s Message to Believers
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Holy Bible 1 Jn. 1:5-7 KJV
The Word of God became Flesh and Blood and taught His followers how to live in the Secret Place of the Almighty, in harmony with Him, cleansed of every sin.
In His Presence there is fulness of joy, peace that passes all understanding, and power over every sin and evil thing.
The LORD Jesus Christ has made it easy for anybody to live with God. He uses the metaphor of walking in light and darkness to illustrate a basic spiritual truth.
Keep in mind the Holy Spirit wrote this letter through John to believers, it is not written to the world.
John’s Gospel is for the world (Jn. 20:31), showing sinners How to come to God, receive His Life, and be Born Again.
John’s letters are written to the saints of God, born again Spirit-filled believers, not sinners.
Born Again Children of Light
The purpose of 1 Jn. 1:5-7 is to encourage Christians to repent of sin and walk in fellowship with Christ. They are already born of God (1 Jn. 2:12,20,21,27,3:1 etc.), and so He writes this to show them how to stay clean, free of sin, and remain in fellowship with God.
The Holy Spirit uses the imagery of light and darkness, to illustrate how to walk with the LORD.
Darkness represents sin and disobedience; light is the revelation of God’s will to believers.
Walking in the light is doing what God wants Christians to do moment by moment.
New Covenant of Grace
Jesus has lavished on believers such glorious provision in the New Birth.
You repented of unbelief in Christ, believed in His Name, and received Him into your heart by faith.
You became a new creation, free from the law of sin and death.
God did it instantly, He took your sins away, put the Holy Spirit in your heart, sealed you with His Spirit, and made you His child.
Your spirit was re-born, the old was gone, crucified, dead and buried with Christ, the new had come, raised with Christ to live by His power.
From Darkness to Light
Inside, for the first time in your life, your spirit was illuminated by the revelation of Christ in you.
Your spirit no longer cried out in spiritual darkness, “Where are you God?”
The void was filled with light and a new heart-cry, “Abba, Father, thank you for saving me!”
You received the testimony of God about His Son, and now you have Him in your heart. 1 Jn. 5:12 KJV;
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
You have eternal life.
You have the Inner Witness. God’s Spirit in you. 1 Jn. 5:10 KJV;
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:
The Bible Evidence of New Birth
Now, please pause for a moment, and focus on that witness, that testimony of God in your heart.
Take time to silence your mind, because the witness of God is not in your mind, not in your soul, the Holy Bible says it resides in your heart, your spirit. Rom. 8:16.
Switch off your thoughts and look into your spirit, where every Christian has the Spirit of God telling them that they have; eternal life, Christ in them, and they are a child of God.
The glorious chapter of Romans 8 confirms this in verse 16 KJV;
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Notice the Holy Spirit is bearing witness with our spirit, not with our flesh, not with our mind, or soul, but with our spirit.
Locate that testimony, or witness, in your spirit.
It’s not your conscience, not the “still small voice” at the back of your mind, it’s deeper than your conscience, God’s witness is in the core of your being.
This is not a “voice”, rather it’s a profound knowing, a solid assurance, it is the Inner Witness of Almighty God in you.
The Seal of your Salvation
I’ll wait until you pin-point it, so that you can understand the next Lifeline on Walking With God.
© 11 Colin Melbourne
