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“Living in the light” is not a religious slogan. It is a spiritual position, a way of life, and a test of authenticity.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin.
> And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
> And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
> — 1 John 2:1–2 (NKJV)
John here sets before us two great truths that must never be separated:
1. The *goal*: “that you may not sin.”
2. The *safety net*: “if anyone sins, we have an Advocate…”
Many Christians live either in presumption or in condemnation because they do not hold both truths together. Some say, “We all sin all the time,” and abandon the call to holiness. Others, when they fall, are crippled by guilt and never rise into victory. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, cuts through both errors.
The central theme in these verses and the lyrics you’ve given is this:
To live in the light is to live in obedience, in love, and in separation from the world, under the advocacy and cleansing of Jesus Christ.
This passage gives us clear tests:
These are not optional extras. They are marks of whether we are truly “in the light.”
---
The writer is the apostle John, likely in his old age, writing as a spiritual father to the churches. He addresses them affectionately as “my little children” (Greek: *teknia*), indicating both tenderness and authority.
The context of 1 John includes:
John writes with pastoral concern and apostolic authority to clarify:
We must picture a situation where some were claiming a high spiritual experience—“I know God,” “I have light,” “I have revelation”—yet their conduct contradicted their claims. John does not flatter. He uses strong language:
> “He is a liar and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4)
His purpose is not to discourage sincere believers, but to expose deception and to anchor the faithful in solid ground.
---
Let us examine two key words that illuminate this passage.
### 1. “Advocate” – Greek: *paraklētos* (1 John 2:1)
> “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
The word *paraklētos* is rich. It literally means “one called alongside” to help. It can mean:
It is the same word Jesus uses of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). So we have:
This shows us the legal nature of our salvation. The picture is a courtroom:
When we sin, Satan seeks to use it against us in this court. But Jesus, the Righteous One, stands on our behalf and presents His finished work. Our forgiveness is not based on sentiment, but on legal satisfaction—Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
### 2. “Propitiation / Atoning Sacrifice” – Greek: *hilasmos* (1 John 2:2)
> “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins…” (NKJV)
> “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins…” (NLT)
*hliasmos* carries the idea of:
This takes us back to the Old Testament sacrificial system, especially the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). Sin incurs the wrath and judgment of a holy God. That wrath is real, not symbolic. But God, in love, provides a substitute.
Jesus is not merely an example of love. He is the *hilasmos*, the atoning sacrifice, the One who satisfies God’s justice, so that God can be both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
This means:
This deepens the lyrics’ opening: “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” The extent of the provision is universal. The application is personal, by faith.
---
### A. “My dear children… so that you will not sin… We have an Advocate…”
Here John sets the right order:
1. Purpose – “that you will not sin.”
The grace of God does not give license to sin. It gives power not to sin (Titus 2:11–12). Any teaching that makes believers comfortable in sin is false grace.
2. Provision – “if anyone does sin…”
Notice the precision: “if” not “when.” Sin is possible, not inevitable. But God has made provision.
> “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Our confidence is not in our righteousness, but in His.
Connected Scriptures:
This stanza establishes the secure foundation of living in the light: we are called to holiness, but when we fail, we are not cast off; we are cleansed and restored through our Advocate and His blood.
### B. “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments…”
Here John introduces a crucial test of reality: obedience.
> “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
Two claims are contrasted:
If the claim and the life do not agree, John says plainly:
> “That person is a liar and is not living in the truth.” (v.4 NLT)
Notice: John does not say such a person is merely “weak” or “immature.” He says “a liar.” God’s Word does not bend to our culture’s sensitivities.
But then he shows the positive side:
> “Those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him.” (v.5 NLT)
Obedience is love in action. Jesus said:
The lyrics then say: “Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
This is not optional. The Greek is strong:
> “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (v.6 NKJV)
To “abide” (*menō*) is to remain, to stay in union, to draw life from Him. The evidence of this abiding is a life patterned after Jesus.
This covers:
To say, “I am in Christ” and to live in deliberate disobedience is a contradiction.
### C. “A New Commandment… yet it is also new…”
John moves now to the central commandment: love.
> “Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment… This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new.” (vv.7–8 NLT)
Old, because:
New, because:
> “Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.”
Where this love operates, darkness retreats. Light is not primarily a feeling or an atmosphere; it is manifested in relationships.
### D. “If anyone claims, ‘I am living in the light,’ but hates a fellow believer…”
Here John exposes another false claim.
> “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” (v.9 NKJV)
Hatred here includes:
The standard is not: “Do I attend church?” but: “Do I love my brother?”
> “Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.” (v.10 NLT)
Love brings two results:
1. You are in the light.
2. You do not become an instrument of stumbling to others.
But the opposite is sobering:
> “Anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.” (v.11 NLT)
Darkness here is both moral and spiritual. It blinds. A believer who tolerates hatred or bitterness opens the door to spiritual blindness, confusion, and deception. Many doctrinal errors and spiritual shipwrecks begin with unresolved offenses.
Cross references:
### E. “I am writing to you who are God’s children… young in the faith… mature in the faith…”
This section outlines three stages of spiritual growth.
1. Children (*teknia / paidia*)
The basic revelation of spiritual childhood is forgiveness and fatherhood. Many never go beyond this stage. They know they are forgiven. They know God as Father. But they have not moved into conflict and victory.
2. Young in the faith / Young men (*neaniskoi*)
The central feature of this stage is warfare and victory over Satan. The source of their strength: “the word of God lives in your hearts.” Not a casual knowledge of Scripture, but the Word abiding, internalized, believed, spoken, obeyed.
3. Mature in the faith / Fathers (*pateres*)
The distinguishing feature of spiritual fatherhood is deep, personal, experiential knowledge of Christ Himself—“from the beginning.” They are not fascinated primarily by experiences, gifts, or ministries, but by the eternal Son.
Notice John repeats these affirmations (“I am writing… I have written…”) to emphasize their significance. He wants each believer to locate themselves and to move forward.
### F. “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you…”
John now issues a sharp warning about the world.
> “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (v.15 NKJV)
“World” here is not the created order, but the world-system organized in opposition to God—its values, priorities, and spirit.
John defines it:
> “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.” (v.16 NLT)
These three correspond to:
1. “The lust of the flesh” – craving for physical pleasure.
2. “The lust of the eyes” – craving for what we see, covetousness.
3. “The pride of life” – boasting in possessions, status, achievements.
These were the same three areas in which Eve was tempted (Genesis 3:6) and Jesus was tested in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).
John is absolute:
> “These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
And he gives the decisive verdict:
> “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” (v.17 NLT)
Here we see the clash of two loves:
They are mutually exclusive. To set your heart on a passing system is spiritual folly. The one who “does the will of God” aligns with what is eternal.
---
To “live in the light” is not a feeling. It is a series of choices, anchored in God’s Word. Let us outline some clear steps.
### 1. Accept God’s Standard and God’s Provision
First, we must agree with God that:
Refuse both extremes:
When you become aware of sin:
Make a habit of bringing all failure under the blood, not under self-effort.
### 2. Commit to Obedience as the Test of Love
Second, we must settle in our hearts that obedience is the evidence of knowing God and loving Him.
Ask yourself regularly:
Obedience is not selective. We cannot say:
Decide: “By the grace of God, I will measure my spirituality by obedience, not by feelings or experiences.”
### 3. Guard Your Heart Against Hatred and Bitterness
Third, we must treat hatred, unforgiveness, and resentment as darkness.
Ask the Holy Spirit:
Then:
Remember: to harbor hatred is to choose blindness. Many lose spiritual clarity because they cling to offense.
### 4. Renounce Love for the World and Embrace the Will of God
Fourth, we must consciously reject the world’s value system.
Identify areas where the world appeals to you:
Then:
You cannot drift into holiness. It requires decisive separation in your heart.
### 5. Let the Word of God Live in You
Finally, if you desire to move from spiritual childhood into victorious “young man” territory, you must let the Word abide in you.
Practically:
Where the Word abides, strength comes. Victory over the evil one is not by willpower, but by the implanted, spoken, believed Word.
---
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
“I declare that Jesus Christ is my Advocate with the Father,
the Righteous One,
and He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for my sins.
My sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake.
I know the Father.
I choose not to continue in sin,
but when I fail, I come immediately to the blood of Jesus.
I affirm that I know God by keeping His commandments.
I choose to walk as Jesus walked.
I refuse hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness.
I choose to love my brothers and sisters,
and to walk in the light,
so that I do not cause others to stumble.
I renounce love for this world and the things in it:
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life.
These are not from my Father.
I choose the will of God.
The Word of God lives in me.
In that Word and by the blood of Jesus,
I overcome the evil one.
The darkness is passing,
the true light is already shining,
and by the grace of God,
I will live in that light.
Amen.”
### Prayer
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the clear light of Your Word. Thank You for giving me an Advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and for His blood that atones for all my sins.
I ask You now: search my heart by the Holy Spirit. Expose any area of disobedience, any hidden sin, any hatred, resentment, or love for this world. I choose to bring it into the light. I confess it, I renounce it, and I bring it under the blood of Jesus.
Lord, write Your commandments on my heart by the Holy Spirit. Strengthen my will to obey. Let the love of God be poured out in my heart, that I may truly love my brothers and sisters and walk in the light. Let Your Word live in me powerfully, so that I am strong and overcome the evil one.
Deliver me from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Set my heart on the things that are eternal. Make me a true child of the light, that the darkness may have no place in me.
I receive Your forgiveness, Your cleansing, and Your strengthening now, in the name of Jesus. Amen.”
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