“Walking in Truth” 1 John 1:5-2:6

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he writes words of encouragement and how to live a more complete life. In 4:8, he writes, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Paul’s words are a call to living life in a more positive attitude, a more wholesome way of living. It is an excellent idea. The idea he presents is one of changing the way we look at life and the way we react to our world. He speaks of a conscious decision on our part of choosing to see the world in a certain light.

While the items he mentions are part of the new way of seeing things, each of the elements has an aspect that we should consider and will consider over the next few weeks. We begin today with the idea of truth.

Background

In John’s writings—both the Gospels and his letters—there is a great deal of emphasis on truth.

There are several passages that Jesus speaks of truth in the Gospel according to John, but I believe one of the most interesting discussions of truth takes place between Jesus and Pilate.

In John 18, Jesus is brought to Pilate. Pilate seeks to question Jesus and he begins by asking Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (v.33). Jesus responds with a question of His own: “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about Me?” (v.34). Pilate becomes a bit indignant, and ends up asking Jesus, “What is it you have done?”

Jesus finally mentions His kingdom, saying His kingdom is not of this world, leading Pilate to say, “You are a king, then.” Jesus’ response is, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this reason I came into this world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me” (v.37).

To this, Pilate asks, “What is truth?”

Pilate’s question is a reasonable one. We live in a world today that questions all truth, particularly if that truth disagrees with the way we look at the world. We hear of “alternate facts” and “fake news.” To be sure, truth has always been relative when it comes to certain areas of life. But in reality, truth confirms a lot of things. Most of our sciences are built on truth—mathematics, physics, chemistry, to name a few. We rely on these truths each day, oftentimes without thinking about it.

But in other areas, we can question what is true. That’s why it’s important for us to consider what the Bible says about truth.

In the Bible, we learn that truth is a person. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). With this statement, Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the ultimate source of all truth. Using the word “the” gives us this reality. When we speak of a specific thing, we speak of “the.” Otherwise, we use the term “a.” “Answer the phone” tells me I need to respond to a specific telephone. “Let’s go buy a phone” tells me I have options. By Jesus saying He is the truth, He is letting us know there is no other truth apart from Him. So truth is a person, and that person is Jesus.

But if truth is a person, it is also a relationship. “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). By embracing Jesus’ teachings and His commands, we enter into a relationship with Him, with the result that we are set free.

This relationship is cemented by our relationship to the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus refers to as the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26), who will be instrumental in our understanding of what is true. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

And, as Jesus said to Pilate, truth is the mark of Jesus’ kingdom and His word. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Jesus.

In John’s first letter, he gives a series of “tests” to let us know whether or not we are believers. These tests are designed more as an assurance to the listeners of the letter, but it is also a warning to those who are living according to God’s will. These tests include light, obedience, love, and a few other things. Repeatedly in the letter, John writes, “This is how we know . . .” The very first test comes right after the introduction, and that’s what we’ll look at now.

Central Truth: As Jesus’ disciples, we are expected to walk in the truth.

We follow truth by:

Walking in the Light

The first test is that the person who follows Jesus walks in the light.

John likes to contrast light and darkness. In the introduction to the Gospel, John wrote about Jesus, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Here, John states that God is the light. Light to John represents revelation and life. Without light, we stumble and grope. Without light there is no real awareness of where we are or who we are. But Jesus is the light, and here John tells us that God is light. There shouldn’t be any confusion about whether God or Jesus is light, since God and Jesus are one—“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

John’s first test is that we must walk in the light as Jesus was in the light, and as Jesus is the light. To be “in the light” here is to be in right relationship with Jesus—it is to have fellowship with the Father and the Son through the Spirit. To walk in the light is to live a life of obedient submission to the Father, just as Jesus did. This is the first test—do we walk in the light, or do we only talk about the light while living in the darkness?

The benefit of walking in the light is that we have purification from all sin. Which leads to the next phase of the initial test.

Confession of Sin

The second phase is the question of sin. If a person claims to have no sin, does that person really have a relationship with Jesus?

The whole reason Jesus came into our world was to set us free from sin. This demonstration of God’s love is core to the whole Gospel. Yes, Jesus also came to show us how to relate to the Father and to one another, and He came to give us hope. But it all goes nowhere without the confession of sin. If we claim we have no sin, there is no need to confess that sin.

And it’s not that unusual for people to deny their sinfulness. If we were to ask most people, they would claim that they have lived a good life, overall, and that they expect to go to heaven, assuming they believe in heaven. If we were to ask if they think they have sinned, they may admit some wrongdoing on their part, but nothing serious. No murder, no spouse abuse, no kicking puppies. You know the drill. Most people will readily admit they have told a lie on occasion and have done other things that the Bible would call a sin, but most people would deny that it’s really all that bad.

And that’s the problem. We seem to think of sin as a specific act, and that some acts are more heinous than others. But God doesn’t see sin as a specific act, more as an attitude. The attitude is one of deciding I know what’s best for me, and I reject God as Lord of my life. That’s what sin is—it is the willful rebellion against and rejection of God. All the other things are a result of that rebellion and rejection. When we turn our backs on God, we die spiritually, and we no longer have a relationship with God. That’s why sin is so horrible.

So for a person to deny their sinfulness is to deny their broken relationship with God. To confess our sin, on the other hand, is to admit this rebellion and the confession admits that we need God to restore the relationship through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s why John writes, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

And finally, John tells us the denial of sin in our lives is to call God a liar, for it is God Himself that tells us we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s will. It is God Himself that loved us enough to have revealed Himself to us through the Bible, and in that revelation to show us what sin is and what sin causes and how that sin is paid for through Christ and how life is found only in Him. If we claim that God is a liar, then how would it be possible for someone to follow Him?

John addresses the issue of sin in the first two verses of the second chapter. It is John’s fervent hope that we will no longer sin, but should we sin after coming into fellowship with Christ through our confession , we can rest assured that Jesus stands beside us, pleading our case before the Father. Jesus is the reminder of the sacrifice that was made to cover our sins—not so that we may continue on sinning, but to remind the Father that our sins are not to be counted against us. Jesus paid it all.

Obedience to Christ

Because Jesus has paid the debt that sets us free to follow Him, John gives us the third leg of the opening test. Very simply, our knowledge of Christ leads to a life of obedience to Him.

We obey Jesus not so that we can stay in His good graces. God is not sitting in heaven watching us intently, weighing each and everything we do. He does not demand our service in order to remain in His good graces. God’s grace is what saves us and keeps us in fellowship with Him. When my children were younger, I used to tell them that they are my children and that I love them. I told them they will always be my children and I will always love them. I may not be happy with them always, and I may be disappointed in them on occasion, but my unhappiness or disappointment will never erase my love for them and our special relationship. So it is with God. We are always His children and He loves us.

The reason we obey is because we love God and we trust that His ways are the best ways, the right ways to live. And this is John’s test. If we claim to know Jesus but we fail to do what He calls us to do, then we do not have a relationship with Him. Again, works do not save us nor do the lack of works cause us to fall from grace. Rather, the life of obedience or lack of obedience is a reflection on how we relate to Jesus.

How can a person claim to follow Jesus if we fail to do, or even know, what He expects of us? There are certain commands that we all know—the Golden Rule, the New Commandment, the Great Commission. The Gold Rule tells us to treat people the way we want to be treated. The New Commandment is that we love each other as Christ loves us. And the Great Commission is to take the opportunities around us to share God’s love and message to a lost and dying world. All these things flow together since they come from Christ. We want people to love us unconditionally, and since that’s how we want people to treat us that way, we treat them that way, because that’s the Golden Rule. If someone knew how to have a close, personal relationship with Jesus, I’d want them to share it with me. That’s what the Great Commission is all about, and that’s how the Golden Rule fits into evangelism.

There are other commands Jesus gives us, but if we follow those three, everything else will eventually fall into place. The person who thinks not of others but only himself has no concept of what Jesus is all about, and therefore has no real fellowship with Him. Jesus says we can tell false prophets by the fruit they bear. The fruitful person is one who demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit in their lives—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—and the fruitful person can only produce fruit by allowing the Spirit to work in their lives. The only way to let the Spirit reign in our lives is through a life of willful submission to God’s will, and that is a life of obedience to Him through Christ.

Conclusion

When we walk with Christ, we discover truth. Truth is stronger than lies, and truth will always win out. When we embrace Christ and the truth, then we are free to have our beliefs challenged. If what we believe is true, they will stand up to the challenge. If the challenge opens our eyes, it means that a particular understanding of Christ was in error, and we embrace the truth knowing that Christ is truth.

By the same token, holding the truth means we have a responsibility to ensure that everything we say and do reflects the truth that is Jesus Christ. We must not knowingly disperse false statements or facts, because the truth cannot have anything to do with lies.

If we walk in the light, if we confess our sins and if we walk in obedience, we walk in the truth and fellowship with the truth.

Paul reminds us that we are to set our minds on whatever is true—Jesus Christ is the Truth, and walking in His ways leads us to freedom.

Are you walking in His ways? Is your life a true testimony?