We serve a God of light.

1 John 1:5 (ESV)
⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

When John says that God is light, he is referring to God’s perfect purity. Everything about God is perfectly pure. All of His actions and activities, decisions and determinations, promises and plans, are perfectly pure. Everything God ever does, says, or even thinks, is free from all fault.

Darkness and light cannot coexist. What happens when you walk into a dark room and turn on the light switch? The darkness disappears, we might even say that it ceases to exist. Such is the case with God. Since God is light, there can be no darkness in Him at all. The ramification of this is clear.

1 John 1:6 (ESV)
⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

If light in this passage refers to the perfect purity of God, then darkness refers to all that is morally polluted and impure. Anything that is sinful, morally or doctrinally, falls into the realm of darkness. Anything that is contrary to God’s will, or opposed to God’s Word, falls into the realm of darkness. All things that are ungodly, unholy, unrighteous, or spiritually unclean, falls into the realm of darkness. Every form of fornication, every look that is lustful, and every brand of bad behavior falls into the realm of darkness. The point of it is this, whatever the form of sin may be, when you live in it, you are walking in darkness.

This does not mean that you are walking in darkness every time you sin. We all sin from time to time (1 John 1:8-10); however, when we decide that sin is no big deal, and say that we can live, lodge, and lounge around in it, while maintaining fellowship with God, John says we are lying. It may be a form of self-deception, but it is still lying. Sadly, there are a lot of people, both in and out of the church, who are living a life of self-deception, thinking that their actions have no bearing on their relationship with God. I can understand why some in the world are under this delusion, but it puzzles me when brethren fall prey to the same lie.

Some forsake the assembling of the saints (Hebrews 10:25), and still say they are in fellowship with God. Others party on the weekend, behaving in ways that are contrary to the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-4), and think they can show up to worship services on Sunday like nothing is wrong. Still, others do things like hold grudges, abuse the tongue, dress immodestly, etc., and think that their lifestyle has no bearing on their relationship with God. The truth is, however, such living leaves one outside of fellowship with Him.

Do not walk in darkness. It is dangerous, both physically and spiritually, to walk in the dark. Let us, instead, walk in the light of God’s Word. Only when we are allowing God to direct our steps can it be said that we are walking in the light, and that is the only walk that will lead us to heaven.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.