But hearing these discussions about who he was, even Christians can begin to wonder and doubt. Is Jesus really God? Did he come to save sinners like us? Does God care about me? God? Are you there?

These are not new questions, even for believers. The early church had periods of doubt and asked questions then just as we do today. And like today, it was the congregations, the elders, and the teachers within the church that came along side those who were hurting, or doubting, or struggling to understand. They did so to edify them, and build them up in the Lord, and to dispel their fears.

Our reading for today comes from 1 John Chapters 1 and 2.

First John was a letter written by John, one of Jesus' original 12 disciples. He was "the disciple whom Jesus loved". He referred to himself this way in the Gospel written with his own hand (John 21:20). There he conveys the special relationship he, and Peter, and James had with Jesus.

The letter was written between 85 and 90 A.D. from Ephesus, before John's exile to the island of Patmos, where he penned The Revelation. Jerusalem had been destroyed in A.D. 70, and Christians were scattered throughout the empire. By the time John wrote this letter, Christianity had been around for more than a generation. It had faced and survived severe persecution. The main problem confronting the church at this time was declining commitment. Many believers were conforming to the world's standards. False teachers were plentiful, and they were accelerating the church into a downward slide away from the Christian faith. Does this sound familiar? The church is experiencing the same kind of issues today.

But there is hope. That light, guiding us through life, is the same light shining out from within us. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit living within us that signifies that Jesus is living in our hearts--in our very souls. It's what makes us changed individuals. It's why we refer to ourselves as "born again". It signifies to the world that we are different… we are filled with love for one another and for mankind. All love emanates from God, and it is this love through Christ that is the light unto the world. This is the light that John the apostle wanted to share with his world, and with ours… and so he sent us this letter.

(Read 1 John 1, 2)

John wrote this letter, untitled, and to no particular church. It was sent as a pastoral letter to several Gentile congregations. It was also written to all believers everywhere. His main focus was to put believers back on track, to show the difference between light and darkness (truth and error), and to encourage the church to grow in genuine love for God and for one another. He also wrote to assure true believers that they possessed eternal life and to help them know that their faith was genuine--so they could enjoy all the benefits of being God's children.

First John was written to dispel doubts and to build assurance by presenting a clear picture of Christ. Entering history, Jesus was and is God in the flesh and God in full focus--seen, heard, and touched by the author of this letter. John walked and talked with Jesus, saw him heal, heard him teach, watched him die, met him arisen, and saw him ascend. John knew God--he had lived with him and had seen him work. He devoted almost his entire life to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As the elder statesman of the church, John wrote this letter to his "dear children." In it he presented God as light, as love, and as life. He explained in simple and practical terms what it means to have fellowship with God.

At the same time, false teachers had entered the church, denying the incarnation of Christ. John wrote to correct them. So John's letter is a model for us to follow as we combat the trends of our secular world. As an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, John was qualified to teach the truth about him. We can trust what he has to say to us.

The light that John speaks about in Chapter 1 verse 5 represents what is good, pure, true, holy, and reliable. Darkness represents what is sinful and evil. The statement "God is light" means that God is perfectly holy and true and that he alone can guide us out of the darkness of sin.

A very interesting property of light is that light exposes whatever exists, …whether it be good or bad. Let's think about the idea of darkness and sin. Someone recently gave me his impression of sin in this way:

He said, "Focusing on myself to the exclusion of others is sin".

"When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden, they disobeyed because of self-interest and ambition. They wanted to become like God. They wanted to become Gods. After the fall, their sole concern was to cover their nakedness, of which they were previously unaware. Therefore, sin is awareness of myself and my interests… over and above the welfare of others.

If I crowd ahead of someone in traffic, or in a supermarket line I have sinned. All sin, whether it is murder, robbery, rape, lying, adultery, etc, is the idea that my needs and desires are more important than anyone else's needs and desires."

Think about it. In the darkness, things that are sinful look pretty good. As a matter of fact, in the darkness, good and evil look alike. In the light they can be easily compared and clearly distinguished. Just as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. If we want to have a relationship with God, we must put aside our sinful ways of living and come into the light.

It's called living a transparent life. There shouldn't anything to hide if we truly love God. There isn't anything we CAN hide if we're continually exposed to the light of God's love. Listen, we can't hide anything from God anyway. Living in the shadows is just a way to fool others, but by coming into fellowship with God, we shed our old sinful nature--not out of fear, but out of gratitude for what God has given to us through Christ. It is out of our love for him who forgives us, shows us how to forgive others, and saves us from eternal separation from him, that brings us willingly into the light with nothing to hide.

In verse 7, John writes: "…if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin."

How does this work? How does Jesus' blood cleanse us from every sin?

In the Old Testament, believers symbolically transferred their sins to an animal, which they then sacrificed. The animal died in their place to pay for their sin and to allow them to continue living in God's favor. God graciously forgave them because of their faith in him and because they obeyed his commandments concerning the sacrifice. Those sacrifices anticipated the day when Christ would make a complete and acceptable payment for our sins once and for all--a time when continual sacrifices would no longer be necessary. Real cleansing from sin came with Jesus, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Gospel of John 1:29). Sin, by its very nature, brings death--that is a fact as certain as the law of gravity itself. Jesus didn't die for his own sins--he didn't have any. Instead, by a transaction that we will never fully understand in this life, he died for the past, present, and future sins of all those who would believe in him.

When we come into the light, and commit our lives to Jesus, and thus identify ourselves with him, his death becomes ours. He has paid the penalty for our sins, and his blood has purified us. Just as Jesus rose from the grave, so too we rise to a new life of fellowship with him, and we are able to look forward to the same kind of resurrection from the grave. We will be resurrected into glorified bodies to live with him in heaven forever. For he has said to us, "Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions: if it were not true I would have told you so. I go now to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may also be." (Gospel of John Chapter 14).

Living a transparent life, and basking in the light of the Lord, is a public proclamation that Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior. It is Christ's light in our lives which cannot be hidden but shines forth into all the world for everyone to see. Light is an especially potent symbol. One can only imagine how utterly dark this world would be without the illumination God provides.

Most of us have been in places where we could not see our hand in front of our face. Places like caves or coal mines allow us to experience this physical darkness. Imagine being lost in the country on a moonless night. The stars would be shining very brightly, yet you would hardly be able to see three feet ahead. But a light coming from a window in the distance—a single, tiny light—would act as a beacon to guide you. And the closer you got, the brighter and more intense that light became.

Whether our effort to walk in the light is just beginning or has been developing over the years, the Holy Spirit gives us courage to continue on, beyond anything we thought possible. It takes desire and discipline, but with Jesus as a beacon to guide us, we can move ahead into new ways of living.

Just before the Passover meal, Jesus summarized his message to the world as he shouted to the crowds who had gathered to listen to him. He said, "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness".