THE SECOND CRISIS IN CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
09 -- IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT
Walking in the light pre-supposes that one is in the light.
In the Scripture the sinner is spoken of as being in darkness, and,
therefore, cannot walk in the light. We are told that men "loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved." "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord: walk as children of light."
Speaking of Christians, the Apostle Paul said, "Ye are
all the children of light, and the children of the day: "Ye are not of the
night, nor of darkness." (I. Thess. 5:5). He said his mission to the
Gentiles was "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to
light." He testified, "God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6.)
Christians are in the habit of singing:
"At the cross, at the cross,
Where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away;
It was there, by faith,
I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day."
And this is correct. This experience is known as conversion,
justification, regeneration, or being born again. It was then that our blinded
eyes were opened and that we emerged from darkness into light. Sin darkens the
mind and shuts out the light of God. The call to every sinner is, "Awake,
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee
light." (Eph. 5:14)
Jesus said, "If, therefore, thine eye be single, thy
whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body
shall be full of darkness." (Matt. 6:22, 23.) The single eye doubtless
refers to singleness of purpose; the purpose of the heart to turn from all evil
and follow only that which is good. It is nothing less than a complete
consecration of all to God.
Light is frequently used in the Bible as a synonym not only
for knowledge, but for God's favor. David said, "Blessed is the people
that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy
countenance." (Ps. 89:15.) "They got not the land in possession by
their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and
Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto
them." (Ps. 44:3.)
No one can retain the favor of God and disobey Him. Hence,
if we would "walk in the light," we must walk in obedience. And to
such as have retained the favor of God and now walk in obedience, there comes
the promise that "the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from
all sin." (I. John 1:7.)
So we see that there is a cleansing from sin as an
experience subsequent to regeneration, for such as are in the light and walking
in obedience to the will of God. This cleansing from all sin is what Mr. Wesley
termed "The second blessing, properly so-called." Certain it is that
no man can walk in the light until after he has received the light.
This first epistle of John was written to justified
believers and written "because" their sins are forgiven, and
"because" they have known the Father, and "because" they
are strong, and "because" the word of God abideth in them, and
"because" they have overcome the wicked one. See I. John 2:12-14. He
says his object in writing to them is that "your joy may be full,"
(1:4), and "that ye sin not" (2:1). But in order that they as
Christians might have this fullness of joy and "sin not," he urges upon
them the necessity of walking in the light and so being cleansed from all sin.
Sins committed must be confessed, and are forgiven. Pardon
is a judicial act; cleansing is a priestly function. Original or inbred sin
cannot be pardoned, for the simple reason that it is not something we have
done, but a something inherited, inborn. And while this, in the nature of the
case, cannot be forgiven, there is power and efficacy in the blood of Jesus to
cleanse it away. It is this cleansing that takes place after we are in the
light and "walk in the light."
Seeing that obedience is essential and necessary in order to
retain the favor of God, there comes the time in the life of the believer when
he must find this cleansing, or by his disobedience and refusal to walk in the
light he will lose the favor of God, and the light that is in him will become
darkness: "how great is that darkness."
But he that walks in the light will find not only the
cleansing from all sin, but that "the path of the just is as the shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." "The Lord shall be
unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go
down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be thine
everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." (Isa.
60:19, 20.) Therefore, "ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath
called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
