I admit it, I'm not humble. In fact, I'm not humble at all. God hates proud people like me (sorry but thats just a fact) There are many times when I think im better than everybody else, and by John's own words that's walking in darkness instead of in God's light (obviously). I also sin way too much and I recognize that i am far behind many other Christians.
Yet, the Holy Spirit speaks to me all the time that I'm a child of God and God is working in me and I have this other nature wanting to break forth. I want to show love to all. Yet j do what my flesh desires and give into the passions of my flesh.. I want to obey God and it feels like all I can do is repent for the rest of my life. So, what did John mean when he said that people like me walk in the darkness? Is this a salvation issue or merely something that God will correct?
Many today will attempt to deceive you into thinking you can sin and still be saved, but that is not something God can agree with because He is holy, righteous, and good. Neither would it be the narrow way that Jesus talked about, too (See: Matthew 7:14). While there is grace if we honestly do stumble (1 John 1:9) (1 John 2:1), we are not saved if we abide in grievous unconfessed sin, and we are not saved if we refuse to battle and fight so as to crucify
(or overcome) the affections and lusts in this life
(i.e. crucify “grievous sin” or sin that the Bible attaches with warnings of hellfire and condemnation).
1 John 1:7 says
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
So if we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
Being cleansed by the blood of Jesus is a salvation issue.
We have to “
walk in the light” in order to have the blood of Jesus cleanse us from all sin
(i.e. to continually be saved).
So what is “
walking in the light” mean?
The context tells us that “
walking in the light” = “
Loving our brother” according to the indirect wording used in 1 John 2:9-11.
“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9-11).
We also get the answer to what “
walking in darkness” means from this above passage, as well.
It is to hate your brother. So “
hating your brother” = “
Walking in darkness.”
1 John 3:15 says,
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
So this is why a sin and still be saved belief is untrue. We are told that if we hate our brother, we are like a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. This is why salvation is conditional and not unconditional. This is why we are not saved by a belief alone in Jesus despite how we live.
1 John 3:10 says,
“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
Is somebody doing righteousness if they are also sinning? No.
Now, some may attempt to deceive you into thinking that 1 John 3:10 is referring to how believers cannot live in a habitual lifestyle of serious sin but you will always stumble into serious sin in some way over the course of the rest of your life. But is not saying that we must stumble into sin our whole lives a mindset of living in sin in some way?
Anyways, the view that says that individual sins done on occasion is okay, and you must practice sin or live in a lifestyle of sin in order to be condemned is false.
#1.
Numbers 35:16-18 says it only takes one act of murder to be a murderer; And
Leviticus 20:10 says it only takes one act of adultery to be an adulterer.
#2. Jesus Himself regarded just looking at a woman once as an act of adultery (
Matthew 5:28).
#3. John says, "No murderer has eternal life abiding in them." (
1 John 3:15).
#4.
Proverbs 6:32 says "Whosoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding: he that does it destroys his own soul."
#5. Jesus Himself says that just looking at a woman in lust (Which is adultery) is potential for a person to be cast bodily in hell fire (See
Matthew 5:28-30).
#6. David needed to confess of his sin in order to be forgiven (See
Psalms 51).
#7.
1 John 1:9 says if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
#8.
Revelation 21:8 says, "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Murderers and whoremongers will be cast into the lake of fire. All liars will be cast into the lake of fire. ALL liars, and not just some. NO murderer has eternal life abiding in them (
1 John 3:15).
In fact, we know that just doing righteousness is not enough if we also are sinning or justifying sin in some way
(whether it is a mindset that says we will stumble into sin again a little or whether we live a lifestyle of sin).
For Jesus says,
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
(Matthew 7:22-23).
We can see certain believers who did wonderful works in Christ's name were told to depart from Jesus because they also worked iniquity (i.e. sin), too.
Sin is the breaking of the Law (or commandment).
“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law:
for sin is the transgression of the law.”
(1 John 3:4).
In Matthew 7:22-23: Jesus did not know them because they did not keep His commandments (Note: This is not the keeping of the Old Law like Saturday Sabbath, circumcision, dietary laws, etc.).
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:3-4).
Now, some may attempt to say that Matthew 7:22-23 is referring to only fake nominal believers who never knew Jesus. But this theory does not hold water in light of looking at the whole counsel of God's Word.
Ezekiel 3:20 says,
“Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.”
In other words, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and he commits iniquity, his previous righteousness will no longer be remembered. This means the Lord will no longer remember a believer if they turn back to their sin because God associates with a believer in their doing righteousness. So if there is no righteousness to remember, that means He will no longer remember a believer and it will be as if He never knew them because there is no more righteousness to remember. This is how the Lord can say He never knew a particular believer (even if they may have known the Lord at one point in time). For when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, and or if we confess our sins to Jesus, He no longer remembers those past sins (See: Hebrews 4:16, and Hebrews 8:12). So the door swings both ways. God can forever forget our past sins forever, but we have to play ball on God's terms and not our own. Believers must confess and forsake sin in order to have mercy (See Proverbs 28:13). Believers must follow after holiness without which no man shall see the Lord (See: Hebrews 12:14).
Side Note:
Please keep in mind that I do believe we are initially and foundationally saved by God's grace, but we must also enter the Sanctification Process as a part of God's plan of salvation, too. To see a more comprehensive picture of salvation, check out this thread here:
The Four Aspects of Salvation.
