Don't be Afraid to Walk in the Light

Many preachers on TV exhort their viewers to "come into the light" of God's grace.

According to the preachers on the TV, the one thing that holds people back is that people will see their sins -- will see their sinful state in full.

To combat this understandable and terrifying reticence on behalf many, teachers of God's Word will tell people that God will accept them just as they are.

Yet even I did not find that comforting. No matter how accepting God may be, I did not want Him to see my sins. No matter how forgiving He may be, I did not want my sins, my dark secrets, my great fears exposed for all to see.

As an example of how humbling the goodness of God can be to someone, Peter had only this to say after he took up a net-breaking boat load of fishes upon Jesus' command:

"'Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.'"

"For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:" (Luke 5: 8-9)

Peter did not just confess individual sins. He confessed that he was a "sinful man", bad to the bone, rotten to the core. Yet instead of leaving him, Jesus welcomed Peter into His ministry:

"And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." (Luke 5:10)

Jesus told Peter not to be afraid, He accepted Peter as he was.

Still, I am was not comforted. Walking in the light with Christ is a serious business, I thought, and I did not want to mess that up.

Most people who exhort non-believers to come to the light are referring to a passage in 1 John:

"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." (1 John 1:7)

Here, the teachers on TV neglect a crucial element. The light which John refers to is Jesus Christ:

"In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:4-5)

and

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Jesus is not the light that exposes our sins, nor is there condemnation to fear in is warm gaze:

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:17)

and

"Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

"While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." (John 12: 35-36)

Not only does Jesus invite us into Him, the light of the world, but He asks to believe on Him, that we may be light with him!

Still, I was not fully persuaded that I or anyone else would want to enter the light -- Yes, to be accepted by Christ Jesus, to be one with Him, to be light, all of that is wonderful, but there was still the shame in the deepest part of me for all the things that I had thought, said, or done -- openly or in secret.

Then I referred back to 1 John 1:7:

"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."

When I looked at the second part of the verse, there I discovered the eternal wonder and power of Christ's cleansing power. His shed blood cleanses us presently, now, and forever from all sin. In other words, by stepping into the light, I did not have to fear that all of my sins would be exposed, but rather by walking into the light, all of sins would be washed away. No one would see my sins exposed, nor would I have to suffer humiliation by accepting Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, by letting Him cleanse me now and forever, by making me one with Him (cf John 17:21), a child of light.

All this time, I was afraid that I would have to suffer shame in the light; on the contrary, it' in Jesus Christ, the light of the world, that my shame can be put away from me forever!

So -- Don't be afraid to walk in the light, for in the light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you of all sin, every kind, now and forever, transforming you into the righteousness of God in Christ! (cf 2 Corinthians 5:21)