Walking in the Light

I studied Galatians this morning. It was early and still dark. I couldn't quite see the pages. I had to tilt the lamp towards me and move into the light to see. Then it occurred to me, the farther I am from the light the weaker my vision is. I am talking about my familiarity with the Word and the Spirit of God and how the farther I am from that the harder it is to see anything. To see that I even need it, to see hope, to see how to trust even when I don't understand because of the love that I see, know and experience in Him.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. That's what it says in Galatians 5:6. It doesn't say the only thing that counts is baptism or the 5 steps of salvation, but faith expressing itself through love. Not that those things aren't important, but when it all comes right down to it what matters is whether you have faith that is being expressed through love. That expression is a reflection of your heart. Faith and obedience are interconnected and not really seperable. True faith is expressed through corresponding action. False faith is when I say I believe something, but don't act like it. This is the kind of faith our enemy wants us to have. "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be." Gal. 5:7-10 I realized from reading this verse that the voice of persuasion in my mind calling me to consider gratifying a desire of the sinful nature is real and may not always just be me. I find it interesting that though I have studied the Bible and been a Christian for most of my life and know many truths about how we have an enemy called the devil and other demonic forces striving to coax us to sin and how sin though it looks good really hurts and destroys in the end that I still find myself struggling with it. In verse 24 it says "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Yet right after this in verse 25 it says "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." My first thought is if I have crucified the sinful nature how could I not keep in step with the Spirit? Does this mean I haven't and I don't belong to Christ? This sounds like reasoning my enemy would love me to buy into. He is the accuser. This goes back to the idea of identity again. When the devil accuses me or anyone my identity is called into question. I must be prepared to respond with an answer. When I am in step with the Spirit the passions and desires of the sinful nature are no where to be found in me. So here I am walking along in step with the Spirit and along comes the sly voice of a tempter that says... "you're alone". This is where it all begins. When I begin to believe this, usually its almost subconscious, I begin to sever relationship with the Spirit. When I begin to believe this I get out of step with the Spirit. When I am out of step with the Spirit all bets are off! My identity has slipped away from me and I begin walking according to the sinful nature. There is no middle ground. Either I'm walking with the Spirit or I'm walking according to the sinful nature. What the devil specializes in is trying to get people and especially Christians to walk according to the sinful nature without them realizing it. So, if I start going this wrong way do I suddenly no longer belong to Christ? No, only if I deliberately go on sinning to a point that my guilt and remorse for sin are gone do I endanger salvation. This comes straight from Heb. 10:26. In 1 John 2:1 we are told, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." Sin is deadly, addictive and serious, but if I stumble on my journey through life while I am attempting to keep in step with the Spirit, I have one who intercedes for me. However, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Gal. 6:7) If you continue to live in sin nonchalantly taking advantage of God's amazing grace you will reap what you sow... and be careful not to be one who fulfills Heb. 10:26. Yet if I walk in the Spirit, sin is of no danger to me. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55) "We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him." (1 John 5:18) Why does it seem sometimes like this verse isn't true? Because we get out of step with the Spirit. We begin walking according to the sinful nature. The child of God walks according to the Spirit. That's who he (or she) is. That's his identity. If ever we lose sight of our identity, we lose who we are. Who we are is dependent upon who we know ourselves to be... by faith. So, my greatest fear now is that I will get out of step with the Spirit. Ah, but as a child of God we have so many verses that speak of our power in Christ Jesus that is able to keep us away from this fear and its threat. But these verses are weapons that we must come to know and love and weild when we are assaulted, when our identity is assaulted. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Tim 1:7) When we are in step with the Spirit there are so many verses that speak the promises of God which we have available to us to speak in authority over any accuser or assailant, which ultimately provide us with the means to remain in the Spirit. So, here I am and I have stumbled, what should I do now? Get up! Press on toward the goal. Do not fight like a man who beats the air, run in such a way as to win the prize. Wake up to the fact that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of this dark world. Do not be deceived into believing that your stumbling makes you even the slightest bit less precious to God. If you stop now all that Christ did for you is lost. Never give up. Become well versed and familiar with your weapons of war, the Word of God which is the Bible, and with your creator and lover of your soul which makes the whole struggle against sin in life and the pains we face worth it, also through reading the Word of God. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Cor. 4:17)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)