Be In The Light With Humility And Integrity.

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

• Walking in the Light, or Truth, requires faith, integrity, honesty and humility. Without these, one will twist the truth, lie about it, be hypocritical in it and ultimately use it in an improper, cult-like fashion.

• Many of us have run into people like this at many points in our walk already, where one might say: "If you do not do XYZ, then you are not saved!" And the hypocrisy in this is that they look through the lens of: "If they do not do exactly as I do, then they are not saved!" which is exactly what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for... demanding others follow 'their example', which was nothing but conformed ritual without any relationship with God the Father (Matthew 23:1/36).

• If we deny our sin or force our own convictions upon others (Matthew 14:5/6), we proclaim God to be a liar, who has called us to surrender to His Son Christ Jesus, and to walk in this Truth, no matter the cost. We do this in humility and integrity, and not with a 'looking down on others' attitude of pride.