The work of light

It says: "5 This is the message we have heard from Jesus Christ and proclaim to you: God is light, and there is no trace of darkness in him. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him, while living in darkness, we are liars and do not act as the truth requires of us. 7 But if we live in the light, just as God himself is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another and, because Jesus, his Son, shed his blood, we are cleansed from all sin." (1John15-7).

As Christians, we have a responsibility to live our lives in such a way that the light of Christ shines through us. This means living in the truth and acting consistently with the truth. It also means being in communion with other believers and sharing the light of Christ with the world. When we live in the light, the life of Christ is manifested in us, and we become a testimony to the power of God's love.

"8 If we claim to be guilty of no sin, we are living in delusion, and the truth does not dwell in us. 9 If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and, therefore, will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all the evil we have committed. 10 If we claim not to be sinners, we make God a liar and his Word is not in us." (1 John 1: 8 - 10).
So it's important that we acknowledge our sins, in order to receive God's forgiveness and cleansing. Only then can we truly claim to live in the light of truth.

There are two important recommendations in this passage, but it's the first that interests us at the moment. Jesus Christ invites us to walk in the light if we are in communion with God. In this recommendation too, the Lord blesses us by revealing some of the secrets of his Word.
What are the works of light? We might think, at first glance, that they are outward good deeds, such as feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and so on; and no doubt these are included too. But the works of light that the Lord mentions here have a much deeper meaning. They are the fruit of the light that has shone in our hearts, the light of life that has manifested itself there.

It is this light that makes us see the error of our ways and leads us to repentance; it is this light that fills our hearts with love and enables us to forgive our enemies; it is this light that gives us the courage to confess Christ before men, even if it costs us our lives. These are the works of light, not only the good deeds that benefit our fellow human beings, but also the inner work of sanctification that bears fruit in obedience to God's will.

We know that God is light (verse 5), opposed to darkness (Satan). In fact, the two are incompatible. If Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12), then to speak of the work of light is to speak of the work of Jesus Christ, or of God himself. But what is God's work? In other words, the work of God or the work of light is to believe in Him whom He has sent (John 6:29). This is essential. Faith in Christ includes all that is described in Ephesians 5:8-14 as a life of light: a life of kindness, justice and truth, etc. You can't be in Christ without living all this; but Christ also accomplishes this for His own.
Judgment will depend on who has believed in the name of Jesus Christ. Man cannot live without stumbling, but he is justified by his faith in Jesus Christ, in whom his life is hidden (John 3:16, 18; Romans 1:16-17).

Amen!

P. Clémentine