5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. 2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.REFLECTIONSWritten by Chris BransdonWhat is the message that John is so certain about, and which he believes is the basis of true Christian fellowship? He tells us in verse 5: God is light and in him is no darkness at all. John’s summary tells us something about the character of God. Little wonder, then, that he is critical of those who claim to be in fellowship with God while walking in the darkness. He says that their words and actions are lies!Verse 7 helps us to spot the ones who actually walk the talk. Those who walk in the light and in fellowship with God are visibly in fellowship with one another. When God’s word is truly at work in us, it expresses itself in love for fellow believers (1 John 2:9-11).But how is it possible that those who once were walking in darkness (Eph 5:8) are now able to walk in the light? As counter-intuitive as it may seem, walking in the light means acknowledging the darkness. When we ignore or deny our sin we make God a liar. But more than that, unless we confess our sins, we will not be forgiven.When we confess our sins, God forgives us in order to be true to his own righteous character. This is because Christ has already paid the price for our sin - his blood purifies us from all unrighteousness. In him, we can not only proclaim our fellowship with God, we can live it out, all in the light.Reflect & pray - does your fellowship with other Christians reveal that you are walking in the light?ABOUT THE AUTHORChris is part of our Fairfield Congregation.