"God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in thel ight, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we decieve ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
What does walking in the light look like? Does it look like Moses, sitting in the cleft of the rock, watching to catch a glimpse of the divine backside? Does it look like ignoring or denying the darkness that exists? Does it look like us telling our friends that we are "fine," even though the real answer is far from "fine"?
1 John 1:5-9 almost collapses on itself. On the one hand, "If we say we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true..." but on the other, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." What is darkness, other than the presence of sin amongst us? What is sin, other than the darkness that descends, preventing us from being honest with ourselves and honest about ourselves. Can both statements be true? If so, how? If we claim Christ while we walk in the darkness, we lie; if we claim we have no sin, we lie. These two seem mutually exclusive.
Where the conversation changes is at the matter of confession. Now, confession of sin is truly a confession of who and what we are: we are a people who walk in darkness yet seek the light. We are a people who see the systems of sin and unjustice in the world yet proclaim the basileia (kingdom, reign, rule, etc.) of God will prevail, in which mercy trumps sin and forensic justice is trumped by restorative justice. In our confession, we name our world as it is and name ourselves as we are. We are bound in systems that preclude relationship and seek individual power over the wellbeing of all. It is here we confess we are unable, finally, to solve these problems (even as we strive to do so nonetheless), but that we know the One who came that these systems of sin and injustice will not have the final word. Seeking the restoration of relationship, we confess the darkness exists. Exist it may, but in our confession, darkness loses its power - if only for a moment - because we view ourselves as we are, and the darkness cannot tolerate the light of the truth. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
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