1 John 1:6
The sermon explores the essential nature of true fellowship with God, emphasizing the necessity of walking in the light and rejecting darkness and sin.
John Gill emphasizes the contradiction of claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness, which represents sin, ignorance, and unbelief. He explains that those who profess to have communion with God but continue in sinful ways are deceiving themselves and are hypocrites. True fellowship with God results in walking in the light, as God is light, and one cannot genuinely know Him while remaining in darkness. Gill warns that such individuals are liars, as their actions do not align with the truth of the Gospel. The sermon calls for self-examination and a sincere pursuit of the light of Christ.
Text
Ver. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, "for if we say": that is, if any profess to be partakers of the divine nature, to be like unto God, and to have communion with him, to have the light of his countenance, and the discoveries of his love:
and walk in darkness; in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief, or are in a state of unregeneracy and blindness; whose understandings are darkened, and they know not God in Christ, nor have any true sight and sense of themselves, their sin and danger; and are ignorant of Christ and his righteousness, and the way of salvation by him; and are strangers to the Spirit of God, and the work of his grace; and are unacquainted with the truths of the Gospel; and not only so, but go on in darkness more and more; prefer it to the light, love it, and the works of it; have fellowship with them, and choose them; take pleasure in the ways of sin and wickedness, and continue, and walk on in them; if such persons pretend to fellowship with God, they are liars:
we lie; it cannot be, it is a contradiction, the thing is impossible and impracticable; what communion hath light with darkness? or what fellowship can the throne of iniquity, or those in whom sin reigns, have with God? for God is light, and were they partakers of him, or like unto him, or had communion with him, they would consequently be in the light, and not in darkness, and much less walk in it; wherefore they are liars,
and do not the truth: they do not say the truth, nor act according to it; they do not act uprightly or sincerely, but are hypocrites, and pretend to that which they have not; and if they did the truth, they would come to the light, and not walk in darkness; see Joh 3:21.
Sermon Outline
-
I
- Understanding Fellowship with God
- The Nature of Divine Communion
- The Importance of Walking in Light
-
II
- The Consequences of Walking in Darkness
- Identifying True Believers vs. Hypocrites
- The Role of Sin and Ignorance
-
III
- The Impossibility of Fellowship with Darkness
- God as Light and Its Implications
- Living Out the Truth of the Gospel
-
IV
- The Call to Genuine Faith
- Responding to the Light
- The Assurance of Salvation
Key Quotes
“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness; we lie.” — John Gill
“What communion hath light with darkness?” — John Gill
“If they did the truth, they would come to the light, and not walk in darkness.” — John Gill
Application Points
- Evaluate your own life to determine if you are walking in the light or darkness.
- Seek to deepen your relationship with God through prayer and studying His Word.
- Be honest in your faith, avoiding hypocrisy by living out the truth of the Gospel.