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abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his
brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth,
because that darkness hath blinded his eyes" (I John 2: 8-11).
This quotation exhausts the references to light and darkness in this epistle, and proof is
not needed that here the subject is pre-eminently practical. The same is true of the phase
that appears in 1: 6:--
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not
the truth."
The words, "If we say", are repeated in verses 8 and 10, and the variant, "He that
saith" in 2: 4, 6 and 9. The first occurrence of the latter expression is evidently parallel
with 1: 6:--
"He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him" (2: 4).
To say we have fellowship with God while we ourselves walk in darkness is to lie, and
to "do not the truth". The statement in verse 10 is similar:--
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in use" (1: 10).
The word "liar" occurs again in 2: 4, which we have just quoted; and is the title of
antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son. The great basis of fellowship is life, but we
can only see life by light, and this raises the practical side of the question connected with
our walk.
While we may not be able to discover an example in the Scriptures of a Christian
being excluded from manifest fellowship on account of immorality--in other words, for
an inconsistent walk. So far as our understanding of the teaching of the Word is
connected, we believe that fellowship among believers is as extensive as manifest life,
but that fellowship in ministry is not only concerned with life and walk, but also with
light. To use more modern terms, the pulpit is much narrower than the pew. A solemn
responsibility rests upon any child of God who refuses fellowship with any other child of
God on the ground of differences of "light". But an equal responsibility rests upon those
leaders and teachers of God's people who open pulpit and platform to any child of God
simply because he has "life".
In matters of teaching, the apostle is very exacting:--
"The things that thou hast heard of me, the same commit thou to faithful men who
shall be able to teach others also" (II Tim. 2: 2).
Let us remember that the fellowship of life demands a corresponding fellowship in
light. The fellowship with the Father and the Son should be manifested by a walk that is
worthy.