Living in Darkness

I was praying and reading the Word this morning and I read this particular scripture from my prayer bible which is the New Living Translation. I found it interesting as I had never heard the term "liars" referred to as "living a lie". The King James just refers to "liars". The NLT version of it seems to expound that word a bit by explaining what it is that liars do: they live a lie. But I am reminded once more of what John tells us:

"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth…" (I John 1:5-6)

"He that saith 'I know Him' and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (I John 2:4-6)

Let me go back to the NLT for a moment and see how it translates that portion of the second scripture that reads: "But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected". The NLT version reads as follows:

"But those who obey God's Word really do love Him."

The lie that we live begins by telling ourselves and others that we love God, when in fact, our disobedience proves that we love only ourselves and not God. That would make us idol worshippers wouldn't it, as well as liars? The idol in our lives would be us.

Thankfully, the grace of God extends to any who will turn away from sin. I once lived a lie while calling myself a Christian. But by the grace of God I was brought to repentance, turning my back on my sin once and for all time, never to visit it again. I know now that He forgave me my sin, although it took a long time for that to sink in, so terrible was my sin in my own eyes; terrible that I had shamed the name of Christ by my words and even more by my deeds. But the truth is that He is willing to forgive, not while we are IN SIN, but once we are willing to leave sin behind. His grace does not COVER our sin. His grace brings us OUT of sin, out of darkness, into the light. That's what His grace does for us. All through Jesus Christ who delivered us from sin's grip, if we only believe and trust in His completed work on the cross that He bore for our sakes.

When we live in sin, we are not living in faith. We cannot say we trust in Jesus. We cannot say that we believe in God. We cannot say that we love God. His Word makes that very clear to us.

But His Word also says that if we cry out He will be quick to answer, even when His justice demands death as punishment for our sins:

""…suppose I tell some wicked people that they will die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right….if they do this, then they will surely live and not die. None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live." (Ezekiel 33:14-16 NLT)

It is the death that Jesus endured and the separation from God that He experienced that now comes into effect when we turn from our sin. Justice is still met, only Jesus is the One who fulfills that justice. It is by faith that we turn from sin and its bondage, step out of the darkness of that living lie, and into the light of truth. It is by faith that we receive God's forgiveness and become whole again. It is by faith that we face all the consequences of our sin, if there be any, honestly and openly, no longer being condemned by it, for even in facing those consequences we are living in truth, no longer in the lie. And we are not here to please man, but to please God.

Our living in the light pleases God.