1 John 2:9–10, ESV – He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.
Abide = Dwell in, live in, remain in, settle down in, take residence in, reside. Fixed, (not ‘IN’ today & ‘OUT’ tomorrow)
‘THE LIGHT’ – John 8:12, NIV: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. ‘
So, to abide in the light? = It is the Light of Christ where the believer has been placed to dwell, or abide, in. One aspect of abiding in Christ is living in His Light. To abide in the Light of Christ is to abide in His Word (John 1: 14). Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
We need to learn how to do life with God; we should Live, Dwell, and Remain in God and His Word, Jn 15: 4 – you cannot bear good fruits without Abiding in the vine, Jesus. IF you abide in Jesus, in times of your troubles He has a special place reserved for you. Don’t try to do what only God Can do, just abide in the Vine (Jn; 15, 4)
We cannot be Christians and hate other Christians. The Christian body is a large one. It is both visible and invisible; universal and local. There are Christians who belong to the same group with us and others who are not in our group.
Whether we belong to the same group with them or not, we are required to love them. Christian love goes beyond race, nationality, or family. We are commanded to love all the brethren. Christ is our Light. When He Comes to Live in us, we become light as well. In Christ, we have changed from darkness to Light. However, a believer who has been made light by Christ, could still live in darkness.
Living in darkness: When a Christian hates another Christian, he lives in darkness. Such a Christian is light, living in darkness. That means he is a believer living as an unbeliever; or a child of God, living like a child of the devil.
Living in the Light: A Christian who loves the brethren, walks in light. Loving other Christians does not mean we need to be fond of every other Christian, or be emotionally bonded to all believers. God’s Love can be understood as committing ourselves to the good of another. Even when we don’t “feel” love toward others, we can “act” in love toward them.
When we walk in love toward other Christians, we do not stumble. That means we would not miss our steps in our relationship with God, neither would we walk into the enemy’s traps. One of the most assured ways to stay in God’s Will and under His Covering is to walk in love towards your fellow Christians and the world. How we treat people concerns God; we must have a good attitude towards people; be humble. if we think of our self, more highly than others we will definitely mistreat them.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you are the Father of Light. Help me to walk in your light as I walk in your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
