Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s)
A couple things recently have reminded me of the letter in the Bible called first John. I was reminded of a verse I have written about here before. John tells us in that letter that we are taught by the Holy Spirit directly. We don’t need others to teach us. (NOTE: I wouldn’t say that he means they can’t, as I think he was mainly countering some people who were apparently saying something that made him write that. They must have been claiming that the people John was writing to needed to be taught about God through their teaching, and that they couldn’t know him on their own. Hmmm… sounds familiar…) Essentially though, he still does say that God is directly involved in teaching us. (Which some today would deny.)
The other thing that reminded me of the book of First John was thinking about “living in the light”, and what I used to call “holiness”. Holiness to me used to be defined mostly as doing (mostly) the right things. Of course I don’t always, and so I am not holy – only God is, eh? – but at times I could feel pretty good about myself because I was mostly “getting it right”. I was sorta-kinda “holy”. Living in the light.
But not too long ago I picked up the Bible we keep in the bathroom, and started reading First John, since it was on my mind. What I read was actually shocking to me. (So much so that I plan to read it again, and do a commentary here much like I began – and still hope to finish… 🙂 – on the book of Galatians.) I have always thought of 1st John as a rule-keepers book. “If you do [insert good deed here], then you are a child of God. If you do [insert bad deed here], then you are of the world, [and thus worthy only of hell]. But this time was different.
This time, I saw it not as a causal thing, but more as a statement of reality. And not just the black and white, right and wrong reality… something a bit different than I have ever seen. It seems that John is talking about those who understand the Kingdom and the things of God as those who are “in the Light” (he says early on that “God is Light”, and so, “in the Light” could be easily interpreted as “in God”). I have always assumed that phrase to mean, “in the right.” I mean mostly outwardly. Doing all the right things. But I think it might be something more. Something different.
When I read it this time, the contrast between light and darkness seemed more one of being able to see. In the dark, you can’t see. You don’t know what’s going on. You bump into stuff, and get hurt. If you turn on a light, you can see. Everything becomes much clearer in the light. You are more free to move around and stuff. In the dark, you mostly stumble around and feel your way around very slowly.
Could this be the picture John is trying to paint for us? Does being in the light just mean being in God, and seeing the world the way he does?
Maybe.
Anyway, the freedom I saw in reading through the whole book was incredible. It’s not about getting it right in order to be loved be God… we just are. If we live in the light – in him – we’ll see that, and know that more. We’ll just see, and be more free to move. I love that imagery.
Once I get through this barrage of new business, I really do want to do a line for line commentary on the book. So, stay tuned, and if you read along, I’d love your comments as well.