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THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 4, NUMBER 46, NOVEMBER 14, 2004 CONDUCT MATTERS One of my favorite books in the New Testament is the book of 1 John. In it John attacks a prevalent first century philosophy known as Gnosticism. Without going into a great amount of detail, Gnosticism basically regarded evil as an ever-present characteristic of matter – all matter – and therefore those who held to this view were unable to accept the doctrine of the incarnation, the assumption of flesh on the part of the Lord. Gnostics believed that it was impossible for sinless deity to occupy a material body. John addressed that false view directly in 1 John 4:2-3, when he wrote, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.” While the study of this particular facet of Gnosticism is fascinating, what really draws my attention to it are the practical applications that were made of this philosophy. Because Gnostics viewed the body as evil, some of them developed an unnatural form of asceticism. They would fast and practice celibacy, and some even engaged in ritual and deliberate mistreatment of their bodies – self-flagellation and such like. However, far and away the larger problem, and the one the majority of Gnostics embraced, was this. Inasmuch as they regarded their bodies as evil, they concluded that their spirits were independent of them, and thus could not be defiled by anything the body did. Consequently they could live lives of unrestrained indulgence, do whatever they desired, on the grounds that a precious jewel might be laying in a dung heap, but it was still just as precious a jewel as if it were laying in a fancy, costly box. They believed that it was inevitable that their bodies would sin and nothing they could do could change that. So, with such a clear and distinct separation between body and spirit, they were free to indulge in whatever they wanted without spiritual consequence. In the early church some held to this view and some today act like they do. The letter of 1 John repeatedly makes the point that conduct matters. Let’s consider 1 John 1:5-10. John wrote, “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: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” John’s point is profoundly simple – do not claim fellowship with God and Christ and walk in an ungodly way. “God is light.” Not “a light” or “the light,” but simply “light.” That is His essence, it is what He is. I don’t understand all that that means, but I know that He is the “Father of light” (James 1:17 ), He is the creator of light (Genesis 1:3), He is bathed in perpetual light (1 Timothy 6:16 ), and I know that it is in His marvelous light that Christ are to walk (1 Peter 2:9). I know that “light” is used in scripture to represent truth, purity, holiness, and goodness. I also know that “dark” is used as a figure of ignorance, superstition, and sin. And I know that, using it in that sense, there is no darkness in God – none at all, no, not even one tiny particle. With this being true, how could anyone say that they have fellowship with God and walk in sin? It reminds me of Paul’s rhetorical questions in 2 Cor. 6:14, 15, & 16. “For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” Do you not see the point? Conduct matters! A man’s “walk” is his continual practice, his way of life. Paul talks about “walking in newness of life” in Romans 6:4; also to “walk not after the flesh” in Romans 8:1. A person claiming fellowship with God (light), yet walking in sinful ways (darkness) has no fellowship with God. The Gnostics thought that they could do as they pleased and continue in fellowship with God. However, the truth is that to think we are not going to be held accountable for actions of the fleshly body is a spiritually fatal view – then and now! In Christianity, doctrine and practice are inseparably connected. True, saving faith always involves belief and obedience. If we keep on “walking in the light”, and that is present subjunctive meaning that we must keep on walking in the light, we will have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. This walk must be “as He is in the light” meaning God; and it is to walk in His righteousness, to conform to His revealed will. Receiving the benefits of the blood of Jesus is conditional, and that is true for the Christian as it is for the non-Christian. A Christian cannot live in sin. He or she must confess those sins and pray for forgiveness. One the requisitions of this “walk in the light” is that a Christian will confess his sins as he is able to comprehend and repent of them. God has always required a confession of sins by the sinner, as well as repentance, as conditions of forgiveness. We have simply scratched the surface of John’s magnificent letter. We will continue to examine the theme of Conduct Matters. Greg Litmer
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