God accepts only those who are open about their failings
1 John 1:6+
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and
do not practice the truth.
Observations
direct from the text:
this message is for those who say they have fellowship with God
it is possible for those people to walk in “darkness”
of those people, those who walk in “darkness” are liars
the truth can be practiced, exercised
walking in darkness means not practicing or exercising the truth
verse 8 says “if we say we have no sin, we decieve ourselves”
walking in darkness means saying you have no sin (or more generally, dishonesty about your on condition)
in the dark you cannot see
See also
Hebrews 4:16 — “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obntain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”
Luke 18:13 — “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"
1 John 1:9 — “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
Things God Does
and other interpretations
walking in spiritual darkness means you cannot see your sin — you believe you are a good person
If you are open about your sin with God, you can have fellowship with Him
it is not possible to have fellowship with God without acknowledging your sin
We say that God can have no fellowhip with sin — but because of the forgiveness through Christ, it’s more precise to say that God can have no fellowship with those who hide their sin.
God accepts only those who are honest about their failings
do not try hide your faults from God. Speak openly to Him about them.
say “be merciful to me, I’m a real mess”
now you may have fellowship with God
It may seem like you need to make yourself seem good to be with God. In fact, it’s the opposite. If you try to make yourself seem good to God, you can have no fellowship with Him.
Application
I must tell God openly what I’ve done wrong
not just once, but regularly — daily, hourly, whenevery I am with Him
do not approach God with deciept and cover-ups. Come to Him with open shame and let Him un-shame me.