Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-11-18
WALKING IN THE LIGHT.
Or. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

Lesson Text, John, 1, $40.
1t is frequently objected that Christian
teaching is too much about what we should
believe and too little about what we should
do. When this letter was written by John
he was quite old, and the truth had been
tried for a long time among men. 1t is
easier to profess belief than to do right, and
no doubt many affect belief who act badly
One of the great advantages of studying a
lesson like this is that it shows how true be-
ieving is followed by right acting, and that
the believing is the means of bringing out
the good living.
Some Of our lessons have been historical.
Some have been statements of truth to be re-
ceived. This is in a good degree expert
mental It teaches the actual feelings Of
believers, the practical religious life of men.
Probably there were men teaching at this
time in the name of Christianity that they
were personally sinless; for every truth thai
God reveals, the devil and men guided by him
will twist and misrepresent. May the Spirit
OF God help US to see and hold each truth in
its fullness and in its proper place to other
truths Then we have a true, living and
symmetrical 'body of divinity" as the good
men Of other days were won't to say. Having
Jesus the Son Of God that he had declared
unto them, and this in order that they might
be really happy ". A, he proceeds to show
how this declaration believed ought to act on
the life of the believer.
V. 5. From Jesus John had LEARNED the
character of God He was the revealer of
the Father, the brightness of his glory, the
very image of his person. He, Jesus, had
hot CIoI fc lirrbf Inrifh Iort--
ness in him. Heather gods were men over
grown, with jealousies, passions, crimes set
down 10 them, as one sees in reading even the
classics at school Think of what they
counted Jupiter Mercury, Bacchus, not to
speak of demigods, to bel "God is light"
There is no darkness of sin or of ignorance in
him. He is the infinitely Holy One. Now
". g. if we profess to be in his fellowship,
in sympathy with him, as children with a
father, as soldiers with a leader, as friends
with friend, and yet walk in darkness,
ignorance and sin, 1--WE lie, and do not the
truth This is plain. The darkness is not
that of grief, sorrow or doubt, but of wrong
1t points to deeds of darkness" The pro-
fession, if not attended by practice, is hypoc-
risy and lying. On the other hand
". \, if we are walking "in the Light
OI SCleIlC6 Ut 0N0u
moral courage, but the ways of God accord
ing to his nature las in V. 5)-we have fel-
lowship one with another-for the aim is
common one and such walking is against sell
fishness-Hand the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanseth," or is cleansing US, from all sin.
This does not refer so much to pardon, which
is full, free and complete, as to the moral
effect Of the death of Christ on US. OF
course, that moral effect implies the pardon,
or, in other words, justification goes before
sanctifcation. Hereis one who says: II was
lost; Jesus came after me and saved me. To
do it he had to shed his blood. Through that
blood get pardon. l love him for shedding
his blood for me, and because l love him 1
am trying to quit sin and to be holy" That
man is being cleansed by the blood He is
walking in the light. He loves the holy Re
deemer, the image of God, and because he
loves him he is trying to keep his command
ments Get this fixed in the mind.
V. g. If we say that we do not need to try,
that we are perfect, sinless, we are cheating
ourselves, putting a false view before our
own minds and showing that whatever We
may know about other things, "the truth"
about God and his salvation has not possession
of u.s. 1t may be about US, in our hands; it is
not shaping our thoughts nor affecting our
hearts Let US not say this, but own the
facts of our forgetfulness, folly and inconsis-
tency Then we shall carry out, for we shall
feel the need of, the words in
V.9 We are children-often rebellious
and wayward-of God. If we feel the wrong
and own it to our Father, CONFESS it." two
things will follow: (a) He will forgive That
is faithfulness in him He has promised it
and he will keep faith. See Ps. xxxiv, 4, 5.
That is Justice. Jesus Christ has made atone
ment. The law is fulfilled and honored.
God is just and yet pardons a believer his
sins. See Rom. viii, 8, 4. (b) He will cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. He does not
deal with US as with filthy matter, but as
with polluted minds. When it is our way
sincerely to own sin to God and beg his for
giveness, we watch against sin; we beg his
grace to strengthen us against it, and he
gives the grace. So we become pure, holy
and Christlike. True humility thus goes with
true religion. But with self-righteousness
pride goes, and hence
V. 10 puts it strongly, "If we say we have
no sin," etc. Why, he sent Christ to save US
as sinnersl 1t is as sinners he invites US to
confess. If we deny that we give him the
lie, and his word-which is based on this very
fact-is not in US. See Ps. Ii, 1-12 for illus
tration of all this.
V. l. The aged and loving apostle calls
the Christians he addressed "My little chill
dren." He is telling them these things to
keep them from shining, not to make them
easy in sin. "Ahl butt their hearts reply,
tive have sinned, oh, so much!" The closer
the truth comes to us through holy men the
more we shall feel this. So he replies, 'sIf
any man sin," here is his relief, we have an
advocate with the Father, representative,
friend, pleader, one who is fit and entitled
to plead for US, for he is "the righteous
We have offended God, but he never dis
pleased him at any time. And
V. g. not only is he righteous in himself,
but he is the Precipitation for our sins. (See
Heb tx, 15) He came for this; he suffered
as our substitute; he is the "Lamb slain" for
u.s. the Shepherd giving his life for the sheep.
Nor was it for you and mean apostle and
handful of believers-but for all the world,
without distinction of race, rank or charac-
ter, for the chief Of sinners as well as for the
moral and humane. No human being can
Justly stand aloof and say, There is no hope
for me in Christ"
V. 8. And if we wish to be clear that we
know him, here is the way: we are anxious
to keep his commandments. That was the
way with the twelve. They knew Jesus in
part; they followed him So with us The
knowledge is not of the head only. it is of the
heart also Itis like the knowledge child
has of his mother.
VA He that saith, no matter how loud or
public his profession, know him, and does
not obey him, is liar, ETC., as in i, s. On
the other hand
". s., he that keeps the Saviours words,
in memory and in life, in him is the love of
God perfected. To put it plainly, in him it
has done its work. 1t has won him from sin,
it has drawn him to God. If this is not the
case with professor, it is thrown away on
him "By this we know that we are one
l1ith Christ nrildrs- Of CoA So
". g. "He that saith" makes profession,
that he is in Christ ought to walk as Christ
walked. See the gospel for this. See Heb.
vii, 25. Christ is holy and came to put away
sin. A man who truly believes in him will
not keep sin, but will try to walk as he
walked be an imitator of Christ 1t may be
put thus to child: A man says, ~ am of
one mind with John B. Cough and he goes
on dfinkingl Who will think much Of his
professionl
The following points may be emphasized;
4