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Walking in the Light - 1 John 1:5-10 — 9/4/2026 10:00 AM
Today's chapel speaker is Dr. Jonathan Arnold, Associate Dean for the School of Biblical and Theological Studies at Cedarville University. Looking at 1 John 1:5-10, Dr. Arnold points out three spiritual pitfalls about which the text warns us, and encourages us to walk in the light of Jesus Christ.
Notes
This morning in chapel, Dr. Jonathan Arnold, professor at Cedarville University, walked us through 1 John 1. He addressed a few dangerous lies that we must guard against in our Christian walks.
Let the Text Shape You
First, John gives us a metaphor to help us understand who God is: He is light. What does this mean? There have been many interesting ideas as scholars try to come up with new and creative interpretations, but there is danger in this. When you declare that you’ve discovered the new secret to understanding the passage, people jump at it excitedly, but Christianity isn’t about what you’ve never heard before. John is reminding his readers what he’s already taught them: God is not capable of lying or immorality. There’s no darkness in Him. He is righteous and true, and He will illuminate everything that comes into His presence so that there is no hope of hiding. Let the text shape you rather than trying to shape it.
Take Off the Mask
John brings up another dangerous lie. You can put on a mask, checking all the boxes to be a “good Christian,” while your heart is far from Him. This is what it looks like to claim to have fellowship with Him while walking in darkness.
You deceive not only others with this mask but also yourself. You don’t understand the damage you’re doing. That’s an unbelievable danger, but John explains how to avoid it: You need to step into the light and walk with God. The exhausting, unbearable mask can be removed by standing in the light where truth is seen. You can be who you actually are.
Realize that God already knows exactly who you are. He doesn’t expect more from you than what you are. But He does expect you to own that and recognize that faking it doesn’t change who you are.
It is not easy to step into the light and allow yourself to be seen. We don’t want others to know the problems we deal with. But being seen and known also means you can be cleansed and forgiven. You can go back to the way things were in Eden, knowing God and being known intimately by Him. You can put down the mask and stop trying so hard to be something you aren’t.
Be Transformed
John addresses one last dangerous lie: that God will let you stay where you are as you walk in fellowship with Him. You may have heard that God loves you just the way you are and wouldn’t change a thing. That’s not true. When you walk in the light, you will not stay the same. You have to be forgiven and cleansed; you cannot live there alongside your evil. God loves you too much to leave you where you are.
Don’t be held captive by these lies. Let the Scriptures lead you toward the timeless truth of the Gospel. Set down the mask you’ve been wearing. Step into the light and be transformed.