Lesson 12: Fellowship with God
When we partake of the Emblems we normally think of that which we do as having fellowship one with the other; but the reality is that the Emblems are all about our fellowship with God.
The apostle John opens his letters by asserting that one of the main aims of his message is that we may enter into the fellowship, which is “with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Such fellowship with God is at the very heart of what it means to be the Ecclesia. Christianity is not, at its core, the observance of rituals or rules. Rather, it is a walk of personal fellowship with the living God.
But before we all sign up for the program, John makes it clear that fellowship with God is not a matter of being chummy with your good buddy in the sky! He asserts that God is absolutely holy (1:5). To have genuine fellowship with the holy God, we must walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light. It’s easy to claim to have fellowship with Him, but to be mistaken or deceived. The false teachers were claiming to have fellowship with God, but their claims were patently false. There was in John’s day, as there is today, the peril of profession, the danger of claiming to know God, but of being deceived. John’s message is: To have fellowship with the Holy God, we must not walk in the darkness, but walk in the light.
John begins with the apostolic message, that God is light (1:5). Then he develops the implications of that message as it relates to having fellowship with this Holy God (1:6-2:2). He does this against the claims and consequences of the errors of the false teachers (“If we say…”)
To have fellowship with God, we must recognize that He is absolutely holy (1:5).
John writes (1:5), “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Note two things:
* To have fellowship with God, we must begin with God and His authoritative revelation of Himself.
John is not sharing with us his speculations on what God may be like. He doesn’t throw out an idea and suggest that his readers discuss what they think about it. Rather, John says, “We heard this straight from Jesus and we announce it to you.” It wasn’t a discussion point; it was an authoritative pronouncement from Jesus through the apostles to the readers. To have fellowship with God, we must start with His authoritative revelation in His Word.
Note, also, that John does not begin with his hearers felt needs. He doesn’t discuss where they may be hurting, or bring up how this message will help them have a happy family life or a successful personal life. Rather, John begins with God and he brings us face to face, not with God’s love, but with His holiness. Coming after verse 3, about having fellowship with God, you would expect John to say, “To have fellowship with God, you need to know that He loves you very much.” But, rather, he bluntly says, “God is light.” Then, so that we don’t dodge the uncomfortable implications of that, he states the negative, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
We must always start with God. Our main problem is our self-centeredness, and so we come to the Christian faith looking to have our needs met. I’m not happy; can God make me happy? I’m looking for something that I don’t have; can God give it to me? How can Christianity help me with my problems and needs? But to approach the Christian faith in that manner is to cater to our main problem, which is self! The first answer of the gospel can always, in effect, be put in this way: ‘Forget yourself and contemplate God.’ The way to be delivered from self-centeredness is to stand in the presence of God.
Church growth leaders have started with the “religious consumer.” They have gone to people with the question, “What would you like in a church? What would get you to come back and try the church again?” People have responded, “We’d like a church that is a happy, upbeat place. We don’t want to hear about sin or a holy God who threatens sinners with His wrath. We want help on how to have happy families, how to be successful in reaching our full potential, and how to recover from divorce, drug addiction, and sexual addictions. We don’t want sermons that make us uncomfortable. Give us more drama and less preaching. In fact, don’t preach at us; share with us. Tell more stories and jokes. Don’t bring up controversial issues. Make it positive.” So, the church marketers go back to the drawing board and re-design the church to meet the felt needs of the consumer. The result is amazing growth. But, have people come face to face with the living God?
John says, first, to have fellowship with God, we must begin with God and His authoritative revelation of Himself, not with ourselves.
* To have fellowship with God, we must begin with His holiness.
The church marketers would say, “‘God is holy’ won’t sell. That’s just not popular. If you want to draw the crowds, begin with, ‘God is love.’ Everyone wants to hear that!”
But John begins with, “God is light.” In Scripture, “light” may refer to God as the source of knowledge, illumination, or guidance. It may point to God’s glory and that He is unapproachable, infinite, unchangeable, and omnipresent. But here, the main idea is that He is holy. This is indicated by the negative explanation, “and in Him there is no darkness at all.” It is this moral connotation that Jesus brought out when He said (John 3:19), “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
You may ask, “But why start with God’s holiness? Why not start with His love, which is more inviting?” First, if you don’t begin with God’s holiness, you will never understand God’s plan of salvation through the cross of Christ. If God is only love, then the cross is unnecessary and meaningless. Second, if we start with God’s holiness, it exposes all false claims of fellowship with God. In our day, as in John’s, many claim to have fellowship with God, but often this is an empty claim based on their own imagination with a false god that they have made up. True fellowship is with the holy God, not with a good buddy god.
Third, starting with God’s holiness saves us from the danger of blaming God in times of trouble. We’re all prone to ask, “Why is God allowing this? I didn’t deserve this!” But if we start with God’s absolute holiness, we will see that we deserve nothing but His wrath, and we won’t challenge and criticize God when trials come.
Lastly, starting with God’s holiness is the only way to true joy. It’s easy to have a false peace if you have a “user-friendly” god. If you bring God down to man’s level, then you can enjoy peace with God without dealing with your sins. But, it’s a false peace that will not hold up in the day of judgment. True peace and joy come from being truly reconciled to the holy God through the blood of His Son Jesus (1:7). So, John begins with God. He says that to have fellowship with God, we must recognize that He is absolutely holy.
God is not going to change to suit our whims - “the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” - (James 1:17) – it is we that must change if we are to be “like him” (1 John 3:2).
To have fellowship with God, we must not walk in the darkness (1:6, 8, 10).
To understand this, we must see that John is writing against the false claims of the false teachers. Their claims are introduced by the phrase, “if we say…” (1:6, 8, 10). John here shifts the “we” from the apostles to a hypothetical group that may include anyone, but especially targets the false teachers. Their first claim was, “We have fellowship with God” (1:6), but John says that their lives did not back up their claim. They walked in darkness, they lied, and they did not practice the truth.
“To walk” points to the general tenor of one’s life. Since to walk in the light involves confessing our sins (1:9), to walk in the darkness means ignoring or denying our sins. It is to block out the light of God’s holiness, as revealed in His Word, and to live as the world lives, making up your own ideas about right and wrong apart from God (see Eph. 4:17-19; 5:7-12). It is to justify your own behavior either by redefining sin, by blaming it on other factors, or by doing away with the entire concept of sin. To walk in darkness is to try to hide from God, rather than to expose your life to Him.
Apparently these false teachers were doing this, because John’s next hypothetical statement is (1:8), “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” They may have been claiming that they had achieved a state of sinless perfection. Or, perhaps because of their belief that the body could not touch the spirit, they were claiming not to have a sin nature. They said, “You’re just seeing my body. My spirit is without sin.” John says, “You’re only deceiving yourselves!” This false idea of having a separate body and spirit continues today in many of the Churches. Again we repeat John - “You’re only deceiving yourselves!”
The heretic’s third claim was (1:10), “We have not sinned.” This is the most blatant of the three, as seen by John’s consequence, “we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” It goes farther than the other claims by saying, “We have not sinned in the past and we are not now sinning.” Perhaps they were claiming that their enlightenment had led them to see that they were basically good at the core, not evil sinners.
The American televangelist Robert Schuller redefines sin to mean something other than what Scripture declares. He says that to define sin as rebellion against God is “shallow and insulting to the human being.” He redefines sin as a lack of trust, which “is another way of saying that we are all born with a negative self-image...”, “By nature, we are fearful, not bad. Original sin is not a mean streak; it is a nontrusting inclination.” So he redefines being born again: “To be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image—from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust.” This, in turn, changes us from shame to self-esteem, so that we can now pray, “Our Father in heaven, honorable is our name. So, the foundation is laid for us to feel good about ourselves!” - John would say, “That man is walking in the darkness, deceiving himself and anyone who believes him. Worse, he is calling God a liar and God’s word is not in him!”
But we need to apply this personally. If as a way of life, I am not allowing God’s Word to confront my sinful thoughts, attitudes, motives, words, and deeds, I am walking in darkness. If I dodge my sin by blaming others or making up excuses for why I sin, I am walking in darkness. And for John, to walk in darkness is not describing a “carnal” Believer. It is describing an unbeliever, no matter how much he may claim to have fellowship with God. To have fellowship with God, we must recognize that He is absolutely Holy. And, we must not walk in the darkness.
To have fellowship with God, we must walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light (1:7, 9).
Walking in the light is not a description of a class of spiritual believers, who have achieved perfection or some high state of sanctification. Rather, it describes all true believers. Believers walk in the light; unbelievers walk in the darkness. There are three aspects of walking in the light:
* To walk in the light is to live openly before God, seeking to be holy and hating all sin.
To walk in the light is to walk “as He Himself is in the Light” (1:7). This is to say the same thing as 2:6, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” Or, in the words of 1 Peter 1:15-16, “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Or, in Jesus’ words of John 3:21, “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” This is in contrast with the evil person who loves darkness and hates the Light, who “does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:20).
This does not imply that the person walking in the light never sins. 1 John 1:7 indicates that the blood of Jesus is cleansing (present tense) from all sin the one who is walking in the light. So to walk in the light does not mean to be sinless, which no one can do. Rather, it points to a habitual pattern of living openly before God, who examines the heart. To walk in the light is to seek to be holy as God is holy. But, what about when we sin?
* To walk in the light is to confess our sins, experiencing God’s forgiveness and cleansing.
A person walking in the light does not deny his sin or try to cover it up. He does not blame others for it or make excuses about it. Rather, he confesses it (1:9): “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” To confess means to agree with God that our sin is sin. It means to accept responsibility for it and to turn from it. God’s wonderful promise is that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive and cleanse us.
Forgiveness and cleansing are somewhat overlapping, except that forgiveness relates to the guilt of sin being pardoned, whereas cleansing points to the defilement of sin being removed. The forgiven person does not need to fear God’s judgment. The cleansed person is free to draw near to God in worship, because the defilement of sin has been taken away.
But this verse creates a difficulty for some, in that other Scriptures seem to teach that we are forgiven totally at the point of salvation, including all future sins. For example, Romans 8:1 states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Why, then, do we need to be forgiven again when we sin after salvation?
Many are confused by this as they are confused as to when salvation takes place. You will meet people in the street that say “I am saved”; often these are lulled into a false sense of carelessness believing that they can sin as much as they desire, as the blood of Christ will cleanse them. This is false.
Baptism washes away our existing sins at baptism. But after the baptism, we need to lead a new sinless life (Romans 6:4). Our life needs to have changed. Salvation will occur when we hear those words “enter thou into the joy of thy Lord “ (Matthew 25:21) – but no sooner. All those sins that we do between our baptism and meeting our Lord in Judgment do matter. If we sin, we must regret that sin, confess it and repent. We will not know that we are saved, until we hear those words. The Judgment will be based upon our thoughts and our actions from the time of our baptism to the time of the Judgment; so we better make sure that we are walking in the light.
When a person first believes, he receives all the benefits of baptism. Does he stop believing then? No, he goes on believing in what Jesus did for him on the cross. As he continues believing, he does not receive the benefits of baptism over and over, but he does experience them repeatedly. So the Believer is characterized by a lifestyle of believing in Christ. As he goes on believing, he repeatedly enjoys the benefits that he received at baptism.
In a similar way, the believer’s life is marked by continual confession of sins. It begins at baptism, when he acknowledges his sin to God and asks for forgiveness and cleansing. He experiences ongoing forgiveness and cleansing as he continues confessing his sins. Verse 7 (“cleanses” is in the present tense) indicates that there is an ongoing sense in which the effects of the cleansing of Jesus’ blood are applied to us. Thus when a believer sins, he does not lose the forgiveness and cleansing that took place at baptism. But he does not experience it in his walk until he confesses his sin. Ongoing confession of sin and the experience of forgiveness and cleansing characterize those who walk in the light.
* To walk in the light results in fellowship with God (first) and His people (second).
Does the reference to “one another” (1:7) refer to fellowship between God and the believer or between believers? In the immediate context, verse 6 refers to fellowship with God, and thus verse 7 would seem to point in that direction. But verse 3 also referred to fellowship with other believers. So I think that in 1:7 John’s primary emphasis is on fellowship with God. But fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers is always linked, as verse 3 makes clear. Since the heretics had withdrawn from the Ecclesia (2:19), John wants us to know that true fellowship with God always brings us into fellowship with others that know Him. If someone can’t get along with other believers, he may not be in true fellowship with God.
Dominos
In the 18th century, an abbot was disciplining two monks for some infraction of the rules. He imposed on them the rule of silence. They could not talk to one another. They tried to figure out some way to fill the long hours.
Finally one of them gathered 28 flat stones from the courtyard. Putting different numbers on them, he devised a new game. By using gestures, the men agreed on certain rules, but the most difficult part was keeping silent when one of them scored a victory. Then they remembered that they were permitted to say aloud the prayer, “Dixit Dominus Domino Meo.” By using the one word of this Latin expression meaning “Lord,” the winner was able to signal his triumph by yelling, “Domino!” The monks gave the impression that they were praying, but really, they were playing. Thus the game of dominoes was born.
It’s easy to put on a religious veneer by claiming that you have fellowship with God, when really, you’re walking in the darkness and deceiving yourself. John doesn’t want us to play spiritual dominoes. He wants us to experience genuine fellowship with the Holy God by walking in the light, as He Himself is in the light.
Walking in the light
True fellowship is first fellowship with God. If we walk in the light then we will have fellowship with Him. What then is “walking in the light”.
What then are the teachings of John concerning light in the Epistles, and why does John place so much emphasis upon this theme.
John in 1 John 1:5 declares that “God is Light” - John taught that God ‘s very nature, essence and character is Light. James declared that He is the Father of lights (James 1:17); Peter describes Him as the possessor of light (1 Peter 2:9); Timothy the dweller in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). But John goes further, and states that He is Light itself
There are a number of Light symbols used in the Bible that we need to understand. The symbol of Christ, the manifestation of the Father, is that of the Sun of righteousness with healing in his beams (Mal. 4:1-2). The symbol of the Ecclesia is the moon, which has no light of itself, but reflects the light of the sun (Psalm 89:37). The symbol of the coming age of glory is that of "the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds" (2 Sam. 23:4; Isa. 60:1).
God dwells in the heavens as a Being of Light, His children on earth must reflect that Light, being begotten by it. When we consider the characteristics of light, we soon realize that they are all characteristics of the Father. Christ is the Sun. The Ecclesia is the Moon, reflecting the light of the Sun. But the Father, He is light itself.
As we are part of the Moon these light characteristics are something that we need to reflect.
Light creates, makes manifest, and conquers. It creates, because it causes life to spring forth; it makes manifest, because its searching rays penetrate everywhere; it conquers, because darkness ceases to be in its presence. Thus it is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. And so also is God. We create light through the reading of Gods Word; by teaching others we make manifest and through obeying the commandment we are conquerors of sin.
Light speaks of eternity, for whereas darkness limits, light is limitless. We might stand on a plain that is one hundred miles in diameter, but if it is night-time, and the moon (the reflector of the light of the sun) be not shining, we will be closely walled in by a darkness that will imprison us. But let the light of the sun appear, and the limitless distance will be exposed to our view; the immensity of the plain will spread out before us as far as the eye can see. Through the sure Word of prophecy we know the end from the beginning. We have the sure hope of everlasting life.
Light is active, but darkness is passive. Light penetrates, and completely destroys darkness. Darkness can only exist where light is absent. If we are working in the Truth, “doing the Truth” (1 John 1:6, then the dark world departs from us. Our daily burning of oil will completely destroy the darkness that is within us.
Light reveals. It reveals the true shape of things, and brings out hidden beauty, by giving color and form to that about us. We see the beauty of light shining in the dewdrop, sparkling on the waters of the running brook, reflected from a million gems on the blue surface of the mighty deep. The Word has revealed to us what man is; and we must reveal this Truth to others.
Light is health-giving. Without light there could be no life, and where it is shut out true health languishes. It is antiseptic, for it purifies and heals. We are called upon to be caring, loving, hospitable, caring for one another's wellbeing – “true religion and undefiled is to visit the fatherless and the widow” (James 1:26-27). By carrying the Truth to others we can heal them of that deadliest of diseases Sin, and ultimately death.
Light is warming and cheering. How pleasant are the caressing rays of the sun! How mankind responds to the cheering influence of the bright light of a clear, sunny day! People are drawn from the shelter of their homes to bask in its cheering rays. It calls both rich and poor to its bounty "without money and without price”. That’s what we must be like. I remember even now from my youth, the welcoming handshake from the doorkeeper as I entered Bedford Ecclesial hall – how important that is. How many times have you been told by someone that they have noticed you are different to others?
Light gives hope and joy. Nothing ever seems so hopeless when the sun is shining. "Joy cometh in the morning," sang the Psalmist (Ps. 30:5). “I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning" (Ps. 59:16). "My soul waiteth for the LORD more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning" (Ps. 130:6). What a joy, what a hope we can give to others. What a joy it is to meet with Brothers and Sisters. We have the hope of Israel.
Light shone in the homes of the Israelites, from the God of Light, when darkness reigned in Egyptian dwellings (Exod. 10:23); there was a pillar of fire to give them light in the midst of the darkness of the night (Exod. 14:20); there was the lampstand of light in the holy place to emphasise to the people that they should "shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15). Let us ensure that our homes are full of light.
Isaiah appealed to the people to "walk in the light of Yahweh" (Isa. 2:5), for, as the Psalmist declared, "Yahweh is light and salvation" (Ps. 27:1), "light and truth" (Ps. 43:3), "covering Himself with light as with a garment" (Ps. 104:2), "showing His light" unto the redeemed (Ps. 118: 27). His law is described as light (Prov. 6:23), and the path of the just as "a shining light" (Prov. 4:18). Thus the mission of the Apostles was to turn people from "the power of darkness unto light" (Acts 26:23), so that they might be "light in the Lord" (Eph 5:8), being "children of light" (Eph. 5:13-14; 1 Thess. 5:5).
These ideas are conjured up in the declaration of John that "God is light." But it is not sufficient to have light; we must have an organ adapted to its use. What is the use of a bright light to a blind man? It matters not how brightly it shines, it does not benefit him. Moreover, even when the eye has sight it must be correctly focussed, otherwise the vision will be distorted or blurred. When the natural eye is healthy, it brings all things into correct perspective, and the actions of the body can be regulated accordingly. In similar manner, when the mental eye is sound, the spiritual vision will be clear (Matt. 6:22-23). The Lord Jesus exhorted: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Light then is a moral quality of Saints (1 John 1:7). So - "If we walk in the light“ - If our actions conform to the Truth. "As He (Yahweh) is in the light" - we recall that Paul taught that Yahweh dwells in light (1 Tim. 6:16). That light is typical of the Truth which is light expressed. Believers are called upon to walk in the light as "He is the light", that is, in the same kind of light as He has.
They cannot manifest the same measure of light as does He, but they can reveal the same kind through the revelation He has given in His word. The Truth is designed for God manifestation; to reveal the character and outlook of God in those who embrace it. This common belief brings them into fellowship with others who share it, and with Yahweh Who revealed it. Then John continues: -
"We have fellowship one with another"? We are united together in belief and action, and are likewise united with God. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son" - "Cleanseth us from all sin" - (Acts 20:28). This is effected by the confession and forsaking of sin, in fulfilment of the promise of God.
It is Light that Reveals Sin And Leads To Confession.
John claims (1 John 2:8) that what he wrote unto them was not new in that it had been proclaimed from the beginning. But, in another sense, it deserved to be called "new" for a new meaning had been given to it, inasmuch as its real significance had been revealed in the life and character of the Lord. That is why it can be called both an "old" and a "new" commandment. Christ's example gave it added power. The R.V. gives "The darkness is past" the present continuous tense - "is passing." Since the manifestation of God in Christ, more light had been shed upon the Divine purpose, which was, in consequence, described by Paul as "the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began" (Rom. 16:25). The Spirit of truth subsequently granted unto the Apostles guided them into "all truth," and as this knowledge was dispensed abroad, the darkness passed away. This likewise can be our experience, as we grow in knowledge and experience. Thus "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18-19). So, "The true light now shineth" - The adjective, "true" is from a word that signifies that which is real, genuine, or ideal, in contrast to that which is shadowy or typical. We can see the use of this word in Heb. 8:2; 9:24, where the "true" tabernacle (the real, genuine one in contrast to the shadowy typical one under the law) is referred to. John refers to Jesus as the "true Light" in John 1:9. For centuries, the light had shone fitfully, but in the person of the Lord, the divine manifestation of light was revealed in its fulness (Rom. 16:25-26). This was all foreshadowed in creation week. For the first three days, light penetrated the cloud that encircled the earth, but on the fourth day, the sun and moon shone in their full glory. Spiritual light, was similar. It had been predicted and proclaimed from the very beginning, but in the fourth millenium after creation, the true, genuine, or real light shone forth in the person of the Lord Jesus.
1 John 2:9 – teaches that it is incongruous that one begotten of love should grow up to hate, and believers must be on their guard against such a possibility. The person who claims to walk in the light of Christ's love, and yet allows hate to govern his attitude towards his brethren is a hypocrite, and, as John remarks, "is in darkness." But there is need of warning lest "hate" is as badly misunderstood as "love" sometimes is. John, who manifested love and avoided hate, could yet speak of errorists as "liars." "deceivers," "antichrist," and so on, even though they claimed to be brethren of Christ. Further, Christ commended those of Ephesus because they "hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which," he said, "I also hate" (Rev. 2:6), and because they "could not bear them which are evil" (Rev. 2:6). Hate has its place in the truth's relationships so that David could say: "Do not I hate them, O Yahweh, that hate Thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies" (Ps. 139:21-22). Christ also, looked around on the hypocritical Pharisees with anger (Mark 3:5). Let us not misinterpret a vigorous repudiation of error as the hatred to which John makes reference in the verse before us.
He is referring to hatred in the sphere of merely personal issues. Such emotion must be avoided, and we must extend love to the uttermost. As believers are sons of light, it becomes a law of their being that they oppose and destroy darkness, but it must be done without personal animosity.
To abide in the light (1 John 2:10) is to abide in Christ who proclaimed himself to be the Light of the world. John emphasises that a person abides in light to the extent that he manifests love. What does that demand? Perhaps the best definition of agape love is given in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul makes the point that love is more than understanding (v. 2); more than giving goods to feed the poor, or body to be martyred for a cause (v. 3). It is revealed in the affirmative qualities which he enumerates, and which he presents negatively and positively in the statement: "Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth" (v. 6). Paul wrote the Corinthian brethren: "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you: though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved" (2 Cor. 12:15). Paul was prepared to sacrifice his personal interests to serve his brethren, and to win them back to a consistent walk in Christ, but his stern words of denunciation and exhortation to that end, all of which were uttered in love, only generated their dislike for the Apostle.
Spectrum
I am guessing that you just as I was were taught an acronym to remember the colours of the rainbow whilst at school. I was taught using the acronym Richard of York gave Battle in Vain.
If you take a strong light-source and focus the white light through a prism then you will get the colours of the rainbow come out the other side the prism. This is a natural phenomena, we see it in rainbows, we even see it in our washing up bubbles. The spectrum of light is broken up into two groups the light that we can normally see: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue and the light that we cannot see: Indigo and Violet. The light that we cannot see, is surprisingly useful, for devices like TV remote controls. We will see a little later that the invisibility of some light wavelength is also important to our understanding of the scriptural significance of colours.
Red
That red is symbolical of sin, there can be little doubt. The list below are just a few verses that show this:
skin color - Genesis 25:25
stew - Genesis 25:30
wine - Proverbs 23:31
sores or plague - Leviticus 13:19;49 etc. (numerous references in Leviticus)
bloodied water - II Kings 3:22
clothing - Isaiah 63:2
shields of mighty men - Nahum 2:3
horses - Zechariah 1:8; 6:2
the sky - Matthew 16:2-3
the great dragon (Satan) - Revelation 12:3
sins as scarlet – Isaiah 1:18
Orange
Orange is a colour that does not appear in the Bible. But Amber does (3 times), Vermillion does (twice) and so does gold. From these verses we see that Amber is associated with the characteristics of the Cherubim and that of the Lord Jesus Christ. Vermillion speaks of working in the midst of the unrighteous, whilst Gold speaks of faith and trials.
The Churubim are not our topic, but the Churubim are a representation of the saints with their faces of Lion, Ox, Eagle and Man (the standards of Israel) who are developing Christ-like characteristics.
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The Lion, the symbol of kingship
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The Ox, the symbol of servitude
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The Eagle, the symbol of far-sighted vision
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The Man, the symbol of humanity
Vermilion is used only to describe paint, both on a house and in a portrait. Its contextual use suggests trying to work and live righteously amidst lust and unrighteousness.
There is in the midst of red and yellow the colour orange, a development from within the sinful, lusty and fleshly of a people who through trials develop the characteristics of Yahweh and come to be faithful.
Yellow
There are only four references in the whole of scripture to the colour yellow. Three of them are in Leviticus 13, and are connected with the plague of leprosy. The fourth reference is found in Psalm 68, a Messianic Psalm that speaks of the salvation brought through our Lord Jesus Christ. Leprosy is of course a symbol of our sinful nature, and so by implication is the colour yellow. In the psalm we see the dove (Jonah) that brought salvation to Nineveh as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ who despite his yellow nature was filled with the gold of faith. We will acquire salvation if we can develop this gold also.
Green
That green is associated with everlasting life there is little doubt. There are many quotations that show this. There are exactly 40 occurrences of the word green in our A.V. Bibles. The colour emerald also occurs. 40 is associated of course with the walk in the wilderness and with probation.
20 of those references (exactly half) speak of green trees.
Blue
The colour blue in Biblical times was obtained from a sea mussel. Indeed this is the origin of the Hebrew word. Many writers have pointed to the difficulty with obtaining sea shells in a wilderness to try to disprove the writings of Moses. But once again here the incredible accuracy of the scriptures is found. There are in fact many shells to be found in the Sinai dessert, the whole area must once have been covered in water. What is more incredible is that the blue we see in the oceans is in fact a reflection of the light of the heavens. And blue is a symbol of the Covenants made by God with mankind.
Indigo & Violet
The colours of indigo and violet are never translated such in our AV Bibles. Both are always translated as purple.
“And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
“And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the purple, and put on him his garments. And they lead him out to crucify him.” (Mark 15:20)
These are the colours of Kings and Priests.
There is a progression to be seen in the colours of the rainbow, a walk, a path. A walk from Red to Violet. And always when we find these phrases it is in the continuous tense, because it is a continuous walk.
Our walk takes us on a journey. From sins flesh, through fiery trials we develop faith and are granted eternal life through Gods covenant and are made Kings and Priests of the hidden age.
This is the Spiritual lesson of the light spectrum.
With these thoughts in mind 1 John 1:7 gains a whole knew meaning. How marvellous it is that in our age, this message has been revealed to us.
Our fellowship is dependant upon our walk together from red to violet.
In v. 1 of 1 John 5 – John has shown that spiritual begettal develops from belief, and this, in turn, will be manifested in mutual love within the family of God. In verse 2 John shows that this love for our brethren is governed by the commandments of God, and therefore is not merely tolerance or goodwill apart from His requirements. Love, therefore, must be an expression of God's will, and will follow the sequence suggested in this Epistle.
As God is first Light, so we as "children of light" will, in love reveal that light to others;
as God is Love, we as the children of His love, will manifest it to others:
as God is Life, we as begotten unto newness of life, will find a desire to foster that life in others as the channel of our love.
Thus, all that John in this Epistle has revealed God to be, we will manifest to others. Let us help one another along that path.
Fellowship with God
Amos 3:3 teaches that two cannot walk together unless they are agreed. The basis of Ecclesial fellowship is not however based upon men being agreed. We are very wrong if we think this to be the case. Fellowship is based upon a relationship with God, and agreement with God. We as individuals must walk with God.
Now God will never change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). It is therefore you or I that must change such that we are in agreement with Him. If we do not change, then we will not walk with Him. This is described as walking in the Light. We must be on that journey from Red to Violet. If we are not on that journey, then we are not in fellowship with God.
The cleansed person is free to draw near to God in worship, because the defilement of sin has been taken away. We are only cleansed through our recognition that we have sinned. Through first acknowledgment then repentance of that sin; and asking for forgiveness. If we do not follow this process then we are not in fellowship with God.
The moment that we sin, then we are not in fellowship with God.
We are in fellowship with our Brothers and Sisters; when we walk with God, and when they walk with God also. This fellowship is a secondary benefit that we gain.
Sadly, many think on fellowship as a church membership. Nothing could be further from the Truth. Membership and attendance does not equal fellowship. Fellowship is about our way of life. Fellowship is about walking in the Light. Fellowship is about the Faces of the Cherubim. Fellowship is about being a member In Israel. Fellowship is with God the Father, and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.