"If we say...

Happy November to all blogs. We have so much to be thankful for in our part of the world. We are free to study our Bible and to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. That alone brings us great joy.

I would like to thank you for the emails and comments sent in private. If you want them published, you have to comment here or let me know you want them published.

Our study of First John continues with verse six. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him..."
If refers back to the the condition one experiences, while in fellowship with God who is light. Is it possible to "say" we have fellowship while we do not have fellowship? Yes.

We as Christians may say one thing and do another. Non believers may be deceived into believing that they are Christians. Stated another way; we can say we are Christians and in fact not be Christians. In short, saying does not make it so.

In fact, the Holy Spirit through John says if we "walk in darkness," while saying we are having fellowship with God, "we lie, and do not the truth."

Let me stress we are not saying that being in darkness causes one to lose their salvation. We are discussing fellowship with God, not sonship.

We know that light and darkness are matters of fellowship with the Father, and sonship is a matter of life and death eternally. Darkness for a Christian is to be out of fellowship with the Father due to disobedience. We as Christians do sin; but the heavenly advocacy of Christ our Savior keeps us acceptable to our heavenly Father.

Sin is not acceptable to the true Christian. Lack of fellowship with the Father becomes unbearable, though for some repentance can be a lengthy process. Sin will lead to more sin and more darkness until the Christian who says he is walking in the light will show that he is far from the God of light. Then he begins to drift away from his brethren who are in fellowship with the Father. Those in fellowship continue to love and pray for those who walk in darkness.