1 John 1:6-7 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

The problem with this passage is our understanding of light and darkness. We do and we don’t understand what they are. In strictly physical terms we can talk of lux and lumens and the like, but that is obviously not what John is talking about. A study of the usage of “light” throughout the Bible is very illuminating, to use what is actually a rather helpful pun. As that expression indicates, “light” means understanding, it means knowledge, it means truth. A great “darkener” of our day is political correctness. It keeps us from speaking and receiving the truth in simple, understandable terms, and often masks great evil with soft language. In our desire not to offend, we stop making sense! What John is talking about here is being honest, with ourselves, with others, and above all with God. We’re afraid to do that! We are afraid that if we expose who we really are, then we will be rejected, not realizing that often the very things we think we are hiding are glaringly obvious. Certainly we can’t hide anything from God! Someone who is walking in fellowship with God is the same inside and out; you can trust what they say because they aren’t out to project anything they are not. That person is a real friend, to people and to God.

This is of course how I desire and seek to live, but I can’t say I’m fully there yet. I still fear how people will react to me, and sometimes fail to speak the truth in love, not out of a fear of wounding but out of a fear of rejection. God’s still working on me! The whole issue is compounded in Japan, with a long and strong tradition of “public image” and “true motivation” (tatemae and honne) as separate things. To a large extent this is behind the image Japanese have had in some circles for being untrustworthy. The Japanese themselves admire someone who is honne all the time, but they also consider them an oddity, and not so easy to get along with. It’s easier for me to “get away with” being that way, or trying to, because I’m not Japanese, but in general, they consider it somewhat rude. That’s a big problem, because Jesus was honne all the way, and we are called to be like Him! All I can do is set an example, and pray that the Holy Spirit will convict and convince as needed, so that all the believers may rejoice in the fellowship that God intends.

Father, thank You for the level of honesty that we currently have in this church. I pray that the “light level” would continue to grow and that none would hide from it. May we be a beacon, so that all who love the light would be drawn to Christ through us, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!