“We heard the true teaching from God. Now we tell it to you: God is light, and in him, there is no darkness.”

One of the songs that I grew up singing in the church was “In Him, There Is No Failure.” This song encouraged me so much, because I regarded myself as the worst failure; it seemed like my sins were written all over my face. The song aligned my mind and heart, reminding me that I have a new identity in Christ! As long as I remain in Christ, all my failures are eradicated by His precious blood (Hebrews 9:22). I am no longer a failure because Jesus Christ has justified me, and I am passing all the challenges that had kept me away from God’s love (John 3:16).

The Word of God is the truth to set us free! The Apostle John records wonderful news: “We heard true teaching from God.” Beloved, the world we live in is corrupted with lies (Romans 1:25), but there is hope in Christ alone! He declares these words responding to Thomas, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me'” (John 14:6). John wrote these words through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; they were not his ideas.

He also experienced what he wrote about with Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the soon-coming King of Glory! He is the Truth that we ought to embrace so deeply that a lie cannot even be acceptable to our minds! Beloved, you can have your doubts, but never doubt the God of the Bible! He is real; just align your faith with His Word and experience the peace of Christ in your life.

John continues by saying “Now we tell it (the Good News from God) to you: God is light, and in Him, there is no darkness.” Hallelujah! In God, there is no spot of defilement or sin! He is absolutely pure! John the Revelator records these supporting messages: “The city was shining with the glory of God. It was shining bright like a very expensive jewel, like a jasper. It was clear as crystal,” (Revelation 21:11).

We will live in the new earth, where there is no longer sun, moon, or the sea! The radiance of God’s glory will be the light! This seems incomprehensible to the natural mind (1 Corinthians 2:14), but it is the vivid truth that we will explore in the eternal world.

We have a taste of that world already by faith in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowers us to walk in the divine grace of God. John the Revelator heard these words being spoken by an angel of God, “I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God,” (Revelation 21:3). God’s Spirit will dwell in all those who have received Christ as their Lord and Savior! Keep walking in the light, though our world is filled with darkness.

Jesus said we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14); keep Christ in you, shining to reflect God’s glory always! 1 Thessalonians 5:5 says, “You are all people who belong to the light. You belong to the day. We don’t belong to the night or the darkness.” We are to walk in God’s light! This means we need to apply God’s Word, which tells us to walk in holiness and righteousness and uphold the Bible’s truth always. We are called to follow Christ and to be like Christ! I cannot be like Christ today and tomorrow if I act like I did in the past—that is darkness! We belong to the light, and we will spend eternity in the light!

By Christopher Thetswe, Bible League International staff, South Africa