GOD'S CHARACTER IS REVEALED BY RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS

First John declares that God is Light, Love, and Life.
There are 2 facets of God's Revelation in I John. THE JOY OF GOD IS LOVE, AND THE
JUDGMENT OF GOD IS LIGHT. Judgment and Joy ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY.

In I John 1;5-2;2, JOHN EMPHASIZED THREE MAJOR TRUTHS ABOUT LIGHT;
[1] Light depicts GOD'S CHARACTER.
[2] God's light shines into the hearts of His elect, to regenerate them.
[3] God's light revealls sin, in the lives of Christians--

We notice, first of all,
1. LIGHT DEPICTS GOD'S CHARACTER--I JOHN 1;5-[TURN].
Now, notice, JOHN DID NOT SAY, that He is ''A'' Light, or, ''THE'' Light, but that,
He ''IS'' Light.

The Lord is THE SOURCE of all light. In Him, there is ABSOLUTE Light, Absolute light
makes known to men, God's Being and Nature.

God is light without darkness. Hence, John positively and negatively described God's
Character.

Light is self-manifested. Men see by means of light, but THEY DO NOT SEE LIGHT,
ITSELF. God, too, is invisible.

Light is transparent. Transparency describes the purity of God's Character.

Light is unchanging. God is immutable. JESUS CHRIST REMAINS THE SAME [HEBREWS 13;8].
He is God, and changes not--[MALACHI 3;6].

There is no variableness, or, shadow of turning, with Him-JAMES 1;17-''Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.''

Light is active, and irresistible, and shines in darkness. Darkness is incapable of
overcoming it, and is forced to retreat.

Light is pure. It is incapable of adulteration, and allows no admixture. The Lord
Jesus Christ, The Light of The World, walked among men, He came into contact
with all kinds of filth. He talked with an adulterous woman, and cleansed her of her
sins. He also cleansed the leper.
Nevertheless, as the sun shines on a dunghill without contamination, so CHRIST
REMAINED IMPECCABLE.

''God is Light''--A Light Ray is composed of three separate rays--actinic,
luminiferous, calorific.
An Actinic ray is neither seen, nor felt-type of God the Father.
Lumniferous rays are both seen and felt-type of God the Son-I JOHN 1;1-[TURN].
Calorific ray is felt, but not seen-type of God the Holy Spirit.

LIGHT HAS ALL THE PRIMARY COLORS IN IT--BUT BECAUSE OF REFRACTION AND REFLECTION,
ONLY ONE COLOR IS SEEN AT A TIME. White and black are all the colors. White=all
color is relected. bLACK=ALL COLOR ABSORBED.

Colors represent characteristics or essence of God. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit all have same essence-omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, veracity,
love, absolute righteousness, immutability, eternal life, justice--not all seen at
the same time.


II. GOD'S LIGHT SHINES INTO THE HEARTS OF HIS ELECT TO REGENERATE THEM.

Light is irresistible. The Holy Spirit causes God's Light to shine, or to
illuminate His Own.

In God's Light, they see light--
PSALM 36;9-''For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see
light.''

2 CORINTHIANS 4;6-''For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ.''
''GOD WHO COMMANDED''=''God who said''-paraphrase of Genesis 1;3-[Turn].
''HATH SHINED''-like a lamp, in the heart-MATTHEW 5;15-[Turn]. Miners carry a lamp on
their forehead, Christians carry one in their hearts, lit by the Spirit of GOD.
''TO GIVE THE LIGHT''-for illumination.
''IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST''-The Christian, who looks on Jesus' face, as Moses
looked on The Glory of God, will be able to give The Illumination of The Glory of
GOD-2 CORINTHIANS 2;10-[Turn].


III. GOD''S LIGHT REVEALS SIN, IN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS

The Light, that shone into their hearts, to regenerate them, continues to shine, to
reveal sins, in their lives.

THREE FAULTS OF BELIEVERS, AND THE PROVISIONS FOR THEM ARE EXPLAINED IN IJOHN 1;6-
2;2. Each begins with the phrase ''IF WE SAY'' [1;6, 8, 10].
[1] If a believer says, he has fellowship with the Lord, but walks in darkness, HE
LIES, AND DOES NOT THE TRUTH-[V. 6].
Cleansing for the 1st thought is Walking in the Light [v. 7].
[2] If a believer says, he has no sin, he deceives himself, and the truth is not in
him [v. 8].
Cleansing for the fault RESULTS FROM The confession of sin-[v. 9].
[3] If A Christian says HE HAS NOT SINNED, He makes God a liar, and GOD'S WORD IS NOT
IN HIM [V. 10].
Cleansing for the 3rd fault is JESUS' ADVOCACY--I JOHN 2;1-2-[TURN].

I JOHN 1;6 tells us, that if A Christian sins, he does not fellowship with the Lord,
but walks in the darkness, and LIES, and does not the truth.

Holiness and Wisdom is LIGHT, but Wickedness and Folly is DARKNESS.
Truth is LIGHT, but Error is DARKNESS.


Now get this truth--EVERY PRIVILEGED RELATIONSHIP CARRIES CORRESPONDING
RESPONSIBILITY.
Wherever The Holy Spirit functions, one must deal with the problem of Sin.
One, who claims, to have fellowship with God, yet walks in darkness, LIES.

Now, ignorance of TRUTH EXCUSES NO ONE. Consequently, Children of Light, who live
contrary to truth, walk in Spiritual Darkness. Christians, filled with earthly
aspirations, experince a diminishing interest in God's Word. Their concern about
spiritual things wanes, and they backslide.

A Person, who talks about the truth, without walking in it, shows he is walking in
darkness. The corrective for walking in darkness is to be sanctified, and cleansed
by Jesus' blood--I JOHN 1;7-[turn].

He, who knows truth, and continually walks in it, follows the path, that grows
brighter--PROVERBS 4;18-But the path of the just is as the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day.''

If a Christian says, he has no sin, he deceives himself, and The Truth is not in
him [I JOHN 1;8]. the one claiming present sinlessness because of personal salvation,
deceives himself, if he incorrectly reports his state.

The Old Sin Nature REMAINS in every truly regenerate person. And unless a saint,
walks in The Light,the old nature will ne manifested.

Christians, with unconfessed sins flee, seeking shelter from Scriptural Light-
John 3;20-21--[TURN]. Christians are cleansed fron their sins, when they confess
them to God-I JOHN 1;9.
Restorative Forgiveness is CONDITIONAL...

Now unconfessed sins do not remove Salvation, because Everlasting Forgiveness is
UNCONDITIONAL... It does however, require God's Chastening.

BEFORE anyone will break with sin, he MUST DESIRE to be rid of it-PROVERBS 28;13-
''He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy.''

When one accustoms himself to sinning, he becomes unaware of it.

The Book of JOB instructs us, how to abhor sin in ourselves, and to repent.

The proclamation of doctrine reaches the hearts of sinning Christians, and causes
them, to repent.
[to be continued].