 |
|
     |
|
|
|
1 John 1:6-7: If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
I had suggested that John uses the imagery of light and darkness primarily to describe two different periods of time. Darkness refers to the night of the old covenant, which was a time of preparation for the coming of the new, the light of the dawn. Those who walk in darkness are those who cling to the old forms when the light has come.
But those who embrace Jesus have entered a new age, a new period of history, a new world. Those who are living by the pattern of the new covenant walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, and that brings fellowship with God, cleansing by the blood of Jesus, and fellowship with one another.
Peter in Galatians is an example of a believer in Jesus who was continuing to walk in darkness. He confessed Jesus, of course, and was a powerful preacher, but when he was pressured by Jewish believers from Jerusalem, he withdrew from table fellowship with Gentiles. He wanted to maintain the boundaries and divisions of the old covenant, the way of the darkness, instead of fully embracing the light of the new.
This table is a table of light. Here, we feast in the light, and so have fellowship with one another. This table is a table of light because here people of every tribe and tongue and nation and people sit at the same table to eat the same food. This table is a table of light, love, and fellowship, because here there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female. But all walk as one in Christ Jesus.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 06:48 PM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
