"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:6-7). From these verses, let us note two important truths.

Proclaiming Is not Practicing

Because one claims to have fellowship with Christ does not mean that one actually has fellowship with Christ! The proof of fellowship does not lie in our words, but in our actions. The word "walk" in both verses has to do with habitual practice. "Darkness" and "light" are characteristic ways for John to describe sin/ignorance ("darkness") and truth/knowledge ("light"). No matter how much one says he has fellowship with Christ, if he is habitually practicing sin, John says that such a one is a liar! This is no different from the words of Jesus: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord...23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:21-23).

Practicing Is Eternally Productive

When we "walk in the light," John says we are blessed in two ways. First, we have "fellowship" with one another. Fellowship is joint participation, in this case, spiritually. Fellowship with one another is made possible only when we have fellowship with God (1 Jn. 1:3). We can only have fellowship with God through obedience to the Gospel (1 Cor. 1:9 cf. 2 Thes. 2:14). Second, when we "walk in the light," we have the blood of Christ cleansing us from all sin (cf. Rev. 1:5). Without the remission of our sins, it is impossible to have fellowship with God (Isa. 59:1-2). Having remission of sins is made possible only by obedience to the Gospel (Acts 2:38). Both the fellowship and the cleansing are conditional. As long as we habitually "walk in the light," we have the fellowship and the cleansing, but if we "walk in darkness," then we do not have fellowship or cleansing. Are we "walking in the light"?