What effects your relationships?

I John 1:5–7
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The Apostle John wrote his first epistle to Christians who were in danger of being led astray by false teachers. Many of these leaders said it didn’t make a great deal of difference how a person lived because the body is basically sinful anyway. John points out in this passage that here is a standard for behavior and it does make a difference what a Christian does.

The standard is revealed in the statement that “God is light” (v. 5). There is absolutely no darkness in God which means that there is no sin in God. The only way a Christian can be living in fellowship with his heavenly father is to be walking in the light. John makes it clear that a true child of God cannot be walking in sin and claim to be in fellowship with the father (v. 6). If he does make that claim, he is guilty of lying and not practicing the truth. Light exposes whatever exists, whether it is good or bad. In the dark, good and evil look alike; in the light they can be clearly distinguished. Just  as darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, sin cannot exist in the presence of a Holy God. The claim that we belong to Him but go out and live for ourselves is hypocrisy.

How does Jesus blood cleanse us from all sin (v. 7)? Sin by its very nature brings death. Jesus did not die for His sins because He had none. Instead, by a transaction that we may never fully understand, He died for the sins of the world. When we commit our lives to Christ and thus identify ourselves  with Him, His death becomes ours. He has paid the penalty for our sins and His blood has purified us. The Apostle is also quick to point out that our fellowship with other Christians is also affected by our relationship to God. When a Christian does not have a proper relationship to the head (God) of the family, he will be out of harmony with the other members of the family as well.

Application

My relationship with other people will depend on my relationship with the Lord. When I do not have a proper relationship with the people around me I can not expect to be right with God.