For us Reformed believers, doc­trine is important. Rightly so. For if you have the wrong doctrine then you believe the wrong thing about God and how he relates to us. And then you either damage your rela­tionship with God, or you break it all together.

As John points out, some people claim to have fellowship with God, but they fool themselves. Although they think they are walking in the light, they are actually walking in darkness.

Because of the fall into sin, God's creation became full of darkness. That is what John refers to in his gos­pel when he says that the light shines in the darkness, but that the darkness has not understood it (John 1:5). Be­cause of sin we are that darkness and live in that darkness.

It is wonderful that as believers God has called us out of darkness into his light (1 Pet 2:9) and that we are now children of light (1 Thess 5:5). Those who do wrong hate light (John 3:19­-21). But when God's light shines in us and on us, it reveals our true nature as God meant it to be (Eph 5:8-13).

Without light life is not possible. Light makes everything beautiful. Darkness and light cannot exist in the same place. If we are walking in the light, the darkness has to go. When we hang on to sin, then the light goes.

To walk in the light and to be a light is only possible if you have fellowship with the Lord God. It means to take his outstretched hand and to allow him to guide you. It means to have true fellowship with him. Fellowship implies sharing, sharing everything.

Through his Son God has given us everything we need for body and soul. God's Son stripped himself of all the glory and majesty that he had and humbled himself by sharing in our human nature (Phil 2: 6-9).

It is hard for us to share every­thing with God. We want to share only if it doesn't cost anything. Often we treat him like a distant relative who out of necessity and obligation came to live with us. We are under the same roof with that person and store our food in the same fridge, and use the same appliances and furni­ture, but we don't really share. Al­though we have fellowship in some form or another, there is no real meaningful interaction. We are like two ships that pass each other in the night. There is only obligatory giv­ing and communication. There is no warmness. There is no spark. There is no connection. There is no joy.

Fellowship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ should be the most joyful thing in our whole life. He is responsible for every aspect of our well-being. Our possessions, our talents, our health, whatever we have, mean nothing without him.

God is our light. And he is our light into eternity. He shares every­thing with us and will continue to do that into eternity. He wants to be with us always in a meaningful way.

It says in Revelation 22:5 that in the New Jerusalem God's people will no longer need the light of the sun or the moon or the stars. For the Lord Jesus Christ is their light. If we live with and in the light then we will have fellowship with him forever.

For Further Study:⤒🔗

1. Why is having the right doctrine not enough?
    
2. Through his Son God shares everything with us. What is our response? What more can/should we do?
    
3. Why is meaningful fellowship with God so important?
    
4. What makes fellowship with the triune God so joyful?