"Deeper"
Real Change for Real Sinners
by Dane Ortlund
Preparing Your Heart: Honesty
What does it mean to "walk in the light" as believers? Many Christians instinctively associate this phrase with moral purity or behavioral uprightness. But in this chapter, Ortlund turns to 1 John 1 to show that walking in the light is primarily about honesty - acknowledging our sins rather than hiding them.
This chapter addresses the crucial horizontal dimension of spiritual growth. While the previous chapters focused largely on our vertical relationship with God, here we explore how our relationships with fellow believers impact our spiritual development. The surprising truth is that our growth is severely restricted when we hide our struggles and maintain a façade of success.
As you prepare to read, consider how exhausting it is to keep up appearances. Think about the energy you expend trying to present yourself as more put-together than you really are. The Bible offers a radically different approach: bringing our failures into the light where they can wither and die rather than festering in darkness.
This chapter may challenge your instinctive resistance to vulnerability. Everything in us wants to hide our sins and weaknesses. But the path to freedom is found in the painful, humiliating, yet ultimately liberating practice of walking in the light with fellow believers. Real fellowship and deep cleansing await those willing to walk this path.
Before You Read
- What fears or concerns make you hesitant to be honest about your struggles with other Christians?
- How might your spiritual growth and relationships be different if you stopped investing energy in maintaining a polished image?
Honesty: Walking in the Light
This chapter addresses the crucial horizontal dimension of spiritual growth: honesty with other believers. According to 1 John 1:5-10, walking in the light is not primarily about moral perfection but about honest acknowledgment of our sins.
Walking in the Light
Walking in the light in 1 John 1:7 means being honest about our sinfulness, not hiding it. In the darkness, sins fester and grow in strength. In the light, they wither and die.
Two Kinds of Dishonesty
- Explicit dishonesty - Outright lying.
- Implicit dishonesty - Self-projection that gives an appearance of moral success when the truth is far different. This is more subtle and more common.
Everything in us resists honesty. It feels like a kind of death. But it is the pathway to true life and growth.
The Fruits of Walking in the Light
The text mentions two powerful results of honesty:
- We have fellowship with one another - Real Christian fellowship comes when we drop our pretenses and share our real selves.
- The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin - As we honestly confess our sins, we experience more deeply the cleansing power of Christ's sacrifice.
Discussion Questions
- Think of a time when someone was unexpectedly honest with you about their struggles or weaknesses. How did it affect your perception of them and your relationship with them?
- What makes it so difficult to be honest about our sins with other believers?
- Is there someone in your life who knows you are a sinner not only generally but also specifically?
- How have you experienced the freedom that comes from bringing sin into the light?
- What's the difference between unhealthy vulnerability and biblical honesty?
- How might increased honesty with others deepen your experience of Christ's cleansing?
Application
This week, prayerfully identify one trusted Christian friend with whom you can be honest about a specific struggle in your life. Set aside time to meet with them, and share not just the general reality that you're a sinner, but a specific sin or struggle you face. Pay attention to the freedom and lightness you feel after bringing this into the light, and how it affects your experience of Christian fellowship.