To Waka Inside di Light

Dem carry one very old man enter one room wey full with people. Dem lean forward, dey hope say e go preach long sermon. E look round at dem with great love, and e talk only dis one. Small children, love one another.

John na one of di twelve, one young fisherman wey leave im nets to follow Jesus. E dey there for di Last Supper, for di cross, and for di empty tomb. Now e don be old man, maybe di last of di apostles wey still dey alive, and e dey care for churches inside and around di city of Ephesus. Some people don begin teach things wey dey confuse people, and some believers no dey sure whether dem truly belong to God. So John write one letter, wey soft like di words of grandfather. E start as e remind dem say e hear Jesus, e see am with im own eyes, and e touch am with im own hands.

Then John give dem di message wey e hear from Jesus. God na light, and inside am no darkness dey at all. No be even small shadow. No be even one dark corner. And dat one get meaning for how we dey live. If we talk say we get fellowship with am, John write, but we still dey waka inside darkness, we dey lie, and we no dey live by di truth. But if we waka inside di light, as e dey inside di light, we get fellowship with one another, and di blood of Jesus im Son dey wash us clean from all sin. To waka inside di light no mean to dey perfect. E mean to live for open, honest before God and before each other, with nothing wey dey hide.

John know how e easy to pretend. If we talk say we no get sin, e write, we dey deceive ourselves, and di truth no dey inside us. Na only ourselves we dey fool. But then di words come wey don comfort plenty people for many centuries. If we confess our sins, e dey faithful and e dey just to forgive us our sins, and to wash us clean from all unrighteousness. To confess simply mean to talk di truth about am. To tell God, yes, I do am, and e dey wrong. And God no dey shake shoulder like say e no matter. E dey forgive, and e dey make clean. E dey faithful, because e dey keep im promise. E dey just, because Jesus don settle di matter of our sin.

Then John talk like grandfather wey lean close. My small children, I dey write dis things to una so dat una no go sin. Na dat one be di goal: to waka inside di light. But if anybody sin, we get advocate with di Father, Jesus Christ di righteous. Advocate na person wey dey stand beside you, and dey talk for you. And Jesus, John talk, na di sacrifice wey dey take away our sins, and no be only our own, but di sins of di whole world. Nobody dey too far. Di light na for everybody.

Di scene for di beginning of dis story come from Jerome, one Christian scholar wey live around di year four hundred. For im commentary on Galatians, e pass down one story say John, when e don old well well for Ephesus, dem dey carry am go di meetings of di church, and e go only talk, small children, love one another. When dem ask am why e dey always talk di same thing, John answer say na di Lord command, and if people do only dis one, e don do.

To waka inside di light. You go find John words for First John chapter one, verse five, reach chapter two, verse two. God na light, and when we bring our wrongs enter im light, e dey faithful to forgive. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Something dey wey you don dey hide, wey you fit bring enter di light and tell God about today?