This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7
Sunlight has many positive attributes: It allows us to see things clearly, it dispels darkness, it creates color, it kills germs, it dispels the winter blues, it makes us healthier by producing vitamin D, it causes plants to grow, it warms us, etc etc. It's no wonder that God proclaims himself to be light (is this a metaphor? Who knows, light is still a scientific mystery). In fact, we will no longer need the sun in heaven because God will be the source! (Rev 21:23)
Additionally, we as believers are also called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). The only way we can accomplish that is to reflect the glory of God by following Jesus.
Sexual Purity in the body of Christ is more important now than it ever has been. The world is rapidly turning against godly morals and sexuality. Almost daily there are new examples of attacks on religious freedom and specifically christian sexual ethics. The worst perpetrators are the false teachers who are denying the authority of the Bible and attempting to force acceptance of nearly any type of sexual perversion.
It has been shown that younger christians are more readily accepting of sex outside of marriage and homosexual marriage (Millennials and the future of Gay and Lesbian Rights).
Why is this happening? One answer is that they understand the inherent hypocrisy of compromising their own sexual purity and criticizing others. You can't be addicted to porn and honestly oppose other forms of sexual deviancy.
So how can Christians be set apart, be light and salt, if they don't live noticiably different lives? The answer is NOT to compromise our beliefs in an attempt to gain acceptance from the world. We must bear each other's burdens, pray for, teach, disciple, encourage, correct, and reprove each other in love with the singular goal of cleansing the body of Christ of sexual immorality.
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