"He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes." (1st John 2:9-11)

John reminds us of the very high mark set by the life example of Jesus Christ. In particular, John reminds us of our duty to love one another.

Even if we go to church every Sunday, we read our Bible every day, and pray all the time, John says we are in darkness if we have neglected to help a brother in need.

A person who devotes himself to serving others will have a more intimate fellowship with Christ, and therefore a greater sense of righteousness. When we focus on loving others, we are less inclined to enter into other sins.

A person who, though appearing religious, ignores the needs of others is actually blinding himself. He does not realize how damaging he is to himself. He is setting himself up for even more sin. It is like he has turned out the light in a room and expects to be able to walk around without bumping into things.

When we are in fellowship with pure Light, we will have better discernment and understanding of how God would like us to live our lives.