I have said repeatedly that I neither know or judge the heart of POTUS. Only He who sits on the Great White Throne can do so. I can, however, observe his walk – as can each so-called Christian who rationalizes and enables that walk in darkness.

1 John 1:5–7 is one of the richest summaries in scripture of what it means to live in authentic relationship with God:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

God is light. His nature is pure and true. There is no sin or evil. No deception. Only perfect moral clarity.

Authentic Faith

We, of course, are not perfect. We sin. We deceive. But walking in the light does not affirm sinless perfection. Rather, it is a lifestyle lived openly before God – one in which we pursue truth and righteousness but are honest about our sin. This is authentic faith and by the blood of Jesus Christ we are cleansed of that sin.

But counterfeit faith belongs to those who live deceitfully. Those who profess fellowship with God but thrive in darkness are living fraudulently. One’s faith is revealed in how he or she lives, not simply by what one says.

In chapter two of his epistle, James asserts, “I will show you my faith by my works” (v. 18b). Conversely, infidelity to the Lord is exposed by works of darkness.

The Walk in Darkness

I will say it again…we all sin. But those who live in darkness do so repeatedly, vigorously and unrepentantly. They see weakness in what the Lord calls strength. They treat God’s written word as a suggestion that takes a backseat to the satisfaction of their own fragile egos.

Donald Trump walks in darkness. That is not my assessment of his heart which I cannot judge – it is my appraisal of his behavior – of which GOD CALLS UPON EACH OF US TO JUDGE! Personally, I do not understand how anyone can appraise it differently.

But what of those “Christians” who do indeed gauge it differently – and thereby enable, empower and encourage POTUS’ walk in darkness?

The Normalization of Darkness

The assumption of those who sanction the darkness of Trump is that the end justifies the means – that moral compromise is acceptable to appease their worldly fears. That a strategy of deception is prudent to eradicate enemies. That silence is just fine when the truth is inconvenient.

By seeking to divide the world into “us” v. “them” like their demigod, the apologists are effectively partitioning the darkness and the light. They claim to know God while embracing a life that contradicts His nature.

However, the Lord wills that “we have fellowship with one another” in His light – a fellowship that can only be achieved and sustained when we seek to live without deception, immorality, self-centeredness and wrath. Authentic faith lived in His light is manifested in truth, compassion, humility and love. The benefit of such faith? “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4