1 John 1

What John proclaimed and why

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked on, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life 2 (for the life was revealed, and we have seen, and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us), 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we write these things to you, so that your joy may be full.

Walking in God’s light, the results of this

5 This then is the message we have heard from him, and declare to you: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Fellowship with God and fellow believers

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.

Cleansing from sin

7 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.

1:7 What does it mean to walk in the light? John shows what it means in the rest of this letter. It is the opposite of walking in the darkness of sin, ignorance and error. It means to renounce sin and all that is contrary to God’s Word, and to put into practice what His Word tells us. It is to be open toward God, trying to hide nothing of what we are and do. If we would walk in the light we must first have the light. It is the work of God to bring us into it – 2 Cor 4:6; 1 Pet 2:9; Col 1:12-13. Being in the kingdom of light we are responsible to behave accordingly (1 John 2:6).⚜

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1:8 If Christ’s blood cleanses us from every sin, does this mean we are sinless? Not at all. Lest anyone should mistakenly think so John immediately makes the point clear. No human being on earth, no believer is sinless, not even the holiest. Paul, the great and holy apostle, spoke of sin living in him (Rom 7:17). See also Matt 7:11; Rom 7:14-25; Gal 5:16-17; 1 Tim 1:15; Jam 3:2. None of us in this life ever gets beyond the need of confessing sin and of the blood of Christ cleansing from sin (Matt 6:12). If any of us think our nature is sinless “we deceive ourselves” – that is, we are leading ourselves astray. We are persuading ourselves that something is true which is not true, and we are responsible for doing this, and so guilty of doing wrong. Thinking we are sinless comes out of our own efforts to think so, not from God’s Word.⚜

Understanding our sinfulness, confessing sin and being forgiven

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his Word is not in us.

1:10 Verse 8 speaks of the present; this verse speaks of the past. God says “all have sinned” (Rom 3:9-23). If we say we have not, we are saying that God’s Word is not true, that the God of the Bible is a liar. In such case, no part of the Bible has any real place in us.⚜