This epistle does not open up with an introduction like we see in many of the New Testament writings from Paul, Peter, James and Jude. In fact it seems to be John’s style of writing because he opens up all of his letters and the Gospel according to John with the contents of what he will be speaking about throughout the letter. So far we have seen the connection he has with the Word of life who is Jesus, we have seen the fact that he is proclaiming eternal life that came through Jesus, we have seen also that eternal life gives us fellowship with other Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit within us, fellowship with the Father and the Son and then lastly we looked briefly at the fact that eternal life gives to us a joy that is complete.
As we move along we will notice that John does not move away from these truths but rather builds off of them. The building block we come off of moving into this section is the fact that eternal life does bring with it joy that is complete. This means we have fulfillment not because God has given to us all that we desire but because we are living a life that is pleasing to Him. This gives to us fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The reality is seen in this section of whether or not you are truly following God. Many people look at this type of terminology as judgmental but we must understand the truths of what the Bible says here. If we go along in life thinking we are following Christ when in fact we are only following a social and cultural Jesus then we are deceiving ourselves. This was the false teaching from the 1st Century believers as it is for us as well. I believe this is seen in nearly every New Testament book and is the very reason we must look at this with discernment and an openness. I would rather admit I’m wrong then continue to follow doctrines and traditions that go against God’s Word. Let’s look now at our first point for this study.
1.God is LIGHT and has no DARKNESS.
Look with me at 1 John 1:5 that says And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
I love the fact that John starts with the nature of God here. This is key to understanding much of what he writes on throughout the remainder of this letter. What we see here is that this message that he is writing here was given to him. This is not his own made-up story, this is not some type of scheme to elevate him to some status as a follower of Christ. This message is about God, His Son, eternal life and His people. There is nothing in this letter that gives any other indication that John seeks to place himself as the hero or the center of this letter. He says plainly this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you.
John is simply the messenger of these truths. He heard these truths from God and now he proclaims and declares the truth to his audience. I think we could easily just say that John heard from God but I do believe that he is referring to hearing from Jesus specifically. Jesus, the Word of Life, has been the focus of his opening statement. Yes we see the Father there as well, yes we see the work of the Holy Spirit in the fellowship of the saints but we notice the focus on the life that was manifest back in 1 John1:2 where he said the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.
This life of Jesus brought about His death that gives to us eternal life. This life is the means of salvation. This life is what John remembers because he was there. Therefore John hears of the truths about God from the Son of God.
He starts off by saying that God is Light. This is not simply saying that God is just some type of light and that is it. We do not worship light because God is light. This word for light is the Greek word phós (foce) which is 1the manifestation of God’s self-existent life; divine illumination to reveal and impart life, through Christ. This is not simply a light as we think even though many times throughout the Bible we know that God is described. 1 Timothy 6:16 says speaking of God who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.
This type of terminology refers to Jesus as well as John proclaims in his Gospel from John 1:9 that says There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.
Also Revelation 21:23 says And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
There are so many more places where we see Jesus say He is the light of the world, where we see that the Holy Spirit will illuminate our minds to the words of Jesus, where the word of God is a lamp and a light but we will stop with this thought for now as we look at what John says next in 1 John 1:5b. He says of God and in Him there is no darkness at all.
There are two words here that are key to understanding what is meant here. This is not saying that God can’t be in dark places. God can be and is in every places as we proclaim His omnipresence. The first word to look at here is the word in which is the Greek word en (en). This means 2in the realm (sphere) of,” as in the condition (state) in which something operates from the inside (within).
This word is in relation to sin, to evil to wickedness. James says in James 1:13-17 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Again we see the reference to God being light that does not bring upon an individual any sin. He is not evil by nature and therefore God can not sin, can not commit evil acts because that would defy His nature and He would not be God. God is light and has no connection to darkness and it is this thought that shows to us the very reason why we too must not be connected to darkness as well. This is what we will dive into in our next point.
2.Truth about those who walk in DARKNESS.
Look with me at 1 John 1:6 that says If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth.
I want to say at the beginning of this point that if you ever tell someone that the way they are living their life seems to be in opposition to God and therefore shows that they may not be connected to God then those very people will try to call you out as a judgmental and condemning person. I do know that there are people that may come to others in that way but that is not the intention I have because I am simply stating what we see here.
For a person to say that they are in fellowship with God is to say that they are walking with God or that they are a Christian. This has been obviously true as we have seen in our study of 1 John already. As we see here John points out that if a person says that they have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, does not speak the truth but rather lies. It is the old saying that says that people can call themselves a car but that does not mean they are a car. I can call myself a doctor but the reality is I am not a doctor. The proof of these things is in the reality of the truth. A person that says I am a Christian but never lives in that way is in fact not a Christian. They may call themselves that but the truth is they are not.
I want to spend just a little time in this section to show that this walk in the darkness is in fact not speaking of a person that will never sin but rather the pattern of their life. This is vital to understanding other passages in 1 John as well. We see here the word walk. This word is central to knowing the truth about how we are to live out our life as a Christian. We see here the Greek word peripateó (per-ee-pat-eh’-o) which means much more than to just walk. It is a word that is synonymous with the way we conduct our lives.
Along with that is the concept of walking in a sense. It shows us that this is the pattern of the life not in perfection but in direction. So this is not speaking of sinless perfectionism but rather the normal way a person lives. So clearly we see here in 1 John that if we say we are in Christ and your life is not connected to Him then you are lying to yourself in this matter. As we pointed out in our first point, this darkness is speaking of sin, evil and wickedness. This includes direct or indirect disobedience to God’s commands. We are to live in a way that is different than the world and sin.
It is not simply judgmental or condemning to point out that a person that is living in sin as the normal walk of their life is not truly a Christian. The Bible is clear on this point here. In the next point we will see how it is that we need to live as the normal pattern of our life.
3.Truth about those who walk in LIGHT.
Look with me at 1 John 1:7 that says but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Here we have the connection back to 1 John 1:3 in relation to fellowship with one another. We also see for the first time in this letter the doctrine of Jesus providing atonement for the sins of His people. This all is predicated off of the fact that we are walking in the Light as He Himself is in the Light. This of course takes us back to verse 5 in showing us the connection and fellowship we have with God. As we pointed out in our last point, we do not walk in sin, we do not walk in the deeds of wickedness but rather we live our lives in the Light of God.
Jesus said this clear in a passage that most people know from Matthew 5:14-16 when He said You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Paul speaks of this in Ephesians 5:6-11 that says Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them, 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead even expose them.
An also look at what he says in Ephesians 5:15-17 Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 On account of this, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
We must focus on not making excuses for our sin based off of cultural norms, occupational standards or because I was abused as a child but rather off of what God has called us to as Christians. He has called us to holy living. He has called us out of darkness to turn from that darkness and expose the darkness as we walk in the Light of God.
When we do this we are able to shine the light that God has given to us. In this also we have received the cleansing of our sins through Jesus Christ’ sacrifice on the cross. This is the Gospel, this is the focus of this letter and is the focus of any good preacher when he stands in the pulpit each week. The fact that Jesus atoned for our sins is the very reason we have fellowship with God in the first place.
For this study I will stop here because there is much to say concerning this atonement that Jesus has provided to us. I will look at verse 7 in a separate study alone to build this very important doctrine we see John introduce here. Again this is vital to the rest of this letter and to the understanding of the Christian’s sins being paid for.
But to close this study I just want to say again that our walk, the way we conduct our lives is important, not because I think so but because God said so. We can not stay in sin and live for God. Yes we all sin but we must be living in such a way that we are actively recognizing our sin and repenting of that sin daily. This will be spoken of even more in the remainder of this chapter.
Disciple's Direction 