1 John 1:5-10 (NKJV) 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. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 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.
V5 “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.” This message includes two topics: 1) God is light and 2) in Him is no darkness at all. God is light refers to His appearance, His sinlessness (holiness), His words and actions, His character, and His effect on everything. You can learn more about the Bible’s use of “light” in the Dictionary of Bible Themes (https://biblehub.com/topical/dbt/4835.htm). The topic of “darkness” is here (https://biblehub.com/topical/dbt/4811.htm)
V6 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” What we say and what we are refer to 2 different things. Saying we have fellowship will reveal itself by how we live in public and private. Walking in darkness refers to a sinful life, thoughts, and teaching. It is imperative that we practice the truth. See 1 Corinthians 15:33.
V7 “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.” Walk in the light is the Christian life in toto. He is light, lives in the light, spreads the light, gives the light, so we can safely trust Him to tell the truth. Light reveals. It does not conceal like darkness does. If we practice the Christian life, we have the fellowship that God wants and we need with our brothers and sisters and God Himself. We are not to have fellowship with darkness (Ephesians 5:11). We are not to have fellowship with lawlessness (2 Corinthians 6:14). Paul rejoices in fellowship with other believers (Philippians 1:3-6). When we suffer, we fellowship with the sufferings of Christ (Philippians 3:10).
V8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” There is no such thing as sinless perfection. I hear of this idea less often. Anybody with this attitude needs to memorize Jeremiah 17:9. God’s standard for us is to be blameless. These are some Old Testament references from Proverbs–Proverbs 11:5, 20, Proverbs 13:6, Proverbs 28:10, and Proverbs 29:10. Some New Testament references–1 Thessalonians 5:23, 1 Timothy 6:14, and 2 Peter 3:14.
V9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We do not know all of our sins. Most sins are sins of ignorance, but they are sins. For this, it is sufficient to pray, “Lord, forgive me a sinner,” or “Lord, please forgives my sins that I committed today.” If it is a sin that we know we did (steal for example), then we must confess our sin, ask for forgiveness from God and the one we stole from, plus practice restitution. Only God can forgive sins, because He is lawgiver and judge. He will forgive us by simple, humble request. To prove our repentance, we, with the assisting grace of God, not repeat those purposeful sins.
V10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” This means we do sin even as Christians (Romans 7). If we claim to be sinless, then in effect we are calling God a liar and His word (Scriptures and Gospel) false teaching.
We learn:
- God is light
- The importance of fellowship with God and other believers
- The importance of confessing and asking for forgiveness