10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The last verse of the first chapter of 1 John brings the section and discussion about what it means to walk in the light to a close. It also draws one final implication regarding those who claim to know what Jesus’ sacrifice means, but who have not acknowledged their sin. Continue reading “1 John 1:10 | If I am not a Sinner, God is a Liar”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John continues his discussion of the differences between those who walk in the light and those who do not in verse 9. In this verse, we find a conditional statement that ought to help us to see how we can walk in the light. Continue reading “1 John 1:9 | Sin and Forgiveness Require Confession”
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
The greatest form of deception is self-deception. When we make a conscious decision not to take heed of the knowledge, wisdom, and experiences of those we trust we have set our course toward self-destruction. Continue reading “1 John 1:8 | We are Fundamentally Broken”
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 his Son cleanses us from all sin.
John returns to the subject of light in verse 7. As he does it augments what he means by the relationship that we have with God. There is a particular characteristic to our journey in the light. That characteristic is that it is, or should be, the same light that God is in, or rather that God produces from himself. In other words, when we say that we are in the light, that we are walking in the light, then what we are saying–or should be saying–is that we are living out and embodying and reflecting God’s love and life in our own. Continue reading “1 John 1:7 | Walking in his light”
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:6 ESV) After declaring and defining that one of God’s clearest characteristics is “light” in verse 5, John turns in verse 6 to an implication of this reality, of being in the light. It is the first of two that he … Continue reading 1 John 1:6 | We walk in Darkness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
After his introduction, John makes a declaration regarding the message that he now proclaims. In these first five verses, John makes reference to the message that he and the other disciples are preaching eleven distinct times. Continue reading “1 John 1:5 | God is light”
