1 John 1
June 20
Reading: 1 John 1
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
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. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The first of the Apostle John’s three letters is remarkable. He gives us his purpose of writing in 1 John 5:13, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” How is a believer to know he or she has eternal life? Well, that is what this letter is all about, from beginning to end. In it we read one test or proof after another regarding whether or not your faith is real. Do you have life in Christ?
Some people think that they can know they are saved because they prayed a prayer, or walked forward, or work miracles, or go to church, or keep the sacraments. John does not mention these things, as we shall see.
John begins with his own personal testimony. In the first four verses he makes it clear that Jesus is no myth. The resurrected Christ was no spirit or apparition. He is a real human person that John lived with and listened to, saw, touched, and had fellowship with. John knew Jesus. John knows Jesus. This is the first test of real faith. To have eternal life you must believe the apostolic testimony. You must believe what John, Matthew, James, and all the others wrote about Jesus.
Next, in order to have real fellowship with Jesus Christ, eternal life, you must walk in the light and not in darkness. (vss. 5-7) This reminds us of the beginning of John’s Gospel.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John 1:4-5, 9
In the context of the Bible, walking in the light means reading, hearing, knowing, understanding, and obeying the truth. We find the truth in the Scriptures. The Scriptures direct us to Jesus Christ.
Part of walking in the light, knowing the truth, means being truthful about one’s own sin. (vss. 8-10) You cannot be a Christian if you say that you are not a sinner. If you are a Christian, if you know Jesus Christ, you will confess your sins and experience the forgiveness and cleansing that comes from Jesus Christ, who is “faithful and righteous.” (vs. 9)
What does it mean for you to confess your sins? It means that you agree with God that you are a sinner and that you have committed specific sins. You will do this every day, maybe many times a day, as soon as you are convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit. You name your sins in detail. You might need to confess the sin to another person if your sin has hurt or affected that person. True confession is always followed by repentance, a change of heart and action.