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1 John 1:5–10

Big idea: God is light and I need to live a life of confession in the light.

I have a hard time seeing in the dark. That might sound like an obvious thing to say, but my brain just can’t function unless my work area is brightly lit. First thing in the morning, I’m turning all the lights on so that my brain can function. It’s especially noticeable when I’m trying to concentrate—bright lights just have to be on. At 5:30 am, all the bright lights are on as I’m getting ready for the day and opening up my bible. Natasha used to make fun of me (she still kind of does), but recently I went to the eye doctor and she said that I have astigmatism — she confirmed my crazy beliefs and thoughts about light! I really do need to be walking around in the light. I can’t live in the darkness. But Natasha, on the other, likes to do what most normal people do and ease into the day. (I’ve offered to buy her some sun glasses so that we’d both be happy.) But as I’m walking around, I need to be in the light, in the physical light.

I’ve been spending time with the apostle John over the last couple of weeks, and in his first letter he draws attention to walking around in spiritual light. Just like how I need to walk around in physical light so that I can focus and live according to my purpose and not stumble and trip and bump in to physical things, John says that all of us Christians need to walk around in the spiritual light so that we won’t get tripped up over the things in the spiritual darkness. But yet, when we do stumble and fall, God’s light offers forgiveness and his light always brings us back into fellowship with one another and with God.

1 John 1:5–10

[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.

Last week we looked at the prologue to this short letter by John. The big idea in the first 4 verses is that through the life of Jesus (the word of life), we have fellowship with one another. If John were here with us this morning sitting in the front, I bet he’d be smiling because he said that his joy would be complete as we study and apply his words to our lives. 

As John starts the body of his letter in verse 5, he starts by proclaiming that God is light and there’s a right way to respond to that fact and there’s a wrong way. I can choose to ignore who God is and live in darkness, or I can live by faith — a life of confession as John states in verse 9 — and live in the spiritual light of the word of life.

That’s the big idea in this section: God is light and I need to live a life of confession in the light in fellowship with one another.

John addresses something that we don’t like to talk about: sin. But before we go there, we need to understand where our salvation comes from. My salvation is not based on my works; it’s not based on how good I am; it’s not based on what I’ve said or done or ever will say or do. My salvation is purely based on the fact that Jesus chose me, he lived my life in my place for me, and he died my death in my place for me.

Sin has to be dealt with; it cannot remain unpunished. 

If we were to talk about breaking laws in the land that we live in, there are certain set punishments for certain crimes. Speeding might get me a $200 fine. If I’m convicted of robbery, I might face some jail time. There’s a bit of a scale but I can generally get through life by being relatively good. But spiritually speaking, God demands perfection and he has a rulebook (it’s called the Torah). If I miss the smallest thing in God’s rulebook, I will face the death penalty. If you think this is just an Old Testament thing, listen to Jesus words in Matthew 5: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48 ESV) As humans, this is hard to hear. In addition to that, every one of us is born into sin because of the sins of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Spiritually speaking, from the moment we take our first breath, we’re set up for failure: helpless and hopeless.

But as we know, God wasn’t willing for this to be the end of the story. He promised that a messiah would come. Isaiah prophesied that “the Lord himself will give you a sign… the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” (Isaiah 7:14) which means God with us. His name is Jesus.

Jesus, who was fully man and fully God, came to earth in order to die, in order to take the punishment that was ours. Because of the cross, there’s a transaction that takes place: (1) my sins are put on him at the cross and (2) his righteousness is put on me. The death penalty is still paid, but it’s not paid by me, it’s paid by Jesus. 

I can reject this or I can accept it. If I reject it, I still carry my sins, I’m living a life in slavery to sin and I will still face the death penalty at the time of judgement. However, if I accept what Jesus did for me then I owe him my life. I don’t live a life enslaved to sin anymore, I don’t walk in darkness anymore, and when the time of judgement arrives, the Father will see Jesus’ righteousness on my life instead of my sins.

As we approach this text in 1 John 1, we need to completely understand that it’s only by faith that we are Christians. When John says things like “I must walk in the light; we lie when we walk in darkness; have fellowship with one another…,” John is talking about our response to the grace that God has given us, not about earning our salvation.

[5] …that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

Try to imagine the triune God before creation. When I think of the time before eternity past, in my mind I just see darkness. But I don’t think that’s accurate. The bible describes God as light, not darkness. Our universe didn’t even exist; we live in a created universe. God existed as light before he created the universe in Genesis 1 and he spoke it into existence by saying “let there be light.”

All throughout the bible God is described as light that shines:

  • When Abraham had a vision of the covenant God made with him, it included a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch (Genesis 15:17).
  • When Moses met God, it was through a fire — the burning bush (Exodus 3).
  • As God led the Israelites through the wilderness, it was by a cloud by day and a fire by night (Exodus 13:21).
  • Throughout the Psalms, the writers often say:
    • “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1)
    • “Make Your face to shine upon Your servant” (Psalm 31:16)
    • “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” (Psalm 80:3)
  • In the new heaven and new earth, there will be no need for a sun because the glory of God will give it its light, and its lamp will be the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

When God shines, darkness is hidden. Sin cannot exist in the presence of God; darkness is completely swallowed up in his light. His light casts truth on all the dark areas in our lives.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full, in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace

But there’s another thing that John was addressing by saying that God is light. At the time John was writing this, there was a growing threat of Gnosticism. The word “gnostic” is related to the word knowledge. There were certain people in the 1st century that claimed to have a secret knowledge of God. This group took some of the teachings of Christianity but added some of their own secret knowledge to it, and they would go around claiming that if you want to go to heaven, you have to get the secret knowledge from us and you have to become one of us. John has this in mind as he’s writing to the church in Ephesus. He says, “no, God is not in the secret, he’s not in the darkness; God is light; he’s the word of life that we have looked upon, that we have touched, that we have seen with our eyes and that that we have heard with our ears. There is no secret, dark, mysterious knowledge that you must acquire. God is light.”

[6] If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 

This is the part of the passage that might make us uneasy. 

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk around in darkness, John is calling us liars.

In other words, does my life on Sunday mornings look the same or different from my life during the week. Does my conversation with my co-workers and friends throughout the week have the same tone, flavour, grace, and love that it does here, worshipping together?

We prayed together this morning. Are you spending time in prayer throughout the week? Are you praying together as a family at home?

We worshipped together this morning. Are you worshipping with your family at home?

I hope there’s been some confession here this morning; are you spending time confessing your sins as you talk to Jesus throughout the week?

We have our bibles open this morning. Do you open your bibles on a daily basis at home?

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

The world loves darkness. But Christian, you are not of the world. Jesus said that “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19 ESV)

The world is in darkness. Your life, as a child of the light, should look different. If it doesn’t there’s something wrong. The world loves darkness. We, as children of the light, should love light. What part of you loves darkness more than light. Where does the light of God need to shine in your life?

[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. 

Here are the two benefits to walking in the light:

  1. Jesus is the glue that binds us together; the only way for us to have fellowship is when we’re walking around in the light of Jesus.
  2. Our sins are forgiven

Walking in the light is part of the sanctifying work that Jesus is doing in our lives. 

Walking in the light doesn’t mean we’ve reached perfection yet; that’s not what John is saying here. The life of a believer should be a forward, upward journey. There will be days and weeks where you take 2 steps forward and 1 step backward. There will be seasons in the valley. But as you go through each season, there should be a noticeable difference in your life as God sanctifies you and makes you more like his son, Jesus. 

The moment we are saved, we’re not perfect. And we will never attain perfection in this life. Life can be a daily battle of wrestling with God and pouring over his word and confession. But over time as you are led by the Spirit and are walking in the light, your life will look different. And if your life doesn’t look any different than it did a year or two ago, I want to challenge you to ask yourself some questions.

[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.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we’re without sin. We are all still sinners, but walking in the light means your life ought to be a “habitual, consistent response” (NIV Application Commentary, The Letters of John) to God’s grace and truth in your life. Living by the gospel doesn’t mean you’ve checked off the box and now you can live any way you want. Living by the gospel means you are learning daily to take up your cross, give yourself wholly to God for his glory and follow Jesus.

The amazing great news is Jesus has already done it — he’s lived our life and died our death. So what’s our response? Are we going to walk in the light as he is in the light, or are we going to walk in darkness and lie about our life. His light brings fellowship and his light brings forgiveness (there is no condemnation).

God is light and I need to live a life of confession in the light.