1 Jn 1:5-10

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• 1 Jn 1:5: …the message… The root of this word (angelia) is shared by the word for “gospel” (euangelia). The euangelia is the “good message.” The point that follows is emphasized by the use of this word. The use of the definite article also puts weight on the teaching. The active verb used here, “to proclaim” (anangelien) also derives from the same root.

• 1 Jn 1:5: …we have heard from him and proclaim to you … The antecedent to the pronoun “him” is not immediately clear. Does it refer to the Father or Jesus Christ? Most likely, the message which they have heard from the beginning refers to the preaching of Jesus during his mortal ministry.

• 1 Jn 1:5: …God is light… This is the message that receives special attention. The text does not say that this is a quotation of Jesus, but rather that this is the substance of his teaching. There is no exact parallel saying known from any other source of Jesus’ life. In John’s Gospel, Jesus declares, “I am the light” (8:12; cf. 1:4-5, 7-9; 3:19; 12:35, 46). This is one example of the difference between the two texts. Often where the Gospel is Christocentric, the Epistle is theocentric. But this analysis fails to uncover the different ways that the Gospel and the Epistle understand the concept of light.

The claim that God is light is not intended to make any philosophical claim of God’s essence, nor to define God cosmic being. It is not making a metaphysical claim, but an ethical one. Other “God is…” sayings are found in both the Gospel and the Epistle. Compare “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and “God is love” (1 John 4:8). These “God is…” sayings are not meant to define God, but to define what God is to humanity.

There is a key difference between the way that the Gospel uses the term “light” and how the Epistle uses it. The Gospel takes part in a tradition in which the “light” is a cosmic character. In Gen 1:3 God creates “light.” This light is unique because it is not associated with any of the heavenly bodies, namely the sun, moon, and stars. Many ancient interpreters believed that this light was created to make it possible for God to see while he was working. Philo equates this light with the image of the Word (logos), explaining, “it was a light higher than the stars, the source of the starlight that can be seen.” For Philo, the divine hierarchy begins with God, then the Word, and then Light. Aristobulus, another Jewish philosopher, explains that this light illuminates all of creation: “…the first [day], the one in which the light was born by which all things are seen together.” The Prologue of the Gospel tells a similar story of the Word, comparing the Word to the Light: “In him was life, and the life was the light of all people…the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:4, 9). The Gospel sees Christ as the pre-existent cosmic light of creation that enters the world in the human form of Jesus.

The Epistle does not rely on the same interpretation of the cosmic light as the Gospel. Instead, it understands light and darkness in ethical terms. The next verses (1:6-10) give claims and counterclaims about morality and sin. The statement “God is light” introduces these sections. A cosmic being is not implied. Instead, light and dark, or “walking in light” and “walking in darkness” are metaphors for righteous conduct within the context of an ethical dualism. These shades represent “two ways” between which believers must choose.

• 1 Jn 1:5: …and in him there is no darkness at all… The pattern of a positive statement followed by a negative one that continues the same thesis can be found in other biblical texts (Deut 32:4; Ps 92:16). Both these biblical examples emphasize God’s righteousness. 1 John uses light and darkness as symbols of ethical dualism.

• 1 Jn 1:6: …If we say that we have fellowship with him… This is the first of three “if” statements in this section that 1 John will refute. The others are “if we say we have no sin” and “if we say we have not sinned.” These may be directed against the opponents who have left the community (2:19). Perhaps they claimed to have a special relationship with God and to live without sin. However, these sayings need not be read as adversarial. Rather, the “if” statements are meant to encourage and exhort the author’s own community to remain vigilant about their own righteousness and to avoid complacency after having survived a tragedy in the community. Again, fellowship is the ideal relationship with God. It is not impossible to have fellowship with God. Rather, one cannot claim to have fellowship with him as long as he is living unrighteously. Though there is reference to many commandments (2:3), only the command to “love one another” is mentioned explicitly. These antitheses set up the exhortation to remain united in love.

• 1 Jn 1:6: … while we are walking in darkness… The statements about walking in light and darkness come close to the similar style of ethical preaching found in the Community Rule of the DSS. The Rule depicts the world as inhabited by the “sons of light” and the “sons of darkness.” There are those that “walk in the ways of light” and those that “walk in the ways of darkness” (1QS 3:20-1). The same ethical dualism underlies the arguments in both 1 John and the Community Rule. Just as the readers of 1 John are instructed to love one another, the readers of the Rule are instructed to “love the sons of light” (1QS 1:9). I do not suggest that 1 John is copying the Community Rule, or even that he read it. Rather, the motif of ethical dualism depicted as the division between light and darkness is a part of the cultural milieu of both writings.

• 1 Jn 1:6: … we lie and do not do what is true… The claim to have fellowship with God while not fulfilling the commandment of love violates the person’s integrity in both speech and action. The believer must have consistency between telling the truth and doing the truth. The reference here to “truth” (aletheia) is the first in the Epistle. Almost half of the uses of this word in the New Testament come from the Johannine literature. It becomes a quasi-technical term synonymous with the light.

• 1 Jn 1:7 …but if we walk in the light… This statement must be coupled with the above claim that “God is light.” To walk in the light is to walk in God. The Community Rule in the DSS uses a similar phrase to describe righteous behavior: “the children of Light are ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the ways of light” (1 QS 3:20).

• 1 Jn 1:7 … as he himself is in the light… The pronoun “he” refers to God. But this statement seems awkward with the previous claim that “God is light.” How can God be both light and be in the light? The statements function toward the same end, but in different ways. The claim that “God is light” is not a metaphysical proposition, but a metaphorical lesson. “Light” is understood as righteousness, of which God is the supreme example. Here, the light is righteousness. God is in the light because he dwells in righteousness.

The preposition “in” is found frequently in Johannine literature. The phrases “to be in” and “to dwell in” create a motif of “indwelling.” This motif describes the Spirit in the believer, Jesus in the Father, the Father in Jesus, and the believer in God and Jesus.

• 1 Jn 1:7 … we have fellowship with one another… Again, the theme of fellowship is repeated. The way to achieve this goal is by walking in the light. Loving one another is the subtext for what it means to walk in the light.

• 1 Jn 1:7 … and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin… The blessings of the atonement of Jesus are promised to those who walk in the light. It emphasizes the healing powers of the atonement for those who have already come into the light but yet have sinned (3:20-1). The text on which the KJV is based adds the word “Christ” to say “Jesus Christ” but more authoritative manuscripts leave this out. The notions of cleansing and blood mentioned here draw upon the language of sacrifice. The death of Jesus is seen as a purifying sacrifice on behalf of those who walk in the light. In Judaic sacrifices in the temple, it was not the death of the animal, but the sprinkling of the blood that cleansed the holy instruments. The emphasis in 1 John on the cleansing power of the blood of Christ has more in common with Revelation than the Gospel.

• 1 Jn 1:8 …If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us… This is the second “if” statement that 1 John refutes. He argues that no one is free from the stains of sin. 1 John spends a great deal of time discussing sin, mentioning it as many times as the Gospel of John. This statement reflects the universal state of sinfulness for all of humanity, including the believers. It is a reminder that no one can claim to be perfect. No one has the right to say that they are free from sin. We are thus dependent on the atonement of Jesus Christ in order to be cleansed continually. The sin that 1 John is concerned with is not having love for one another. For 1 John, this violation of fellowship is very serious. The strength of the community of believers is vital to one’s own standing before God.

• 1 Jn 1:9 …If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness… We are instructed to confess our sins in order to receive forgiveness. The text does not specify the nature of confession. Was there an ecclesiastical confession, was confession a public activity, or performed privately between God and the believer? For Latter-day Saints, all three types are requisite for repentance.

• 1 Jn 1:10 …If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us… This is the third “if” statement in this section that 1 John refutes. The statement is meant to drive home the point that all have sinned and are in need of the atonement. This statement closely parallels verse 8, which is directed against those who say “we have no sin.” The difference is that the third statement is in the past tense. This time, instead of deceiving ourselves as verse 8 warned, we make God a liar. God has sent his son to cleanse the world from sin. To deny the existence of sin is to deny the need for the atonement. The parallel between this verse and verse 8 is also changed in the last phrase. Whereas in verse 8 the consequence of our saying that we have not sinned is that “truth” is not us it, but here it is “his word” that is not in us. Both terms are important for the Johannine community

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