1 John 1 - The Relationships We Are All Looking For!

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The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

John's letter begins pretty much the same as his gospel. He focuses on the fact he and his fellow disciples were eyewitnesses of Jesus.They heard him speak the Word, they saw the Word, and they touched the Word. Not just any Word, but the Word of Life, Jesus. 

They proclaim something they have seen, heard, and touched. They proclaim, or preach, what they have ACTUALLY experienced. The goal of their proclamation is to share this same Word of life so they too can enjoy the same fellowship with God and them. The word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word, "koinonia", which describes a deep and intimate relationship experienced through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit which Jesus gave them at Pentecost. 

The fellowship they share is not just with each other, but also with the Father and the Son. John, more than any other New Testament writer, uses Trinitarian language of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Relationships in the church are different than in the world, because they are based on the bond we have with the Father (Creator), the Son (Redeemer) and the Holy Spirit (Sustainer). The world can't beat it. 

So this is why John is going to talk talk about two major themes throughou this letter. God's love for us and our love for each other. The evil one's goal is to undermine one or the other, or both!

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, purifies us from all sin.

Light and darkness, which are opposites, are a big theme in John's letters. In the gospel of John we remember Jesus said in John 8:12, 

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Darkness is the absence of light.  When we are in fellowship with God, we are in the light, which enables us to walk in the light. We cannot claim to be in fellowship with God and continue to walk in darkness. Darkness and light have nothing to do with each other. When we claim to be a Christian and yet walk in darkness, we are not living the truth. A Christian can't fake the truth. If we claim to be a Christian, while still walking in darkness, but most people won't buy it. 

Even though we are walking in the light that doesn't mean we will never sin. The light of Christ will point out our sin, and He will continue to purify us from our sin. One of the key things is our desire  and intention to walk in the light. The word "walk" has embedded in it a sense of action on our part. When I say, "I am going on a walk", I go on a walk. When we are walking with God, we maintain an intimate relationship with him and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

In the Lutheran church these are the words we say together in church to begin our services. It is also called "corporate confession". It reminds us that though our intention is to walk in the light, we will all stray and wander into the darkness of our sinful nature. All of our sins are paid for by Jesus on the cross, so confession of sin doesn't earn our forgiveness, but it shows are heartfelt desire to stay close to Him. In his loving kindness, God always restores our relationship with him on the basis of His grace and mercy. 

God will even purify us from all unrighteousness. The Passion Translation explains in its footnote, "In this context unrighteousness is unknown sin". The heart is deceitful beyond all else, and we only need to confess the things which we know to be wrong, trusting that God forgives our sins which don't come to mind. 

If we keep our sins in the dark, they keep a hold on us and hurt our relationship with God. By confessing our sins, or bringing them into the light, we can be free of their hold on our lives. Though you don't have to confess every second of the day, I think it is good on at least a daily basis to reflect and confess your known sins to God. This doesn't mean if the Holy Spirit convicts you of a sin in the middle of the day, you shouldn't confess it right then and there! 

The word for "confess" means to say the same thing as God. To confess means to be "honest before God". After all, he knows us better than we know ourselves, so we are not fooling anybody if we don't get honest with Him. You can't fool God! 

What known sins do you need to confess to God? Sometimes it is good to confess to another brother or sister in Christ as well. Sometimes it might be easy to confess to God, but I find confessing my sins to a fellow believer gives me greater accountability, so I just don't turn around and do it again.