Daily Word, 1 John 1, Light and Life

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. 1 John 1:7 NIV

Read 1 John 1.

Welcome to our first writing on the book of 1 John! There is a theme in the midst of this book that is so strong on my heart that I felt compelled to share it. We are going to excavate a wealth of treasure from loving well, to holy living, to being reassured in our faith, and living in the light.

Something I find interesting is that when I was younger and first reading the Bible, I didn’t realize that the John who wrote these three numbered epistles is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation. I didn’t realize that he was one of the original 12 Apostles, and he is also the one who dubbed himself “the one Jesus loved.” He was one of the faithful three who were Jesus’ most intimate friends, Peter, James, and John, who witnessed Christ’s transfiguration and accompanied Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion. John is also the brother of James, and Jesus called them the “Sons of Thunder.”

One of my all time favorite interactions in Scripture is when Jesus was dying on the cross, and one of the final things he did was to make sure his mother would be taken care of. With all of his suffering, and the weight of the sin of the world on his shoulders, Jesus was thinking about His mother. Who does He trust more than anyone else in the entire world to look after her? None other than John. This gives us another peak into the relationship Jesus had with John.

Remembering all of these things about John gives me a clearer picture of the man who wrote these letters to the early church. I love to imagine his personality as I read through the Gospels and see his interaction with Jesus. John’s mother is the very one who requested that Jesus make a place for her two sons in His Kingdom, one on his right, and one on his left. Of course, Jesus explained that to be great in the Kingdom, we must first be willing to be least. The first will be last, and the last will be first.

John wrote the first epistle somewhere around 85-90 AD, which is only about 15-20 after the destruction of Jerusalem. He was the only disciple who had survived thus far from all the persecution and martyrdom. Every one of the original disciples had been tortured and assassinated. John will later be exiled to the Island of Patmos to live his remaining days in isolation, and this is where he will write the book of Revelation.

For now, because the Jews had been overtaken and scattered, and the early church was facing horrible persecution, John wrote these letters primarily to encourage the early Christians. He also wrote to refute some false teaching that had already infiltrated the young church, and he wanted to bring the church back to the purity of its roots. He also reaffirmed some basic truths of the life and deity of Christ.

The book of 1 John opens similarly in structure and content as the Gospel of John. In the Gospel of John, he begins by stating that Jesus is the Word, that He was there in the beginning with God, and that He is God. John reaffirms both the total deity and the humanity of Jesus. Similarly, in 1 John 1, John begins by stating basic truths about Jesus and declaring that He is the very one who is truly light and life. Jesus existed from the very beginning, yet they had witnessed Him with their own eyes. They had touched him with their own hands.

John proclaims that Jesus is the Word of Life. He is declaring these things about Jesus so that everyone reading it will also share in this fellowship with God the Father and with all the other believers. He writes these things so that we may all share in his joy.

As we get into the nitty gritty of the first chapter, we rest on a vital truth, and that is that Jesus is the light. When I think of the value of light in this dark world, whether in the physical or the spiritual realm, John is stating a massively profound truth!

I can think of so many applications of this picture of Jesus as light. In Him, there is no darkness. The light of Jesus dispels the darkness of sin, fear, death, anxiety, shame, pain, and all forms of evil. With Jesus, darkness cannot survive; it must flee. Light chases away fear and trepidation and exposes the tactics of the evil one.

More positively, Jesus lights the best path for our lives and shines the way to God. This light makes God approachable and personable to us. Because of Jesus, we can know Him.

What an awesome realization to think of Jesus as the Light of the World!

Consequently, since Jesus is the light, if we are truly living for Christ, we will also be living in the light. We cannot possibly continue in the dark habits or behaviors of this world, but we will be changed. If we remain in darkness, then we have not had a genuine encounter with Christ.

Additionally, if we are living in the light, we will also have fellowship with other believers.

Most importantly, we are forgiven and cleansed because of the blood of Jesus. No one can say we are above the need for a Savior. Every one of us has fallen short of God’s perfect standard. It is missing the mark, and it is called sin. There is not one single person who is exempt from this human condition of sin, and if we claim to be perfect, or that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves.  Anyone who refuses to acknowledge their sin is basically lying. We might as well admit it, we are all in the same boat! But, it is not hopeless!

That brings us to the most glorious part of this opening chapter. Although we have all sinned, God has given us the most magnificent promise of all, that if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV

That makes me want to shout a great, big, hearty Hallelujah!