5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7 KJV)
Fellowship with Him and One Another
The apostle, having declared the truth and dignity of the author of the gospel, brings a message from him, from which a just conclusion is to be drawn for the consideration and conviction of professing Christians.
This is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you: that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). As the immediate sender of the apostles and the central person in the preceding verses, Jesus Christ is clearly the one from whom this message comes. The apostles were honored to be messengers of the Lord Jesus, and they were committed to faithfully deliver what they had received: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you.” A message from the eternal Word should be gladly received. The content of this message—concerning the nature of God, with whom we seek communion—is that God is light. He is pure, wise, holy, and glorious. And, in him is no darkness at all—no imperfection, impurity, or deceit (1 John 1:5).
This also emphasizes the moral perfection of God: his holiness, purity, perfect knowledge, and justice. It is fitting that in this dark world, God is revealed as pure and perfect light. The Lord Jesus, the only begotten who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him (John 1:18). The Christian revelation gives the most noble and fitting account of God, one consistent with reason and the grandeur of creation, and with the nature of God as the supreme ruler and judge of the world. What more could encompass divine perfection than this simple yet profound declaration: God is light, and in him is no darkness at all?
A just conclusion follows for the conviction of professing believers. First, for those who have no true fellowship with God: “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6). To “walk” in Scripture means to live one’s life. To walk in darkness is to live in ignorance, error, or sin—opposed to the truth of the gospel. Some may claim deep religious experience or communion with God, yet live immorally. To such the apostle plainly says: they lie and do not live in truth. They deceive others and themselves, for God has no fellowship with unholy souls. “What fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Their lives contradict their profession and expose its falsehood.
Second, for those who are close to God: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God is the eternal light, and Jesus, the Mediator, is the light of the world. The Christian message shines brightly in our world. Living in accordance with this truth demonstrates communion with God. Those who walk in the light show they know God, have received his Spirit, and bear his image.
Then we have fellowship with one another—mutual fellowship between believers, and with God himself. And one of the blessings of this fellowship is that Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin. The eternal Son became Jesus Christ by taking on human flesh. He shed his blood for us to wash away our sins. His blood, applied to us, removes the guilt of every sin—original, actual, inherent, or committed—and makes us righteous before God. Moreover, it secures the grace by which sin is increasingly subdued in us, until it is finally destroyed (Galatians 3:13-14).