Today’s passage: 1 John 1:5–7
Focus verse: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)
As John continues in his letter, he moves from fellowship and joy, to talking about the light. God is light. That is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give us light.
In their light there is no darkness. The good light of Jesus overcomes the darkness of the enemy where sin and evil abound.
John discusses this light—the light that shines in the darkness—in depth in his biography of Jesus (John 1:4–9). It’s a great parallel passage to today’s reading, with the two smartly complementing each other. But there’s more.
Let’s go back to the beginning, back to creation. Jesus is at creation, and all created things come through him (John 1:2–3).
When creating our reality, God first makes light. He declares that this light is good. He separates light from darkness. This marks the first day of creation (Genesis 1:3–5).
Not only is Jesus—who gives light and is light—present at creation, he’ll also be present at the end of the age. This is when God ushers in a new heaven and a new earth.
This new heaven and new earth will contain a new Jerusalem. This city will not need sun or moon to illuminate it, for God will light it through the lamp of the Lamb, the light of Jesus.
All nations and their rulers will walk by this light and give their glory to it—that is, to Jesus, the light (Revelation 21:23–24).
From their thrones in the great city, God the Father and Jesus the Lamb will rule. They’ll give light to all, without the need for sun or lamps. In the light of our Lord there will be no more night, with God’s light forever chasing away darkness (Revelation 22:5).
Throughout this we see Jesus as light: at creation, during his time on earth, and for all eternity. And, as followers of him, he is our light today.
The light of Jesus pushes away all darkness.
Now John ties this back to fellowship. If we claim to have fellowship with our Lord yet continue to walk in darkness—that is, in sin—we delude ourselves. But if we walk in his light, we’ll enjoy fellowship with other believers because Jesus has purified us from all sin.
We may worry that our sinful actions remove us from fellowship and make us liars. But we must remember that as followers of Jesus he has forgiven our sins (Hebrews 8:12 and 1 John 1:9; see Day 5).
This includes both in the past and for the future. As a result, we’re qualified to experience fellowship with one another and with God.
Thank you, Jesus!
Questions:
- Have we received the light of Jesus?
- What can we do to shine the light of Jesus into the darkness of our world?
- How can we fully embrace the truth that when Jesus died for our sins, he has forgiven them and remembers them no more?
- Why do we remember our sins when Jesus doesn’t?
- What do you think about Jesus being the light at creation, for us now, and later in heaven?
Discover more about light and darkness in John 3:19–21, John 8:12, and 1 John 2:8–11.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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