1 John 1: Light vs. Darkness

Picture this: John was a fisherman who was out fishing with his brother, James, when Jesus called him out of his boat to follow Him and become a fisherman of men. John had no idea what that would mean but he dropped his nets and followed Jesus. There was just something about Jesus that drew him to this magnificent man. Jesus hadn’t done anything impressive at the time, he appeared to be a simple man on the shore. There was something different about him though. As John followed Jesus, he saw the many ways He truly was different from anyone else he had ever known. He saw the way He encountered the poor, the children, the sick, the helpless, and the rich. Everyone He encountered He treated the same. He treated them with truth and kindness. John saw miracles performed that were unexplainable. He didn’t know how these miracles were performed; all he knew was they truly happened. He saw how Jesus loved God and depended on Him. Jesus talked about things John didn’t understand but boy, oh boy, Jesus was so confident in what He spoke about. John trusted Him and believed Him through what he saw and heard.

Then John saw how Jesus was falsely accused and put to death on the cross. He saw how the people treated Jesus. People that did not even know Him. How could they treat someone so harshly that they had never even spoken to? People can be so cruel and evil. John was there until Jesus took his last breath. Jesus asked John to take care of his mother after he was gone. What a privilege it was for John to be given such a high responsibility. John was honored, but his friend was dead. He was at such a loss in his grief. For three days he grieved, trying to understand why Jesus had to die. Questions from their many conversations were rolling through his mind. Then Jesus appeared. One more miracle! Jesus rose from the dead. John was able to talk to Jesus, eat with Jesus, touch Jesus’ wounds; everything was real. Jesus gave John direction and told him to sit tight until a special gift from God was delivered. The Holy Spirit arose in John and he began spreading the truth of what he saw and encountered in Jesus, the Son of God!

In this first chapter of 1 John, we see John proclaiming the truth of who Jesus is. He testifies that he has seen with his own eyes who Jesus is. This letter was written to groups of people who had separated themselves from the church and were falling into the sin of denying who Jesus was and is. Because John knew Jesus as a dear friend, saw His teachings, miracles, crucifixion, and spoke with Jesus after His resurrection; there should be no room to doubt what John was telling them is true. It has been a generation since Jesus’ death, so those who had separated themselves might not have seen Jesus with their own eyes. These groups are forgetting who Jesus is and are beginning to teach false information that is denying Jesus’ incarnation and the atoning significance of His death and resurrection.

Do you have trouble believing in Jesus because you do not see him with your own eyes? What gives you faith in Jesus Christ?

John takes us all the way back to the beginning of creation in verse 1.

“The Creation of the World. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“The Word Became Flesh. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“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.” 1 John 1:1

The Word is the embodiment of God’s revelation in the person of Jesus. Jesus is our word of life. Jesus is the eternal life to those who believe in Him. There is no other way to God than through the heart belief of Jesus as your Savior. John is reminding us that Jesus was there from the beginning, He came to earth as a man, and was resurrected from the dead so that we could be rescued from sin. Verse 4 tells us that John is looking for complete joy that is found when the Christian community comes together in unity. He is seeking those who have gotten lost in their beliefs and he is urging them to come back to the truth.

Do you know someone who has strayed from their belief in Jesus? What can you do to help them remember the truth of the gospel?

As we remember who Jesus is, we are now brought to the fact that Jesus is the light in our dark world. The first thing this requires of us is to recognize the fact that our world is full of darkness. The word darkness serves as a metaphor for sin, unrighteousness, and wickedness. One definition for the word darkness says “obscurity or concealment.” When something is concealed it is hidden or kept secret. The sin in our world does not want to be seen. It wants us to walk amongst it, eat dinner with it, be friends with it, allow our children to play with it; all without being known. Sin and darkness want to appear as if it belongs in our world. When we live in the darkness we cannot tell good from evil. When you are in the dark everything looks the same.

Light represents what is good, pure, true, holy, and reliable. If God is light, then He is perfectly true and holy. He is always good and always reliable. He can be trusted to guide us out of the darkness of sin and can bring the sin out into the light. When God is around, sin cannot be hidden. You cannot live a life of sin and immorality and have a genuine relationship with God. If God is the light that reveals all, then our sins will always be displayed for us to see.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60:1-2

“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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 1:5-6

We all live in sin. That is a harsh reality we have to face. Romans 3:23 tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” John was tackling an issue that these groups were teaching falsely, that it is possible to live without sin and even that they were incapable of sinning. The false teaching groups saw no need to confess and repent of anything they had done. If we do not live in sin, why did Jesus have to come to earth to die for our salvation? If we were already perfect, there would be no reason for the perfect sacrificial lamb. If we see ourselves as without sin, then we are denying the gospel truth of Jesus Christ. John 1:29 tells us that real cleansing from sin comes with Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” If you live a life thinking you do not need to confess and repent of your sins, then the death of Christ does not mean much to you.

What sins do you keep in the dark? Can you ask God to help you bring them into the light today?

Confession of our sin brings us so many opportunities. The most obvious and maybe most important is that we need God to forgive us of our sins to be saved, we cannot save ourselves on our own. But, through confession we also allow ourselves to open up and become vulnerable to God so that God can do great work within us. We relinquish the power of sin over our lives through the power of Jesus. Confession opens us up to hear and feel the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit helps us with the removal of sinful behavior and desires. I know it is difficult to open up and reveal your sins to God. It takes humility and honesty to even recognize we are weak and in need of help. The world tells us we need to be strong and push everything down. We are told not to let anybody see our faults and weaknesses. The thought of exposing our sinful behavior brings fear and anxiety. But, we need to remember that God can be trusted. Not only does he already know everything but He wants what is best for us. He wants a relationship with us that has a direct line of communication. In any great relationship, communication is the key ingredient. My husband and I try to keep our lines of communication open but that can be hard for me because I tend to clam up and hold things in. It is hard for me to admit my faults, I do not like conflict, and I am afraid of my husband’s reaction. But, that is not what builds a healthy relationship. I have to be confident in myself and trust the man I am married to. We have to humble ourselves in complete surrender to God so that our relationship with Him grows and flourishes us to reach complete maturity. James 4:10 says, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” God finds delight in working with the humble and the meek. There is no need to fear a good and kind God.

Why is confession difficult for you? What mind and heart change in you needs to take place so that confession can be a natural practice?

How do you see yourself growing through confession and open communication with God?

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, a promise was made by God. The promise was made that our sins will be forgiven, and we will be washed clean from all evil. Our God is faithful and keeps His promises. When we admit our downfalls and confess our sins, God honors His word by both forgiving us of our sins and giving us the power to overcome them. When we overcome sin, God has an opportunity to replace that sin with His work and goodness in our lives. We can delight in this truth. Overcoming sin in the world is a desire all Christians have. This desire to flee from sin comes from the Holy Spirit, our Helper and gift from God.

What promise from God helps you as you humble yourself to confess your sins?

How do you see hope through today’s lesson?