1 John 1 — we saw Him, we touched Him: walking in the light

Through 1 John, part 2 · 1 John 1

Heard, seen, gazed at, handled (v. 1)

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life."

John is telling us his information is first-hand — literally. "From the beginning" could mean the beginning of time or the beginning of Jesus' ministry; either way, John was there. "What we have heard" — John's Gospel records more of what Jesus said than any other, and it's what Jesus said about Himself that John builds so much of his case on. "What we have seen with our eyes" — he was an eyewitness of Jesus' deity.

Then he says it again, stronger: "what we have observed." This isn't a glance. It's a gaze — the way you stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon and try to take it in. Admiration, contemplation, attention. "We saw Him, and it caught our attention." So here's the question: does Jesus catch yours? Do you gaze at Jesus, contemplate Him, admire Him? It's possible to get so caught up in the things of Christianity that we miss Jesus.

And "touched with our hands." The evidence of Christ wasn't speculation. He was heard, seen, and touched — sensed every way you'd sense anyone. John is tearing down any idea that the Son of God didn't really appear or that His appearance wasn't literal. Oh, to know Jesus like John knew Jesus. He is "the word of life" — John's favorite way to speak of Him (John 1:1–4). The Word that brings life.

Life was revealed (v. 2)

"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Jesus is eternal life — "He that hath the Son hath life" (1 John 5:12). Without Jesus you're dead; with Jesus you're made alive. And John believed what he saw, and believed himself to be a credible witness of it.

Here's the beauty of Christianity. We're not trying to convince people of something we're unsure of. Jesus didn't come to offer one more option for reaching God. He came to reveal what was — to show us the Father and how to get to Him. It's like this: I could tell you I have a certain amount of money in my pocket, and you could guess all day. Until I pull it out, you can't know. Most religions guess — from nature, from themselves, from somewhere. Jesus pulled it out and showed us. And the wonder of it is that He was the thing the whole time.

Fellowship (v. 3)

John proclaims what he saw "so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." Fellowship means having something in common and sharing in it. John wants his readers to have the same experience of Jesus he had — the same view of Him, the same hope and joy.

And our fellowship is with the Father. We hold to the same truths, love the same things, and share the same kind of happiness He has — happiness found in holiness, truth, purity, justice, and mercy — though not to the same degree. Some things God does alone: creation, holding the universe together, the tides. Other things He does in cooperation with us: planting, binding up a wound, giving the gospel, leading someone to Christ. He supplies the power, but without our hands it doesn't happen. We have fellowship with Him in prayer. And one day we'll have it in full.

Complete joy (v. 4)

"We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete." Jesus said the same thing: "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11) — and the context there is abiding in His love and loving one another. Our joy is complete when we love Jesus and that love flows out of us to others.

Notice what John has done so far. We often come to Scripture or to church wanting a truth to apply. John goes deeper first. Before he tells us to do anything, he shows us who God is and stirs love and awe. Sometimes we need to be content just learning, meditating, and pondering God. It's how Jesus taught us to pray — "Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy" comes before any request. Consider Him. Try to comprehend Him.

God is light (v. 5)

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him."

John says this is the sum of everything Jesus taught. God is the source of all light, spiritual and physical — not only the Creator of light but light itself. Light stands for truth, righteousness, and holiness; there is no wrong in Him in any way. "God is light" sums up His mind the way "God is love" sums up His heart. Light reveals truth, and light spreads — it pushes darkness out wherever it goes.

When you're saved, the light comes on. That's a benefit and a problem. Sin that used to hide in the dark gets exposed. It's like cleaning a room — first you move the chairs, and they seemed like the problem. Then you see the bigger pieces of trash. Then, once those are gone, you realize the floor needs vacuuming. God's light exposes the obvious sin, and when that's dealt with He shows you what wasn't obvious before. That's why we keep walking in the light. The longer we walk in it, the cleaner we get, and the more of it we reflect.

Three ways to be wrong (vv. 6, 8, 10)

Verses 6 through 10 have a pattern. Verse 6: if we claim fellowship while walking in darkness, we lie. Verse 8: if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. Verse 10: if we say we haven't sinned, we make God a liar.

John draws a line between two kinds of sinning. There's falling in the dirt — stumbling, getting back up, fighting it. And there's rolling in the dirt — living in it with no desire to get out. John is describing believers at their best, walking in the Spirit. If someone has life, there should be signs of life. If they're showing only signs of death, they need to do some honest soul-searching. Either they're unsaved and need to pass from death to life, or they're a believer who is very sick spiritually. In either case the answer is the same: run to Christ, who alone heals the sin-sick soul.

Walking in darkness (v. 6)

"Walk" is how we live. "Fellowship" is partnership, communion, joint participation — alignment with God, not God aligning with us. Lincoln said his concern wasn't whether God was on his side but whether he was on God's. When we claim fellowship with God we're claiming to be like Him. We're the moon, not the sun — we reflect His light; we don't generate our own. You cannot say you're close to God and walk in darkness. If we habitually walk in darkness, our lives prove us liars about our faith.

Walking in the light (v. 7)

"If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."

"Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8). Live in the glow of God's Word and God's Spirit. Darkness and light can't occupy the same place, so if we're walking in the light, the darkness has to go; if we're holding onto sin, the light goes. There's no gray area. As we spend time with God, His nature rubs off on us — that's Moses coming down the mountain with his face shining (Exodus 34:29–35).

Two results. We have fellowship with each other — light produces life and growth; sin produces death and decay. And the blood of Jesus keeps cleansing us. His blood gives us an eternal righteous standing and a daily cleansing that keeps our relationship right. Someone living in the light knows his own weakness and keeps coming back to the purifying power of Christ's death.

Sin and sins (vv. 8–10)

"Sin" is our corrupt nature; "sins" are the things we've done. We're sinners in desperate need of a Savior — once for eternal salvation, and daily for the advocating work of Jesus. Some in John's day were saying sin didn't matter, or that they'd reached sinlessness; the Gnostics said sin was only in the physical body and the soul was untouched. John says: if we say we have no sin, we're deceiving ourselves. One sign of real fellowship with God is that He shows us our sin. "Search me, O God, and know my heart" (Psalm 139:23–24).

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

This verse is about relationship, not the courtroom. There's judicial forgiveness — granted by God as Judge, the price paid, needed once. And there's parental forgiveness — from God as Father, restoring fellowship after we've sinned. Confession is honest acknowledgment. Pardon always assumes it — like a kid with chocolate on his face finally admitting to the cookie. God is faithful: He keeps His promises. He's righteous: Jesus made a right way for us to be restored, and the Father acts on it every time.

Verse 8 is about our present sin; verse 10 is about our past. If we look back over our lives and say there's been no sin, we're calling God a liar (Romans 3:23).

God is light. If we say we're spending time with Him and our lives don't show it, we're exposed. Put Galatians 5:19–21 next to Galatians 5:22–25 — the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit — and ask which list your life looks like.

God is light. Depending on where you're standing, that's the best news you've ever heard or the worst. If you've never been saved, understand that the light isn't out to get you. It's just honest. It shows you what you already suspected about yourself when the house gets quiet. And the same John who says God is light says the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. All of it. Not the presentable part. He died, He was buried, He rose, and He receives everybody who quits arguing and calls on Him. Come out of the dark. You don't have to wash your face first. That's what He's for.

For those already walking with Him: keep the two forgivenesses straight. Your standing was settled once and it isn't up for review. Your fellowship needs today's honesty. So this week confess something specific — not "Lord, forgive my many sins," but the actual thing, named, out loud. Chocolate on the face and all. Then set the two lists in Galatians 5 side by side and be honest about which one your week looked like.

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