Even today in church's we have pastors sharing the gospel to their believing congregation. Why? Because even amongst Christian audiences (believers) we still have unbelievers. I'm sure we can all agree simply going to church or calling ourselves a Christian doesn't make it so. It's not outside the realm of possibility that John wanted to make sure his churches understood the gospel properly.
And in 1 John 1, we see John starting exactly from the message that he had heard and proclaims.
1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We see two ideas being presented, what John is about to say is so that the audience can have fellowship with other believers and fellowship with the Father and His Son. Because their fellowship is with Him. So there is a connection point here between the two. The idea I see is: You can't have fellowship with believers without having fellowship with God.
John continues his message in verse 5 with this continuing idea. Fellowship with God. And once again he references the message he is proclaiming.
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Two ideas are being presented again, we know John is discussing fellowship with God from verse 3, but now we see him connecting who God is in order to present the idea of what fellowship with Him looks like. The idea I see here is: God is light, so if you're in darkness you're not in Him.
John continues this same idea of what fellowship looks like, by showing what it DOESN'T look like:
1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
The idea here is if you walk in darkness, you don't have fellowship with Him and you do not know the truth. Basically saying don't listen to people like this. They don't know God.
1 John 1:7 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 cleanses us from all sin.
Now John is saying, look if we walk in the light, as He is in the light (and is the light, John 1:1-), we have fellowship with each other. The idea here is a continuation, we walk with Jesus and He is the light. We are only walking in the same direction if we are following Him.
John adds another point at this point, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. My personal viewpoint on this Scripture is that John is not looking into the past only, it just doesn't fit the context. I believe John is actually talking about the blood continually cleansing us from sin. I believe this idea is both positional and effectual. Yes, our sins have been forgiven, but I believe the reasoning that John is laying down is why we will walk in the light. The power that allows us to walk in the light is actually the blood that cleanses us from all sin.
This doesn't mean John is saying that we will immediately walk in effectual freedom from sin, because later he says if
we do sin, we have our Advocate in Christ.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Now we come to verse 8...
But before we look at it, let's recap the ideas John is currently discussing.
1. John is proclaiming the message he heard from Him.
2. John is proclaiming the message he Heard so his audience may have fellowship with him and God.
3. God is light and in Him is no darkness.
4. Anyone who walks in darkness doesn't have fellowship with God.
5. If they walk in the light, they have fellowship with John, and with God.
6. And this fellowship walks under the cleansing blood of Jesus.
7. This cleansing blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Part 2 >>>
And in 1 John 1, we see John starting exactly from the message that he had heard and proclaims.
1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We see two ideas being presented, what John is about to say is so that the audience can have fellowship with other believers and fellowship with the Father and His Son. Because their fellowship is with Him. So there is a connection point here between the two. The idea I see is: You can't have fellowship with believers without having fellowship with God.
John continues his message in verse 5 with this continuing idea. Fellowship with God. And once again he references the message he is proclaiming.
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Two ideas are being presented again, we know John is discussing fellowship with God from verse 3, but now we see him connecting who God is in order to present the idea of what fellowship with Him looks like. The idea I see here is: God is light, so if you're in darkness you're not in Him.
John continues this same idea of what fellowship looks like, by showing what it DOESN'T look like:
1 John 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
The idea here is if you walk in darkness, you don't have fellowship with Him and you do not know the truth. Basically saying don't listen to people like this. They don't know God.
1 John 1:7 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 cleanses us from all sin.
Now John is saying, look if we walk in the light, as He is in the light (and is the light, John 1:1-), we have fellowship with each other. The idea here is a continuation, we walk with Jesus and He is the light. We are only walking in the same direction if we are following Him.
John adds another point at this point, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. My personal viewpoint on this Scripture is that John is not looking into the past only, it just doesn't fit the context. I believe John is actually talking about the blood continually cleansing us from sin. I believe this idea is both positional and effectual. Yes, our sins have been forgiven, but I believe the reasoning that John is laying down is why we will walk in the light. The power that allows us to walk in the light is actually the blood that cleanses us from all sin.
This doesn't mean John is saying that we will immediately walk in effectual freedom from sin, because later he says if
we do sin, we have our Advocate in Christ.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Now we come to verse 8...
But before we look at it, let's recap the ideas John is currently discussing.
1. John is proclaiming the message he heard from Him.
2. John is proclaiming the message he Heard so his audience may have fellowship with him and God.
3. God is light and in Him is no darkness.
4. Anyone who walks in darkness doesn't have fellowship with God.
5. If they walk in the light, they have fellowship with John, and with God.
6. And this fellowship walks under the cleansing blood of Jesus.
7. This cleansing blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
Part 2 >>>