1 John — Chapter 1

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1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5This 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.

6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7But 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.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life

2(and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal [life], which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us);

3that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ:

4and these things we write, that our joy may be made full.

5And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life—

2and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us).

3What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ).

4Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

6If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

7But 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.

8If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

9But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life

2(and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us);

3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

4And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled.

5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.

7But 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.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

John declares the Word of life which was from the beginning — seen, heard, and touched — so that readers may have fellowship with the Father and Son, walking in the light where Christ's blood cleanses from all sin, and confessing sin to find faithful forgiveness.

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (unnamed but identified by style, theology, and early church tradition). The same author as the Gospel of John and Revelation. Written approximately AD 85-95 from Ephesus, where John spent his later years.
Recipient: Believers in Asia Minor (likely churches around Ephesus). John writes as an elderly pastor ("my little children") to a community threatened by false teachers who denied Christ's true humanity (early Gnosticism).
Purpose: To give assurance of salvation (5:13), to combat false teaching about Christ's nature, and to call believers to walk in the light, love one another, and keep God's commandments. John provides "tests of life" — how to know you truly know God.
Theme: Fellowship with God and assurance of salvation. Three tests repeated: the doctrinal test (believing rightly about Christ), the moral test (obeying God's commands), and the social test (loving one another).

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers the eyewitness testimony, fellowship, God as light, walking in light, and the promise of confession and cleansing.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "If We Confess Our Sins" on v.9 (MTP Vol. 24, No. 1439) "If we CONFESS — not hide, not excuse, not minimize — confess. Agree with God about your sin. Call it what He calls it. He is FAITHFUL — He promised to forgive, and He keeps His promises. And JUST — the cross satisfied justice, so forgiveness is not unjust but righteous. To FORGIVE — pardon, release. And to CLEANSE — not just forgive but purify. From ALL unrighteousness — no sin too great, no stain too deep. Confess and be clean."

Videos

The Bible Project — 1 John Overview

Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)

Reflection

  • 1. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (v.5). Is there darkness in your life that you're hiding from God? He is pure light — nothing is hidden from Him. Are you walking in the light or hiding in shadows?
  • 2. "If we walk in the light... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (v.7). Walking in the light doesn't mean sinless perfection — it means living openly before God. When you do, Christ's blood keeps cleansing you. Are you walking openly?
  • 3. "If we confess our sins" (v.9). Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Confession is agreeing with God — calling sin what He calls it. He promises to forgive AND cleanse. What do you need to confess today?
  • 4. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (v.8). Self- deception about sin is dangerous. Are you honest about your sinfulness? Or do you minimize, excuse, or deny?
  • 5. "That your joy may be full" (v.4). John writes so that joy would be complete. Is your joy full? Fellowship with God and honest living produce full joy. What's blocking yours?