1 John 1

The Word of life

hat 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.a ²The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.b ³We 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.c

⁴We write this to make our joy complete.d

Walking in the light

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.e ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.f ⁷But 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.g

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.h ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.i ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.j

Commentary

1 João 1 opens with a breathtaking prologue: the apostle John, an eyewitness to the eternal life made visible in Jesus Christ, declares what he has seen and heard. This chapter establishes the foundation for the entire letter — fellowship with God and with one another is grounded in

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Bible Dictionary· 1 John 1(3)

Father Light Word

Bible Characters· 1 John 1(1)

Jesus

References· 1 John 1

a: v.1 — Acts 4:20, John 20:27, 1 John 4:14, John 1:1-18, Luke 24:39, John 5:26, John 8:58, 2 Peter 1:16-18, 1 John 1:2-3, Revelation 1:17-18
b: v.2 — John 1:4, 1 John 5:20, 1 Timothy 3:16, John 17:3, Titus 1:2, 1 John 3:8, John 14:6, 1 John 5:11, 1 John 3:5, John 15:27
c: v.3 — 1 Corinthians 1:9, John 17:3, John 17:21, Acts 4:20, Philippians 2:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Hebrews 3:14, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:23-24, 1 Peter 5:1
d: v.4 — John 15:11, John 16:24, 2 John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Habakkuk 3:17-18, Ephesians 3:19, John 3:29, Isaiah 61:10, Philippians 1:25-26
e: v.5 — John 8:12, James 1:17, Isaiah 60:19, Psalms 27:1, John 1:9, John 1:4, Revelation 22:5, Revelation 21:23, John 12:35-36, John 9:5
f: v.6 — 1 John 4:20, 1 John 2:4, John 3:19-21, Proverbs 4:18-19, John 8:12, 1 John 1:10, Proverbs 2:13, John 12:35, 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, John 12:46
g: v.7 — Ephesians 5:8, Romans 13:12, Revelation 1:5, Ephesians 1:7, Revelation 7:14, Hebrews 9:14, 1 John 2:9-10, 1 John 1:5, 1 Corinthians 6:11, John 12:35
h: v.8 — Romans 3:23, Ecclesiastes 7:20, James 3:2, Isaiah 53:6, 1 John 2:4, 1 John 1:10, Job 15:14, Proverbs 20:9, Isaiah 64:6, Psalms 143:2
i: v.9 — Psalms 32:5, Proverbs 28:13, Jeremiah 33:8, Psalms 51:2-5, 1 John 1:7, Ezekiel 36:25, Hebrews 10:23, 1 Timothy 1:15, Nehemiah 1:6, Ezekiel 37:23
j: v.10 — 1 John 1:8, 1 John 5:10, Psalms 130:3, 1 John 2:4, 2 John 1:2, Colossians 3:16, Job 24:25, 1 John 2:14, 1 John 4:4

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