The Epistles of John offer profound lessons, particularly through the central themes of light and darkness. Throughout these letters, the author repeatedly references light and darkness, sin and forgiveness, love and hatred, encapsulating the essence of what it means to live a life in fellowship with God. Darkness represents sin and the hatred we harbour for our fellow beings, while light signifies God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. This divine love should be our guiding light, serving as a model for how to love everyone. By embracing these themes, we can deepen our connection with God and truly understand the nature of divine fellowship.
Light Shone Into Darkness
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” – 1 John 1:5 NIV
The metaphor of light and darkness is central to these Epistles. The author depicts God as the light of the world, symbolizing purity, truth, and holiness. In contrast, darkness represents sin, falsehood, and evil. To walk in the light means to live in a way that reflects God’s nature—truthful, righteous, and loving.
“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” – 1 John 1:6 NIV
True fellowship with God is incompatible with a life of sin. Those spreading false teachings in the early church claimed to know God but lived in darkness, which is deceitful. True alignment with God’s path involves living according to the truth of His word, not just claiming righteousness based on societal standards. Claiming to love God while walking in hatred towards God’s creation is a paradoxical stance, and the author ensures that we are all aware of our hypocrisy when we claim to be obeying God’s commands.
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 1:7 (NIV)
If we walk in the light, we will experience fellowship with Jesus and God. Alternatively, the author might be referring to fellowship with the community of believers. To be precise we will have fellowship with believers unknown to us through Jesus who forms an eternal bond that should be our sole source of connection with other members of the Body of Christ. We are all placed in each other’s lives according to God’s plan, and to fulfil this plan, we must embody the unconditional love that Jesus demonstrated when fulfilling His mission assigned by God.
Assurance of Forgiveness
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:10 (NIV)
Everyone is a sinner. Forgiveness of sins is not about being righteous but about being free from guilt. With this understanding, we can connect with God, and it is this connection that makes us righteous. It is not our actions or rituals that make us righteous, but God Himself. We can undergo countless baptisms, participate in numerous ceremonies, and follow all the religious practices of our community, but nothing can make us righteous except God. This was the purpose of the laws given through Moses, a lesson still not fully understood. True obedience to God’s commands is only possible through the strength He gives us, not through our own efforts.
We also have the assurance that if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Some interpret this verse to mean that Jesus is constantly reminding God of the price He paid on the cross for our atonement. However, it is important to remember that God does not need reminders about the redemption plan, as it was His plan entrusted to His Son. Jesus is our advocate who has already pleaded on our behalf; whether we accept Him as our advocate or not, He has made His case by dying for us on the cross.
What Would Jesus Do
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:6 (NIV)
The question we are often encouraged to ask ourselves when we lack clarity is, “What would Jesus do?” Unfortunately, this statement has been misused by politicians and pastors to promote their own agendas. However, the essence of the statement is that we must follow the example of Jesus in every situation. Some people act like Jesus when it suits them, perhaps during their Sunday fellowships, but come Monday morning, they revert to cutthroat behaviour to get ahead in the world.
Loving our fellow beings as we love ourselves is not a new or radical command from Jesus; it originates from the Old Testament Levitical laws (Leviticus 19:18). Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus redefined the concept of our neighbours, making all of us His brothers and sisters and children of God. As children of God, we share a bond closer than that of neighbours, yet our love for one another has not expanded accordingly.
But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. – 1 John 2:11 (NIV)
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates their brother or sister is still in darkness. Hatred towards others keeps a person in darkness, leading them to be lost and blinded. We have been blinded by the prince of this world, satan, causing us to overlook the importance of loving God’s creations. If we claim to love God but hate His creation, we are only deceiving ourselves. We are here to reflect God’s light onto all His inhabitants. If we start hating others or favouring some groups over others, we cannot fulfil the purpose for which God placed us on this earth. Our mission is not to shine His light back on Him, but to illuminate His creation, who desperately need the message of hope in their lives.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. – 1 John 2:29 (NIV)
Everyone who does right is being powered by God, whether they realize it or not. Both religious folks and atheists are driven by God’s influence when they do what is right. Our circumstances sometimes protect us from encountering new ways to sin. For instance, we may not be in a position to take bribes, or we may be safeguarded by grace from having to lie to get ahead in jobs that reward merit. According to Paul in his letter to the church in Rome, it is not merely those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but those who obey the law who will be declared righteous even those who do not even know Him.
Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them. – Romans 2:14-16 (NIV)
The Great Love
The author emphasizes the profound love God has for us, calling us His children. This divine love explains why the world does not recognize us, just as it did not recognize Him. We should not be disheartened when the world rejects us because it has repeatedly rejected Him throughout history—in the Garden of Eden, at the Tower of Babel, when the Israelites desired a king instead of God, when the Jews failed to recognize the Messiah standing before them, and even today when churches often use the Bible to judge others rather than encourage everyone to foster a true connection with God.
Humanity has consistently rejected God and taken His grace for granted. Therefore, if we align ourselves with Him, we are likely to face the same rejection. However, we can wear this rejection as a badge of honour only if we are connected with God. As God’s children, our future transformation is unknown, but we will become like Christ when He appears and have his qualities of love patience and forgiveness in its entirety. Those who hope in Christ purify themselves, as He is pure. Sin is lawlessness, and Jesus appeared to take away our sins.
Those who live in Him do not continue to sin, as continuing to sin indicates not truly knowing Him. We have not seen Him but the one who resides in Him connects us sinners to Him. The Author warns against being led astray: doing what is right is a sign of righteousness while sinning aligns with the devil. The Son of God came to destroy the devil’s work. Those born of God cannot continue to sin because God’s seed, ie His Love is within them.
If we find ourselves vulnerable to the world’s temptations, let’s turn to God and seek the strength He provides through His Spirit. We need to let His Seed of Love influence every aspect of our lives. Only then can we walk in the True Light with our Savior by our side, navigating every challenge this world sends our way with Him alongside us.
The Jordan Valley 
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