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.
1:7 This verse is introduced with the contrasting adversative “but.” In contrast to a false claim of walking in the light is the possibility of actually walking in the light as opposed to walking in darkness. Fellowship with God is possible, but only if we live our daily lives in the sphere of God’s moral purity. Only by being morally pure (holy) can we have communion with God and God have communion with us. It is impossible for God to have fellowship with someone who is existing in a state of unforgiven sinfulness.
This is another “if” clause that may or may not be true (third-class conditional clauses in Greek). John makes clear that we must be “walking” within God’s sphere of moral purity (“the light”) because that is where God is. We cannot be in God’s presence unless we are in the same sphere as God, that of moral purity.
When we are conducting our lives within God’s moral sphere, John notes two realities. First, fellowship occurs. Here, “one another” seems ambiguous. Does it mean fellowship between ourselves and God or between ourselves and other believers? The first option seems best and fits with the flow of thought better. Mutual fellowship is two-way, God with us and us with God.
A second reality comes into focus in the next clause. Jesus cleanses us, not just from a given sin, but from “all” sin. His cleansing is perfect and complete. However, this is only true while we are walking in “the light” of God’s moral purity. The present tense “cleanses” indicates that it is a continuous process. We are not cleansed and then left on our own till we sin. Rather, Jesus is actively cleansing us moment-by-moment as we walk with Him. His work on the cross (His “blood”), as Jesus applies it to our lives, enables us to be morally pure and therefore able to have fellowship with God.