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.
1:5 John introduces the body of his epistle with the declaration that God is light. Interpreters understand this statement in one of three ways. Often, people imagine it to indicate that God’s essential being is light. Many interpreters see this as a reference to God’s revelatory nature and a statement that God reveals Himself. Others see it as a reference to salvation. Those in the light are “saved” saints, and those in the darkness are unregenerate. This sees John using his light-darkness imagery with the same meaning as the Gospel of John. In the Gospel, light symbolizes life, or eternal life, while darkness symbolizes spiritual death. In his epistle, it is best to see “light” as symbolic of moral purity (holiness). This is made evident by John’s statement in 3:3 within the context of the warning of 2:8. Finally, the discussion of the following verses focuses on issues of holiness and purity as opposed to revelation or salvation. Therefore, the light-darkness motif has spheres of existence in focus rather than states of being. What John is about to teach is that fellowship (communion) with God requires truthfulness concerning sin.
To emphasize the absolute nature of God’s moral purity, His holiness, John uses antithetic parallelism. The two statements affirm the same truth. The first is the positive element, “God is light.” This same truth is then expressed negatively: “In Him there is absolutely no darkness.” John’s point is that the sphere in which God exists is absolutely pure. So, the question becomes, “Who, then, can commune with such a pure God?” The answer comes in the verses to follow.”