God is Light

1 John 1:5Denials and Practices

Section · 1 John 1:5–2:2

Denials and Practices

In the expression, "God is light" and in the verses that follow, John expresses the moral holiness of God and the implications of that holiness for believers. See Ephesians 5:8. Emphasizing John's big idea here that God is light, Burge notes:

Many have pointed out that the structure of 1 John 1:5-7 has a quasi-poetic form that is too precise to be an accident and likely recalls Semitic habits of parallelism. Lines mirror one another in an inverted fashion (called a chiasmus); this is often symbolized by the symbols A B B' A'. Rewriting these verses makes its organization evident:
A. God is Light
B. No Darkness in God
B'. Walking in the Darkness
A'. Walking in the Light

It is immediately clear that John's interest turns on determining the meaning of the light/darkness metaphor and applying it ethically to Christian living.

Denials and Practices of Sin Contradict the Word of Life. In order to have fellowship with the Father and Son, God's people must understand God's holy character, and how it illuminates their need for an atoning sacrifice for sins, and their responsibility to go on living, then in God's Light.

God is Light

Akin observes:

1 John 1:5 would seem to provide the key that reveals the connection between the prologue (1 John 1:1-4) and these verses. John affirms that God is light and has no darkness in him at all in order to rule out claims to fellowship with him by those walking in the darkness. In short, John introduces a statement concerning God's nature to define the qualifications necessary for fellowship with God.

John described God's holiness by equating him with light. "God is light" recalls the opening chapter of John's Gospel in which Jesus is called "the true light" (John 1:9) that broke into a world of sin and darkness. Here, and in his Gospel, John alluded to the primeval light that broke into the darkness of creation (Gen. 1:1-4). In these passages darkness represents sin and death; light epitomizes goodness and life.

Although light is closely associated with the glory of God, here it is more closely associated with God's moral holiness and the fact that he has no connection with the darkness of evil. God is perfect, wholly without evil, and his people should seek him for that same quality. See "The Glory of God: Who Gets the Glory?" below. See WCF 3.1.

God is light. This phrase summarizes the main theological "message" of First John. With this, John defines both the character of God and of those who have an authentic knowledge of God. But, this introduces a question: "How is the reality of sin in every human life remedied?" no darkness at all. See WCF 3.1. In this phrase, literally translated, "not one bit of darkness," John is unequivocally stating evil is not associated with God.

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