And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.This 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.This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
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Thank you, God, for your word. What we just read, the first chapter, the first 10 verses of this book, is essentially the book in miniature. Now, to understand that, let me back up. Out of all the 66 books of the Bible, 1 John is very unique for a number of reasons. One is it is written by the oldest person who, at the time they wrote a New Testament book, penned it. The author is pushing as many as 95 years of life, which is amazing. Go John, right? That's incredible. The year is 95 AD, give or take a few years in either direction. So it's the end of the first century. So to anchor that in your mind, Jesus Christ died and rose somewhere around 33 AD, a few years, give or take on the other side. And now it's only some 60 years later that this book is being written. And it is one of, if not the last book of the New Testament to be written. The one with the pen in his hand is John, the same John who in his youth was nicknamed a son of thunder by Jesus and was one of the two who were called Boanerges, Him and his brother James, they were not only apostles, but they were two of the inner circle, which was Peter, James, and John, who didn't just get to see Jesus' ministry. They had a front row seat, bro. They got to go with him to the stuff that even the other disciples couldn't go to. …
When light and heat are thus united in a minister of the gospel, it shows that each is genuine, and of a right kind, and that both are divine. Divine light is attended with heat; and so, on the other hand, a truly divine and holy heat and ardour is ever accompanied with light. It is the glory of the sun that such a bright and glorious light, and such a powerful, refreshing, vivifying heat, are both together diffused from that luminary. When there is light in a minister, consisting in human learning, great speculative knowledge, and the wisdom of this world, without a spiritual warmth and ardour in his heart, and a holy zeal in his ministrations, his light is like the light of an ignis fatuus, and some kinds of putrifying carcasses that shine in the dark, though they are of a stinking savour. And if on the other hand a minister has warmth and zeal, without light, his heat has nothing excellent in it, but is rather to be abhorred; being like the heat of the bottomless pit; where, though the fire be great, yet there is no light. To be hot in this manner, and not lightsome, is to be like an angel of darkness. But ministers by having light and heat united in them, will be like the angels of light; which for their light and brightness are called morning stars. Job xxviii. 7. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” And because of that holy ardour of divine love and zeal with which they burn, they are compared to a flaming fire. Psalms civ. 4. “Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire,” and are therefore called seraphims, which is a word that is derived from a root that signifies to burn. So that by ministers of the gospel being burning and shining lights, the angels of the churches will become like the angels of heaven, and those stars held in the right hand of Christ here below, will be like those morning stars above, and which is much more, hereby ministers will be like their glorious Lord and Master; who is not only the Master of ministers of the gospel, but is the Head and Lord of the glorious angels, whom they adore, and who communicates to them the brightness in which they shine, and the flame with which they burn, and is the glorious luminary and sun of the heavenly world, from whence all the inhabitants of that world have their light and life, and all their glory. In this Sun of righteousness is that light, whose brightness is such that the light of the sun in the firmament in comparison of it is as darkness, yea, black as sackcloth of hair: for he is the infinite brightness of God’s glory; and of him it is said, Isaiah xxiv. 23. “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, before his ancients, gloriously.” And accompanying this bright light in him, is the infinitely intense flame of love. There is no love to be compared to his; nor ever was love both to God and man so manifested, as has been in what Christ has done and suffered; for herein was love! Ministers, by being burning and shining lights, become the sons of God, of whom we read that he is light, and that he is love. 1 John i. 5. “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” And chap. iv. 16. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us: God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.” …
27. Thus doth Jesus “save his people from their sins:” [Matt. 1:21] And not only from outward sins, but also from the sins of their hearts; from evil thoughts and from evil tempers. — “True,” say some, “we shall thus be saved from our sins; but not till death; not in this world.” But how are we to reconcile this with the express words of St. John? — “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. Because as he is, so are we in this world.” The Apostle here, beyond all contradiction, speaks of himself and other living Christians, of whom (as though he had foreseen this very evasion, and set himself to overturn it from the foundation) he flatly affirms, that not only at or after death but in this world they are as their Master. (1 John 4:17.) 28. Exactly agreeable to this are his words in the first chapter of this Epistle, (1 John 1:5.) “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light, — we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” And again, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] Now it is evident, the Apostle here also speaks of a deliverance wrought in this world. For he saith not, the blood of Christ will cleanse at the hour of death, or in the day of judgment, but, it “cleanseth,” at the time present, “us,” living Christians, “from all sin.” And it is equally evident, that if any sin remain, we are not cleansed from all sin: If any unrighteousness remain in the soul, it is not cleansed from all unrighteousness. Neither let any sinner against his own soul say, that this relates to justification only, or the cleansing us from the guilt of sin. First, because this is confounding together what the Apostle clearly distinguishes, who mentions first, to forgive us our sins, and then to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. “Secondly, because this is asserting justification by works, in the strongest sense possible; it is making all inward as well as outward holiness necessarily previous to justification. For if the cleansing here spoken of is no other than the cleansing us from the guilt of sin, then we are not cleansed from guilt; that is, are not justified, unless on condition of “walking in the light, as he is in the light.” [1 John 1:7] It remains, then, that Christians are saved in this world from all sin, from all unrighteousness; that they are now in such a sense perfect, as not to commit sin, and to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers.” …
3. In the preface he describes the authority by which he wrote and spoke, (1 John 1:1–4, ) and expressly points out the design of his present writing. To the preface exactly answers the conclusion of the Epistle, more largely explaining the same design, and recapitulating the marks of our communion with God, by, “we know,” thrice repeated. (1 John 5:18–20.) 4. The tract itself treats, First, severally, of communion with the Father; (1 John 1:5–10; ) of communion with the Son; (1 John 2 and 3; ) of communion with the Spirit. (1 John 4.) Secondly, conjointly, of the testimony of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; on which faith in Christ, the being born of God, love to God and his children, the keeping his commandments, and victory over the world, are founded. (1 John 5:1–12.) 5. The recapitulation begins, (1 John 5:18, ) “We know that he who is born of God,” who sees and loves God, “sinneth not,” so long as this loving faith abideth in him. “We know we are of God;” children of God, by the witness and the fruit of the Spirit; “and the whole world,” all who have not the Spirit, “lieth in the wicked one.” They are, and live, and dwell in him, as the children of God do in the Holy One. “We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us” a spiritual “understanding, that we may know the true One,” the faithful and true witness. “And we are in the true One,” as branches in the vine. “This is the true God, and eternal life.” …