What about 1 John 1:9? Part nine.The neighborhood1 John 1:5-10 1 John 1:5-10 is the paragraph that includes 1 John 1:9 – its neighborhood. Last time, we saw that 1 John 1:6-10 is made up of five conditional sentences (If A, B). They consist of two completely different sets of statements. One set includes verses 6, 8, and 10. These statements speak of John’s opponents, the unbelieving false apostles. The other set consists of verses 7 and 9. These statements apply to John and his fellow apostles and disciples, who are true teachers of the gospel.
The nineWe next identified nine specific things in this paragraph that we need to study in order to gain a complete understanding of the passage. They include:
Darkness and Light in John’s gospelLast time, we examined darkness and Light in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is a vital resource for properly interpreting the letter of 1 John. We concluded that Light in the gospel of John refers to Christ Himself, and to eternal life in Christ. “Walking in the Light” therefore describes the believer in Christ, who is in Christ and who has eternal life. Walking in the Light means receiving God’s revelation of Himself through His Son by believing in Christ. The believer has eternal life, and walks in the light of this revelation of Christ. Darkness in the Gospel of John refers to ignorance of Christ, unbelief, and the absence of eternal life. “Walking in the darkness” describes the unbeliever, who lives in the realm of death by rejecting God’s message of eternal life through faith in Christ. The unbeliever does not have eternal life, and is walking in death, having rejected the light of Christ. The unbeliever remains in the darkness. The believer does not walk in darkness. This is where we pick things up now.
Bringing them backWe begin by bringing these definitions of darkness and Light from the gospel back to 1 John 1:5-7. 1 John 1:5-7 Let’s step through this one verse at a time, beginning with verse 5: 1 John 1:5
God is eternal life.John writes 1 John so that believers may know that they have eternal life (1Jo 5:13). And half of the references to eternal life in the 27 books of the New Testament are found in just two books: the gospel of John and the letter of 1 John. God is life. John highlights this in his writings. For instance, note what Jesus says when He is speaking about the resurrection: John 5:26 John 11:25-26 Jesus, God in the flesh, IS THE LIFE. Also, we have Jesus speaking to His Father in chapter 17 of the gospel of John: John 17:1-3 In the beginning of 1 John, the Word who is God (Joh 1:1) is identified as the Word of Life: 1 John 1:1-2 Finally, at the end of the letter, John associates God and eternal life once more: 1 John 5:20
Where are we walking?We continue now with verse 6. 1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him [God] and yet walk in the darkness [do not believe in Christ, abide in death], we lie and do not practice the truth; We will be studying what John means by fellowship after we wrap up the subject of darkness and Light. For now, it is sufficient to note that an unbeliever cannot have fellowship with God. The one who has not believed in God’s Son does not practice the truth (John 3:18-21). 1 John 1:7 but if we walk in the Light [walk in life as believers in Christ] as He Himself is in the Light [eternal life], we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Again, we started with darkness and light because this will help us learn what John means by fellowship. For now we simply note that it is God’s Son who dwells in inapproachable Light. 1 Tim 6:14-16 Christ, God’s Son, is in the Light, and He possesses immortality (eternal life). ValidatedNext, we are going to examine how the rest of 1 John further validates these definitions of darkness and Light. There is one additional passage in 1 John that discusses darkness and Light, and it is in chapter 2. 1 John 2:7-11 Love is closely associated with eternal life. Hatred of the saints is characteristic of the unbeliever, the one who has always walked in the darkness of rejecting Christ. A few verses after this, John will identify what is passing away. 1 John 2:17 The world ( the realm of unbelieving mankind) and its lusts are passing away. But the believer lives forever. The true Light is Christ (Joh 1:9). The true Light is already shining. The Light shines in the darkness and enlightens every man. So the definitions of darkness and Light that come from the gospel of John also make the meaning of 1 John 2:7-11 quite clear.
FellowshipWith that, we are now ready to tackle the subject of fellowship in 1 John 1. To do that, we must start in 1 John 1:1. 1 John 1:1-7 5 This is the message we [the apostles] have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light [eternal life] , and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [abide in death, rejecting God’s revelation of eternal life in Christ], we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light [accept God’s revelation concerning eternal life in Christ] as He Himself is in the Light [eternal life] , we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Two kinds, one sourceIt is vital to see that John discusses two kinds of fellowship in 1 John 1:3, 6, and 7. The first kind is fellowship with God: God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (verses 3 & 6). This is the primary kind of fellowship, and is the source of the second kind. The second kind of fellowship is fellowship with one another (verses 3 & 7). This is fellowship between fellow believers. In verse 3, John is saying that he and his fellow apostles are proclaiming the message of eternal life in Christ to the congregations so that these people may have fellowship with the apostles. The preaching of the gospel is the means of bringing about fellowship with God and with one another. In other words, the basis for fellowship between saints is the message of eternal life in Christ. The apostles’ have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And verse 3 states that to have fellowship with the apostles is to have fellowship with God.
KoinoniaThe Greek word for “fellowship” in 1 John 1:3,6, and 7 is koinonia. This word appears only four times in in John’s writings, and all occur here in 1 John 1:3,6, and 7. What does this word koinonia mean? Here are the definitions from several Greek lexicons: Koinonia means a partnership, a community; an association involving close mutual relationships and involvement, fellowship. A close association involving mutual interests and sharing. A brotherhood. A favorite expression for the marital relationship as the most intimate between human beings.
We are familyWhat close intimate relationship does John talk about in 1 John? Family! 1 John 3:1 Love for the family is the indication that we have eternal life. 1 John 3:14 We have passed out of the darkness of death into the Light of life. We know we have because we love the brethren. 1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
Fellowship definedSo fellowship in 1 John is the intimate family relationship based on shared life – eternal life - and expressed in love. Fellowship is the family relationship we have with God (our Father and His Son) and His children (fellow believers), beginning with salvation. Fellowship means you are members of the same family and share the same life – eternal life, God’s life. So fellowship with the Father and the Son is fundamentally the same thing as having eternal life.
You can’t lose itThis primary kind of fellowship – fellowship with God – is absolute. You either have it (the apostles) or you don’t (the false teachers). This fellowship with God is also permanent and unchanging. You will always be a child of God, and you cannot have eternal life taken away. John 10:27-30 Thus, 1 John 1:3 offers no support for the idea of “losing fellowship” with God. Next time, we will finish up our study of fellowship in 1 John. In particular, we will see why it is that John proclaimed the message of eternal life in Christ to his audience so that they might have fellowship with John and his apostolic circle. (Hint: it has something to do with his opponents.)
Until the next time, we’re all …. In His grip, Pastor John If you found this helpful, please pass it on! Post it on Facebook, or tweet about it!
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