Wisdom-Trek ©

Putnam Church Message – 08/10/2025

Sermon Series: 1, 2, & 3 John“A Joyful Life – God’s Light and Our Blight.” 

Last week, we explored “A Joyful Life - God is Life,” from 1 John 1:1-4, and we focused on Communion and Joy with God and each other.

This week, we continue through the letter of 1 John, and we will cover 1 John 1:5-10 as we explore “God’s Light and Our Blight.” Let’s read 1 John 1:5-10 from the NIV, which is found on page 1899 of your Pew Bibles.

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.Opening Prayer

At some point in each of our lives, we transition from childhood to adulthood, from student to teacher, from mentee to mentor. Wisely, my parents had me wait a year after high school before entering college. I needed that extra year to mature and earn additional money. By God’s grace and planning, it also allowed me to meet Paula in her first year; otherwise, God would have had to work out our meeting in another way. I remember when I was on my way out, heading to college for the first time, I knew that I would be on my own for the rest of my life. My parents did all they could to raise me right, to instill in me solid values, words of wisdom, and examples to follow. When I had to cross the threshold of the house that marked the moment of my transition from dependent child to independent adult, my parents knew that they had taught me the best they knew how, and now the decisions to continue walking in that knowledge were up to me.

I may have been on my own physically, at least for a season—until I began to build my own family and emulate the wisdom and lessons my parents had taught me. But I wasn’t on my own spiritually. The words and examples of my parents were always there, becoming increasingly relevant and meaningful as I faced my own real-life situations. As I continued to mature as an adult, I can’t remember how many times the words of my mom or dad came back to me, and I thought, “That’s what they meant!” They also left me a priceless spiritual legacy, introducing me to the Lord Jesus, a respect for God’s Word, and a love for others, especially fellow believers.

I imagine something similar happened with Jesus’ original disciples. They continued to mature in their understanding of the faith after the Lord Jesus pushed His disciples out of the nest and sent them into the world. He didn’t completely abandon them, though. He sent His Spirit to abide with them, to comfort them, to teach them, and to lead them into all truth. Jesus told them in John 14:26: But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

In the letter of 1 John, the aged apostle is memorializing with paper and ink the wisdom imparted to him from Christ after decades of real-life reflection and teaching by the Spirit of God. The memory of Christ’s teaching had not faded over the years but had become more pronounced, more meaningful, and more practical as he not only learned it but lived it and imparted it to others. In 1 JOHN 1:5-10, John casts the message he had received from Jesus in the simple terms of light and darkness.

• The principles of 1:5–10 are clear and straightforward: (Bulletin Insert)
• God’s character is holy and pure (1:5).
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• Our nature is dark and depraved (1:6).
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• Our hope is in confessing and cleansing (1:7–10).
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We can learn and even memorize these words in a matter of minutes, but it will take a lifetime of walking in the light to come to terms with the depth of their significance.

1:5

Many biblical authors tell us a lot about what God does. The Old Testament largely recounts His mighty deeds from Creation to the eve of the coming of the Messiah. The New Testament also presents numerous blow-by-blow accounts of the Savior’s actions and the Spirit’s deeds through the apostles. Yet, in all of this, these are just snapshots of what happened. It is like looking at a photo album.

The apostle John has left us an account, snapshots if you will —in the Gospel of John and the book of Revelation—of what Christ has done and will do. But he has also focused a lot on who God is, and much of this focus comes through in 1 John. While others write of God’s power, God’s work, God’s will, and God’s way, John keeps bringing us back to who God is in His very nature. And because the infinite depths of God’s nature are veiled to us, John uses images and metaphors to help us catch a glimpse (a snapshot) of His essence and character.

In the opening sentence of this letter, John tells us that God is life, manifested to us through Jesus Christ (1:1–2). He is the One who originates life, who gives eternal life, and who made Himself known as the Word of Life. While exulting in the memory of having seen Him, heard Him, and touched Him, the elderly apostle states that it’s this incarnate Word whom “we proclaim to you” (1:3).

All of this prompts him to announce “the message” he wanted his readers never to forget—that God is Light (1:5). “Light” is a single term that captures the essence of God’s nature. It represents the holiness and purity of God. In John’s metaphor, God isn’t simply a source of light, a being brilliantly illumined by light, or a reflector of light. God is Light. As such, there’s no possibility of even a trace of darkness with Him. God is ALL LIGHT, ZERO DARKNESS.

What does this mean? It means that God is all good, with nothing bad. He is all pure, with nothing impure. He is all clean, with nothing dirty. He is all right, with nothing wrong. He is all truth, with nothing false. What a profound statement to make in a culture in which many of the numerous “gods” of the Greeks and Romans were imperfect, cruel, vindictive supermen—like twisted and troublesome humans … only bigger, stronger, and immortal.

The created powers and authorities that the One True God allowed to rule over the gentile nations, whether they be: past or present, pale in comparison to the one true God, who is Light. This is vitally important because without His light of purity and holiness in our lives, we dwell in constant spiritual darkness. It is a simple fact that in the physical world, as well as in the spiritual world, darkness can’t continue when it encounters light. Light always dispels darkness.  As Martin Luther King said in one of his speeches: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that,"1:6–7

In contrast to God’s nature as light, our human nature in its fallen condition is dark and depraved. While I don’t think it is healthy spiritually to dwell on our fallen natures constantly, we do need to recognize that we are prone to darkness if we are not continually bathing ourselves in the Light of God’s Word.

In 1:6, John begins a series of three “if we say/claim” clauses that take us to the end of the chapter. The problem throughout these verses is a contradiction between a believer’s profession of faith and their lifestyle. In the first of these clauses, John (1) sets up the claim, (2) describes the contradiction, and (3) draws a reasonable conclusion. In this way, he leads his readers through a self-evaluation of the very real issue of sin in a believer’s life.

CLAIM

CONTRADICTION

CONCLUSION

“if we say we have fellowship with God”

“but go on living in spiritual darkness”

“we are not practicing the truth.” 

This is the situation of those who ignore their sinfulness while claiming to have an intimate relationship with God. Their words are nothing more than that—words. When there is such a stark contradiction between our claim of closeness to the Light>and our lifestyle of darkness, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that we’re lying. If we say we have fellowship with God but participate in morally sinful activities, we’re liars. If we say we enjoy intimacy with God but are verbally or physically abusive toward family members or others we meet, we lie. If we claim to be close with God but are continually angry or complaining about everything, we’re not practicing the truth.

What’s the solution to a life of total contradiction between what we say and what we do? Verse 7 gives the contrast.  But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, two things happen. First, then we have fellowship with each other, believers who are walking in the Light. Second, we experience continual cleansing of our lives, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

But what does it mean, practically, to be “living in the light?” The Greek word translated “living” (peripateō [4043]) literally means “to walk around” in our daily walk of life. However, it had a common idiomatic usage referring to a person’s lifestyle or pattern of behavior (Rom. 6:4; Eph. 4:1). Living in the light doesn’t refer to a single, isolated action—either positively or negatively. A single action might be called a “step in the right direction” or a “step down the wrong path.” However, the image of “living in the light” or “living in spiritual darkness” implies a consistent path—a pattern of living. It is like if you walk in the exact same place in your yard every day, it will soon turn into a path.

So, when we are “living in the Light,” we adapt our thinking and behavior to His. We allow Him to take control of our urges. We stay in close contact with Him, reading His Word, praying, and gathering with fellow believers. And we participate in these things continually, not sporadically … frequently, not occasionally.

1:8–10

In verses 8 and 10, we see the second and third contradictions, this time of a different kind,/but just as false and damaging to a right walk in fellowship with God.

CLAIM

CONCLUSION

“ If we claim we have no sin,”

“we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”

“If we claim we have not sinned,”

“we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.”

You probably noticed that there is no explicit contradiction stated in these “if we claim” clauses. The reason for this is that the contradiction is patently obvious to anybody who dwells in this mortal, fallen flesh. The truth is, we do have sin. And because of this sin nature, we commit actual sins, even as believers. The root cause of the abiding sin in our lives is often called “total depravity.” The doctrine of total depravity can be defined this way:

Total depravity does not mean that individuals are as wicked as they could possibly be. It signifies that sin affects all parts of a person, but not necessarily that they are as evil as possible.  Individuals are inherently inclined towards sin and rebellion against God. It emphasizes the absolute necessity of God's grace for salvation.

This can be best summed up in Ephesians 2:1-5Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

The doctrine of depravity and our resulting sinfulness is so clear in Scripture that it’s no wonder John declares If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (1 Jn. 1:10).

While there is no darkness in God because He is Light (1:5), there is no light of holiness and purity in fallen, unsaved humanity apart fromthe light of God’s grace. Try as we may, we humans cannot, without God’s help, produce a single spark of genuine righteousness that would be pleasing to God and move us one step closer to Christlikeness. Sin mars us within, down to the core of our being, down to the fount of our motives. We may attempt to hide it, try to deny it, or dogmatically reject it. But fallen humanity’s stain of sin and guilt has blighted all of us through and through.

This condition of our sinfulness stands behind John’s discussion of the believer’s relationship to light and darkness. By casting God’s light and our blight in black-and-white terms, the apostle gets his readers to take seriously not only God’s holiness but also their own sinfulness. Because our God is Light (holy, pure, and righteous), He wants His children to walk not in darkness but in light.

John could have easily amassed a flood of verses, countless biblical examples, and a slew of personal experiences to prove that anybody claiming to be sinless is simply self-deceived! Sadly, more and more people in our world are falling into this deception, denying, or downplaying the reality of their own sinfulness.

The antidote to denying our sin is to do exactly the opposite: confess it. John assures us in 1:9 that our loving God offers us a glorious promise of mercy and grace. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. This act releases us from the relationship-bruising effects of our actions>and works in us by the Spirit to wash away our unrighteousness. The term translated “confess” is homo/logeō [3670], a compound word that literally means “to say the same thing.” To confess our sins is to “concede that something is factual or true.” We agree with what God says about our sinfulness, not what we would prefer to be true/or what the world says.

When we sin, we must take responsibility for it. We don’t blame others, our family history, our genes, our environment, or our circumstances. We don’t blame the devil or God. We admit that we are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness and restoration. When we do this—confess our sinfulness to God—He cleanses us from all unrighteousness and restores us to intimate fellowship with Him. What a great promise of ever-present, always-available grace and mercy!

However, I want to warn against making this single verse, 1 John 1:9, stand all alone. God’s promise to forgive us when we confess our sins should never be interpreted as an invitation to an all-you-can-sin smorgasbord for which Jesus paid the check. It isn’t an infinite supply of instant sin sanitizer you squirt on your wicked deeds as you continually get your hands dirty with unrighteousness. This verse is embedded in a context that puts it in its proper perspective.

The God who is Light wants us to walk in the Light, not in darkness. He wants us to have constant closeness with Him. In our intimate relationship with Him and...