1:7a

if we…: (Expression) Here John is giving a positive contrast to the last verse, showing what Christians should be doing. Therefore it may be appropriate to use “we” here even if you have used “somebody” in 1:6.

walk in the light: (Metaphor) This means behaving consistently with what God has revealed about his nature and his will. This is clearly contrasted with “walk in the darkness” in the previous verse.

1:7b

He is in the light: (Meaning) Notice the difference from 1:5. Here John says that God is in the light. This is focusing on his actions, which are always good and pure and in accordance with his nature.

1:7c

fellowship with one another: (Focus) The obvious consequence of us walking in the light would be that we would have fellowship with God. But here John is focusing on the fact that doing God’s will causes us to be united with all God’s people. He is warning his readers against the false teachers, who led their followers to break away from fellowship with other Christians.

1:7d

blood of Jesus His Son: (Meaning) This term is often used in the N.T. to refer to Jesus’ violent death, which removes our sin in the same way that the blood of the sacrificed animals did in the O.T.

cleanses: (Metaphor) This is a metaphor for removing from us all that would make us unacceptable to God, that is, all evil. Note that here John is referring to the process that continues throughout our Christian lives.

© 2000 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.