John had just condensed the Gospel message, as it pertained to who God is (cp. John 1:18), by saying that God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5). After doing so, he then offered his readers three false arguments that must be seen in the light of the truth that God is Light. First, John claimed, “If we say that we have fellowship with him (God), and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1John 1:6). Secondly, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1John 1:8), and finally John claimed, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his word is not in us” (1John 1:10). These three arguments were used by the then current false teachers in an effort to destroy the believers’ fellowship both with one another, and with the Lord, for it is impossible for Light to have communion with darkness. Either light dispels darkness, or light is shut out in order that darkness could exist.
John’s first false argument concerned one claiming he had fellowship with God, while he walked in darkness (1John 1:6). Nevertheless, one cannot capture light and hide that light away. That would be impossible. The Lord alludes to such a thing in his argument about lighting a candle and placing it in a secret place (Luke 11:33). While such a thing is technically possible, it is completely illogical, for light is meant to be used to make manifest what is under darkness. One simply doesn’t hide away the light in order to be free to manifest one’s darkness. The whole idea is ridiculous, and so is the argument that one could walk in darkness and bring forth the Light (1John 1:6), in whom is no darkness at all (1John 1:5).
Jesus claimed to be the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5). In other words he manifests who the Father is (John 1:18). If one claims he knows God but at the same time hides Jesus away in a secret place (Luke 11:33), he is a liar, because it is impossible to hide Jesus away and bring him forth in our works at the same time (1John 1:6). Although he may be able to quote chapter and verse in Scripture, he doesn’t know God.
Fellowship with the Light is possible only if one walks in the light. How would it be possible for one to have “fellowship” with the sun, if one dwelt in a deep cave (cp. Luke 11:33), where the sun’s light never touched? In the context of John’s argument, to walk in the light, then, is to have fellowship with Jesus. One simply cannot reject fellowship with Jesus and claim he has fellowship with God. Therefore, by walking in the light, just as he (Christ) is in the light, we not only have fellowship with God (1John 1:5-6), but we have fellowship with one another (1John 1:7) and we share in the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from all our sins.
John’s second argument concerning false doctrine involves the one who claims he has no sin to confess (1John 1:8). This idea, as the former argument, which claimed one could walk in darkness (reject Jesus as Christ) and still have fellowship with God, is based upon the proposition that knowledge, itself, is righteousness or light. So, according to this premise, if one knew the truth correctly and believed its data without error, one hadn’t missed the mark (sinned). In other words, to have perfect knowledge under this worldview was to be sinless. Nevertheless, John declared that this idea brought nothing but self-deception, and the end result was the Truth (cp. John 14:6) was not in that man (cp. Colossians 1:27).
On the other hand, the Gospel message takes the burden of perfection off the believer’s shoulders and places it upon Christ. Only the Lord is perfect in anything and everything, but it remains our responsibility to follow him, and this presupposes walking in the Light. So, if the believer is dwelling in the Light, he will confess his sins, as he recognizes them. The Lord is faithful in his promise to forgive his disciple and to thoroughly wash him from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9).
John’s third and final argument that was put forward by the false teachers was that one could be blameless before God (1John 1:10). Blamelessness, however, doesn’t destroy one’s personal evil. Paul was blameless, according to the Law, while he persecuted believers to their deaths (Philippians 3:6). In other words, Paul could be justified by the Law, while he made Christ of no effect in his life (Galatians 5:4).
Therefore, using the first argument made one a liar (1John 1:6), the second brought self-delusion (1John 1:8), and the third argument made God out to be a liar (John 1:10), whose word claims the whole of mankind, had been in the state of rebellion, until Jesus made peace with God in our stead (Ephesians 2:14; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 10:19-22). This means all have sinned, not one is righteous, not even one person in all humanity (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10)..
These three statements embodied the argument of first century AD Judaism, which was, first, one didn’t need Jesus to know God. Secondly, Jews already had perfect knowledge in the Mosaic Covenant—it was the word of God. Therefore, one couldn’t sin by wholly embracing the Mosaic Covenant and nothing else. Finally, Jews had the Law, which they claimed was a prescription for forgiveness, through sacrifice. One didn’t need Jesus to be righteous or to have one’s sins forgiven. This was the premise of Judaism in the first century AD, and it continues to be their argument to this day.
Smoodock's Blog 