1 John 1:1-10 NKJV
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
In the culture of John’s day, which was oriented toward the reciting and hearing of texts, opening words were everything. When one pauses to reflect upon the phrasing of John’s opening, then a discerned hearing would reveal a single sentence, four verses long and full of repetition, yielding a distinctive mixture of profound, compelling affirmations.
The prologues patterning accomplishes well the three functions of a literary introduction: (1) capturing the attention and interest of the listener; (2) stating the purpose of the writing; and (3) divulging the essential plan or scheme of the writing. The prologue begins with an attention-grabbing, comprehensive reference to faith’s object, to a who and a what that has existed from the beginning. In other words, John plunges into the heart of his subject with an introduction much like the one in his Gospel — fixing eyes of faith on Christ.
Verses 5-10 reveal how there’s no fence-riding with God. A believing/baptized child of God cannot dwell in both the darkness and the light. Dwelling would indicate a purposeful continuance in darkness (or sin). Yet John is quick to point out that walking in the light does not mean that those who do so never sin, but that they do not seek to hide that fact from God.”
Oh, how we confessional Lutherans can rejoice that our liturgy — every single week — brings us to directly confess the truth of God’s Holy Scripture! We confess that we have sin; that we are not deceived; and that God’s truth is in us! We confess God’s faithfulness and justness to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness! Which, then, also means that we are confessing that we’re not already declared righteous with the rest of the world at Christ’s resurrection — this is an anti-scriptural teaching, very sadly, held by the other major Lutheran church bodies. Through our confession, we do not make Him a liar! Why? Because His Word is in us!
Let us pray: Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word. Amen.