Bullet Point Bible

Prologue: The Witness to the Word of Life

¹ This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of lifeâ€"² and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us).³ What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ).⁴ Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

The opening echoes the prologue of John's Gospel (John 1:1, 14), emphasizing the pre-existence and incarnation of Christ ("what was from the beginning").
John stresses the apostles' direct, physical, sensory experience with Jesus ("heard," "seen," "looked at," "touched"), establishing the authority of their testimony.
"Word of life" refers to Jesus Christ himself, the embodiment and source of eternal life.
The "life was revealed" points to the incarnation, where the divine, eternal life became visible and accessible in Jesus.
The purpose of the apostolic proclamation is to bring believers into fellowship (Greek: *koinonia*) with the apostles and, through them, with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
*Koinonia* implies shared life, participation, and community rooted in the shared experience of Christ.
John writes to ensure the fullness of joy for both the writers and the readers, linking joy to fellowship and truth (cf. John 15:11).
This prologue establishes the foundation for the entire letter: authentic Christian life is based on the historical reality of Jesus Christ and results in fellowship with God and other believers.
The repetition of "we have seen and heard" underscores the reliability and firsthand nature of the apostolic witness against potential false teachings (like early Gnosticism).

Walking in the Light vs. Darkness

⁵ Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.⁷ But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

John transitions from the witness (vv. 1-4) to the core message derived from that witness.
The fundamental nature of God is described as "light," symbolizing his absolute holiness, truth, purity, and self-revelation.
The phrase "no darkness at all" emphasizes God's absolute separation from sin, evil, and falsehood. There is no mixture or compromise in His nature.
This message about God's nature has direct ethical implications for believers. Claiming fellowship with a God who *is* light while living in moral/spiritual darkness ("walk in the darkness") is self-contradictory and constitutes a lie.
"Walking in the darkness" refers to a lifestyle characterized by sin and opposition to God's truth.
"Practicing the truth" (or "doing the truth") connects belief with behavior; authentic faith manifests in righteous living.
Conversely, "walking in the light" means living in accordance with God's revealed character and commands, enabled by Him.
True fellowship (*koinonia*) with other believers is a consequence of walking in the light, reflecting the shared life believers have in God.
The continuous cleansing "from all sin" by the "blood of Jesus" is necessary even for those walking in the light, indicating that believers still sin but have ongoing forgiveness available through Christ's sacrifice. This cleansing is conditional upon walking in the light.

Confession, Forgiveness, and the Reality of Sin

⁸ If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.⁹ But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

John addresses the reality of sin within the life of believers who are already "walking in the light."
Claiming sinlessness ("we do not have sin") is self-deception; it denies the ongoing struggle with sin and the need for grace. The "truth" (God's revealed reality about human nature and sin) is absent in such a person.
The Greek tense in "do not have sin" (present active indicative) suggests denying the *state* or *principle* of sin within oneself.
Honest and specific confession (Greek: *homologeo* - "to say the same thing," i.e., agree with God about our sin) is the necessary response to sin.
God's forgiveness is grounded in His own character: He is "faithful" (to His promises and covenant) and "righteous" or "just" (because Christ's death satisfied justice, allowing God to forgive justly).
Forgiveness includes both the removal of guilt ("forgive us our sins") and purification from its effects ("cleanse us from all unrighteousness").
Claiming specific acts of sin have not occurred ("we have not sinned") goes further than denying the principle of sin; it directly contradicts God's own testimony about humanity (cf. Romans 3:23).
To deny our sin is effectively to call God a liar, rejecting His revealed word and diagnosis of the human condition.
The presence of God's "word" (his truth, his message) within a person is incompatible with denying the reality of sin.
These verses establish the pattern for believers: acknowledge sin, confess it, receive forgiveness and cleansing, and continue walking in the light.

The Bullet Point Bible

1 John 1