Joy Made Complete

Allison Kim

Central Truth

God knows your sin, He forgives you, and He loves you.

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 cleanses us from all sin.

The Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our^{1

1:4
Some manuscripts your} joy may be complete.

Walking in the Light

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Footnotes

[1] 1:4 Some manuscripts your

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Welcome to the book of 1 John. It reminds us what we believe as Christians: God sent His only Son to die for our sins; all humans are sinful; Christ is our advocate and defeated sin once and for all; and finally, faith in Christ results in forgiveness, eternal life, and knowing God.

1 John 1 begins by telling us that the word of life, who is Jesus, has been heard, seen, and touched. From the beginning of time, Jesus is the word of life who came to earth, was witnessed physically and historically, and today remains the source of eternal life. There is joy in this truth; furthermore, our joy is made complete in this truth.

Not only do we know that we have access to salvation by believing the gospel, we know we can have fellowship with God. John doesn't simply tell facts, but rather he proclaims the life found in Christ. Indeed, our joy is made complete in knowing Jesus and having fellowship with our God, the one true God!

As we have fellowship with God, we know His character because He reveals it to us. He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Walking with God means walking in the light as we know He is light. How then are we to walk in the light? We "confess our sins," and come to know God even deeper: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). God knows your sin, He forgives you, and He loves you.

1 John 1 closes by warning us of a pitfall in the walk of believers: thinking that we are sinless. Verse 10 tells us: "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Our hearts are often deceptive and lead us to believe we have not sinned. This darkness in us is cleared when we walk in the light and confess our sins. Even when we sin, we have an advocate—Jesus Christ.

1. In 1 John 1:4, John writes that his purpose is to promote joy that is complete. How do living in light of the gospel and our fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bring us joy?

2. John clearly states that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" and that if we "confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us." (1 John 1:8-9) Are there moments when this truth is hard to live out? Are there sins that are harder to confess. If so, why?

3. John "proclaims to you the eternal life." (1 John 1:2) Are there people in your life to whom you can "proclaim" the good news of the gospel? Encourage them today toward a personal relationship with Jesus!