And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
Parallel translations
- WEB This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
- KJV This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
- NKJV 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.
- NASB This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
- NLT This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The core message is that God is light, perfectly holy and pure, with no darkness in him. His character sets the standard for fellowship with him.
Overview
John summarizes the apostolic message: 'God is light.' Light signifies God's holiness, truth, and moral purity, utterly free of sin or evil ('darkness'). This declaration grounds the moral tests that follow: those who claim fellowship with a holy God must walk in holiness. It points to Christ, the true light who reveals God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 8:12Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- Jas 1:17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
- Isa 60:19No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.
- Ps 27:1Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- John 1:9The true Light who gives light to every man was coming into the world.
- John 1:4In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
- Rev 22:5There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
- Rev 21:23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- John 12:35–36Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
- John 9:5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
- 1 Tim 6:16He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- Ps 36:9For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.
- Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- 1 Jn 3:11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
- 1 Cor 11:23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Jesus is the Word of life made manifest, the propitiation for our sins, the Son in whom is eternal life — 'that you may know that you have eternal life.'
How 1 John 1:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.