1 John 1

Fellowship with God who is light; confession of sin.

John opens by declaring that what he writes is from firsthand experience — "that 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. The purpose of his proclamation is that his readers may have fellowship with the apostles, and through them, fellowship with the Father and the Son. The central message: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." Walking in the light brings fellowship with one another and cleansing through Jesus' blood. Anyone who claims to be without sin deceives himself; but if we confess our sins, God is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."