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"God is light..."

Text: 1 John 1:6

ADDRESSING CHALLENGING PROBLEMS

The apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ had to deal with many false doctrines. The apostle John had to stand up against false teachers too. John’s approach was quite unique.

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him,
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practise the truth.”
1 John 1:6

1. A classic use of “Conditional sentence”

a) There are essentially three types of conditional sentences.

b) They are called:-

i) First Class Condition (Possible)

ii) Second Class condition (Hypothetical)

iii) Third Class condition (Contrary to fact)

c) The way a sentence is written expresses the author’s perspective.

2. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him”

a) This was written as a Second Class condition.

b) John’s perspective suggests that he does not think much about the people who claimed that they were in fellowship with God.

c) It is easy to claim fellowship with God.

d) John casts doubts concerning this claim.

3. “And walk in darkness”

a) How could people claim to have fellowship with God who is “Light” when they walk in darkness?

b) Light and darkness cannot co-exist (1 John 1:5).

c) These claimants contradict themselves.

d) Hence their claim is invalid.

4. “We lie and do not practice the truth”

a) The reality is that the claimants are lying.

b) They are in fact not practising the truth.

c) This is a very serious statement made against the false teachers.

d) Their very lifestyle of walking in darkness betrays their true spiritual state.

e) These false teachers were in fact using lies to draw people away from the truth.