TRV
Translation
King James Version
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
Complete Jewish Bible
If we claim to have fellowship with him while we are walking in the darkness, we are lying and not living out the truth.
Berean Standard Bible
If we say we have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
American Standard Version
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
World English Bible Messianic
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.
Geneva Bible (1599)
If wee say that wee haue fellowship with him, and walke in darkenesse, we lie, and doe not truely:
Young's Literal Translation
if we may say--`we have fellowship with Him,' and in the darkness may walk--we lie, and do not the truth;
In the KJVVerse 30,547 of 31,102
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Commentary on 1 John 1 verses 5–7
5 ¶ 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.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The apostle, having declared the truth and dignity of the author of the gospel, brings a message or report from him, from which a just conclusion is to be drawn for the consideration and conviction of the professors of religion, or professed entertainers of this glorious gospel.
I. Here is the message or report that the apostle avers to come from the Lord Jesus: This then is the message which we have heard of him (Jo1 1:5), of his Son Jesus Christ. As he was the immediate sender of the apostles, so he is the principal person spoken of in the preceding context, and the next antecedent also to whom the pronoun him can relate. The apostles and apostolical ministers are the messengers of the Lord Jesus; it is their honour, the chief they pretend to, to bring his mind and messages to the world and to the churches. This is the wisdom and present dispensation of the Lord Jesus, to send his messages to us by persons like ourselves. He that put on human nature will honour earthen vessels. It was the ambition of the apostles to be found faithful, and faithfully to deliver the errands and messages they had received. What was communicated to them they were solicitous to impart: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you. A message from the Word of life, from the eternal Word, we should gladly receive: and the present one is this (relating to the nature of God whom we are to serve, and with whom we should covet all indulged communion) - That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, Jo1 1:5. This report asserts the excellency of the divine nature. He is all that beauty and perfection that can be represented to us by light. He is a self-active uncompounded spirituality, purity, wisdom, holiness, and glory. And then the absoluteness and fulness of that excellency and perfection. There is no defect or imperfection, no mixture of any thing alien or contrary to absolute excellency, no mutability nor capacity of any decay in him: In him is no darkness at all, Jo1 1:5. Or this report may more immediately relate to what is usually called the moral perfection of the divine nature, what we are to imitate, or what is more directly to influence us in our gospel work. And so it will comprehend the holiness of God, the absolute purity of his nature and will, his penetrative knowledge (particularly of hearts), his jealousy and injustice, which burn a a most bright and vehement flame. It is meet that to this dark world the great God should be represented as pure and perfect light. It is the Lord Jesus that best of all opens to us the name and nature of the unsearchable God: The only-begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, the same hath declared him. It is the prerogative of the Christian revelation to bring us the most noble, the most august and agreeable account of the blessed God, such as is most suitable to the light of reason and what is demonstrable thereby, most suitable to the magnificence of his works round about us, and to the nature and office of him that is the supreme administrator, governor, and judge of the world. What more (relating to and comprehensive of all such perfection) could be included in one word than in this, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all? Then,
II. There is a just conclusion to be drawn from this message and report, and that for the consideration and conviction of professors of religion, or professed entertainers of this gospel. This conclusion issues into two branches: - 1. For the conviction of such professors as have no true fellowship with God: If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. It is known that to walk, in scripture account, is to order and frame the course and actions of the moral life, that is, of the life so far as it is capable of subjection to the divine law. To walk in darkness is to live and act according to such ignorance, error, and erroneous practice, as are contrary to the fundamental dictates of our holy religion. Now there may be those who may pretend to great attainments and enjoyments in religion; they may profess to have communion with God; and yet their lives may be irreligious, immoral, and impure. To such the apostle would not fear to give the lie: They lie, and do not the truth. They belie God; for he holds no heavenly fellowship or intercourse with unholy souls. What communion hath light with darkness? They belie themselves, or lie concerning themselves; for they have no such communications from God nor accesses to him. There is no truth in their profession nor in their practice, or their practice gives their profession and pretences the lie, and demonstrates the folly and falsehood of them. 2. For the conviction and consequent satisfaction of those that are near to God: But, if we walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. As the blessed God is the eternal boundless light, and the Mediator is, from him, the light of the world, so the Christian institution is the great luminary that appears in our sphere, and shines here below. A conformity to this in spirit and practice demonstrates fellowship or communion with God. Those that so walk show that they know God, that they have received of the Spirit of God, and that the divine impress or image is stamped upon their souls. Then we have fellowship one with another, they with us and we with them, and both with God, in his blessed or beatific communications to us. And this is one of those beatific communications to us - that his Son's blood or death is applied or imputed to us: The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. The eternal life, the eternal Son, hath put on flesh and blood, and so became Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ hath shed his blood for us, or died to wash us from our sins in his own blood. His blood applied to us discharges us from the guilt of all sin, both original and actual, inherent and committed: and so far we stand righteous in his sight; and not only so, but his blood procures for us those sacred influences by which sin is to be subdued more and more, till it is quite abolished, Gal 3:13, Gal 3:14.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–7. Public domain.
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IrenaeusAD 202
AGAINST HERESIES 3.5.1
A lie has no fellowship with the truth, any more than light with darkness. The presence of one excludes the other.
Clement of AlexandriaAD 215
The Stromata Book 3
But because they have chosen to disobey the laws, they make themselves objects of hatred both to human lawgivers and to the law of God. At any rate in Numbers the man who thrust his spear into the fornicator is evidently blessed by God. And John says in his epistle: "If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with him, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from sin."
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Ten Homilies on 1 John 1
If "God be light, and in Him is no darkness at all, and we must have fellowship with Him," then from us also must the darkness be driven away, that there may be light created in us, for darkness cannot have fellowship with light. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie." Thou sayest thou hast fellowship with God, and thou walkest in darkness; "and God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all:" then how should there be fellowship between light and darkness? At this point therefore a man may say to himself, What shall I do? how shall I be light? I live in sins and iniquities. There steals upon him, as it were, a desperation and sadness. There is no salvation save in the fellowship of God. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." But sins are darkness, as the Apostle saith of the devil and his angels, that they are "rulers of this darkness." He would not call them of darkness, save as rulers of sins, having lordship over the wicked.
Hilary of ArlesAD 449
INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN
The truth is light, so if we do not walk according to it, we are in the dark.
Andreas of CaesareaAD 614
CATENA
John says that if we sin we have no fellowship with God, but if we do the works of light, then we have fellowship with one another.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, etc. He names darkness, sins, heresies, and hatreds. Therefore, the mere confession of faith alone is not sufficient for salvation, to which the testimony of good works is lacking. But neither does the rectitude of works without the simplicity of faith and love profit. For whoever is besieged by darkness in any part cannot have fellowship with Him in whom no iniquities occur. For what fellowship has light with darkness? (II Cor. VI).
OecumeniusAD 990
Commentary on 1 John
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Since therefore we are called to have fellowship with God, who is light; furthermore, in such light the darkness cannot stand, as has been demonstrated, nor can we, who are partakers of the light, thereafter receive darkness in ourselves, lest we suffer the penalties of falsehood and be separated from the fellowship of light along with falsehood. Therefore, having mutual fellowship (namely, both among ourselves and with the light), we make ourselves difficult to sin.
But how will this happen to us, John says, who have previously offended in many sins? For no one who is truthful and accustomed to speaking the truth will dare to say that he is without sin. Therefore, if anyone is surrounded and occupied by this fear, let him be of good spirit, he says, for he has been purified by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ shed for us, having contracted a fellowship with Him. Therefore, observe that because of the supreme union, He also calls the Son of the Father the nature assumed from us, whose blood is undoubtedly of the assumed nature and not of God.
How then, is Nestorius mad and impious, who separating the flesh of the Son does not allow His mother to be called Θεοτόκον, that is, the Mother of God? "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light," (1 Jn. 1:7) it should be understood that the understanding of the whole sentence is the overturning of the blasphemy of the Jews (see Rev. 2:9): for they indeed said of Christ: "We know that He is a sinner." (Jn. 9:34) John says therefore: If we do the works of light, we are partakers of him; but if we do not, we are strangers to him. How then, is he not truthful, he asks, and has committed no sin, although "he was rejected by us among sinners?" (Is. 53:12) If therefore we who said, "His blood be upon us and upon our children," (Matt. 27:24) boldly say that we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves (1 Jn. 1:8) or are deceived, as if it were not a sin to crucify Christ.
Symeon the New TheologianAD 1022
DISCOURSES 33.2
See to it, brothers, that while we seem to be in God and think that we have communion with him, we should not be found excluded and separated from him, since we do not now see his light.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 John 1:6 presents a stark challenge to those who claim to have an intimate relationship with God yet persist in a lifestyle characterized by sin and moral compromise. The apostle John asserts that such a contradiction between profession and practice reveals a fundamental dishonesty, indicating that their actions do not align with the divine truth they purport to embrace. This verse serves as a critical diagnostic for genuine spiritual fellowship, emphasizing that authentic communion with God is inextricably linked to a life lived in accordance with His holy nature, which is light.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
1 John 1:6 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message. The primary device is Metaphor, specifically the pervasive use of "light" and "darkness" to represent spiritual and moral states. "Walking in darkness" is a powerful metaphor for living a life dominated by sin, moral corruption, and spiritual ignorance, contrasting sharply with the divine nature of God, who "is light." This imagery is deeply rooted in biblical tradition and immediately communicates the spiritual condition. Closely related is Contrast, as John sets up a clear dichotomy between the claim of "fellowship with him" (God, who is light) and the reality of "walking in darkness." This stark opposition highlights the irreconcilable nature of these two states. The verse also functions as a Hypothetical Statement ("If we say...then we lie"), using a conditional clause (G1437, eán) to present a scenario and then deliver a definitive judgment. This structure serves as a diagnostic tool, inviting readers to examine their own lives against the standard of God's light. Finally, the phrase "do not the truth" is an example of Hebraism, a Semitic idiom common in Johannine literature, meaning to fail to practice or embody truth in one's life, rather than merely to fail to speak it.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly impacts our understanding of the nature of true faith and genuine relationship with God. It asserts that authentic fellowship with the holy God is not merely a verbal declaration or an intellectual assent to doctrine, but a transformative reality that manifests in one's ethical conduct. Since God is inherently light and truth, those who claim to be in communion with Him must necessarily walk in that light, reflecting His character in their daily lives. A persistent, unrepentant lifestyle of "darkness" (sin) fundamentally contradicts the very nature of God and thus invalidates any claim of fellowship. This theological truth underscores the inseparable link between orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right practice), demonstrating that true spiritual life is holistic, encompassing both profession and performance.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
1 John 1:6 serves as a timeless and piercing challenge to self-examination for every believer. It compels us to move beyond superficial claims of faith and to honestly assess whether our daily actions and lifestyle genuinely align with our profession of knowing God. True fellowship with the God who is light demands a commitment to walking in that light—pursuing holiness, truth, and righteousness, and actively turning away from sin. This doesn't imply sinless perfection, but rather a consistent direction of life, a trajectory of repentance and obedience driven by a transformed heart. When we genuinely walk in the light, our lives become a testament to the truth of God, fostering authentic communion with Him and with fellow believers. It is a call to integrity, reminding us that our spiritual reality is not just about what we say, but fundamentally about how we live.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does "walking in darkness" mean committing any sin, or does it refer to a lifestyle?
Answer: In 1 John 1:6, "walking in darkness" refers to a habitual lifestyle or a persistent pattern of living characterized by sin and moral compromise, rather than an isolated act of sin. The Greek word for "walk" (G4043, peripatéō) often denotes one's general conduct or manner of life. John is addressing a fundamental contradiction: claiming to have fellowship with God, who is light and truth (1 John 1:5), while habitually living in a way that is contrary to His nature. It's about the direction and orientation of one's life, not about the occasional stumble. The epistle later clarifies that even believers will sin (1 John 1:8), but true fellowship involves confessing those sins and walking in the light, which implies a continuous turning away from darkness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
1 John 1:6 finds its ultimate fulfillment and resolution in Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of God's light and truth. The verse exposes the futility of claiming fellowship with God while living in darkness, a problem that humanity, in its fallen state, cannot overcome on its own. However, Jesus declares Himself to be "the light of the world" (John 8:12), and "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). It is through faith in Him that we are delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into His marvelous light (Colossians 1:13). Our ability to "walk in the light" and "do the truth" is not achieved by our own moral effort but is a direct result of our union with Christ, who empowers us by His Spirit to live a life that reflects God's character. He is the one who "takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), enabling us to confess our sins and be cleansed (1 John 1:9), thereby restoring and maintaining genuine fellowship with the Father. Thus, the truth that we are called to "do" is ultimately the truth revealed and embodied in Jesus Christ Himself.