I. John’s message A. John received his teaching directly from the historical Jesus. (Historic Revelation) B. Our theology must be anchored objectively or else it will be shaped by any whim or inspiration that comes along.

II. God contains no darkness. A. John is addressing Right thinking about God (light) and right living in community. B. God is light. 1. Old Testament refers to God as fire – Moses, Israel in wilderness, Tabernacle with Golden lamp stand, and Psalm 104:2 – God wraps himself in light as with a garment. 2. Light is a picture of truth, knowledge, and righteousness. Darkness is a picture of falsehood, ignorance, and sin.

III. Fellowship vs. Relationship (v. 6-7) A. What leads a Christian to walk in darkness? 1. Walk – live, abide, direction, effort, acknowledge. (Moral conduct) 2. Light = truth; Darkness = deception. B. John’s readers were living a double life. 1. Individuals in John’s church were claiming that they had an intimate walk with God and that their lives were unstained by sin and they had done no wrong. 2. They believed God was detached from the material world and that his holiness and purity set him apart from our common existence. 3. If we can remove God from our world, then what we do that is not spiritual is not important. Earthly things and heavenly things exist in different spheres. (False Belief)