The First Claim

Exegesis of 1 John 1:7

Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to Strong's numbering system whereby Greek words are assigned a number for easy lookup. Those who study the Scripture from the original languages are familiar with this type of lexicon.

THE AMAZING CURE

7a] ἐὰν δὲ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, “but if we [inclusive use of we] walk in the sphere of light, just as He [Christ] Himself continuously is [lives] in the sphere of light,”

The Contrast of Fellowships

We start this segment with the postpositive conjunction of contrast DE [δὲ -1161]. It sets up the contrast between the false view of the Christian Way of life, verse 6, and now the correct view, verse 7. In verse 6, the believers are walking in the sphere of darkness and therefore, “out of fellowship.” This is juxtaposed with the believer walking in the sphere of light and therefore “in the Circle of Fellowship.” Fellowship with God only occurs when the believer is walking in the light. This is God’s plan.

Next is the conditional conjunction EAN [ἐὰν -1437]. This conjunction introduces a third-class condition. In a conditional sentence, there are two parts. The IF clause is called the protasis, which means standing before. It makes a statement, lays down a premise, or states a condition. This is followed by the THEN clause called the apodosis, which means giving back. It says whenever the condition of the protasis exists, we can expect the condition of the apodosis to be fulfilled. If we are walking in the light [protasis], then [apodosis] we will have fellowship with God.

Grammatical emphasis

Next is a prepositional phrase which modifies the verb. EN [ἐν τῷ φωτὶ -1722] plus the locative of sphere of the articular noun PHOS [5457], subject of the preposition. The article is anaphorically pointing back to verse 5, “God is light.” The prepositional phrase is placed first by John for emphasis. If a pastor was teaching the Word and wanted to emphasize this idea, he might say, “In the sphere of the light, I say again, in the sphere of the light.” By doubling the phrase, he places greater stress on the principle. John just put the prepositional phrase before the verb rather than its normal position, following the verb it modifies. Therefore, he is emphasizing the principle of residence inside the Circle of Fellowship.

The verb TO WALK follows the same morphological pattern found in verse 6, “WALKING in the sphere of darkness.” It is the present active subjunctive third person plural of the verb PERIPATEO [περιπατῶμεν - 4043] meaning TO WALK, TO CONDUCT ONESELF, TO BEHAVE. It is a progressive present indicating this action “walking in the light” is in progress. Believers in the congregation are consistently living in the light. They have responded to the Bible teaching of John, who is their pastor. Not like those who are walking in the darkness for they are listening to Gnostic teachers.

PERIPATEO is a keyword in the New Testament and is synonymous with the term [as used in this Bible Study site] “the Christian Way of Life.” ¹ Walking derives its explanation from the picture of someone walking. It views them taking one step after another. From this, we have the principle of day-by-day or daily fellowship with God. Not just on Sundays, but we fellowship with God continuously, moment by moment, as in one step after another.

In the active voice, believers produce the action of the verb by their positive volition toward the Word of God. The inference is they “do practice the TRUTH [the Word of God]." It is our responsibility to stay connected with the light by residing inside the Circle of Fellowship.

The subjunctive mood is the continuation of the hypothetical. A probability exist for it is dependant upon the believer being filled with the Spirit, continuing in the study of the Bible and applying it to life’s circumstances. They are seeking to please their Heavenly Father by becoming more like the Lord who is now introduced by the comparative clause, “as He is [lives] in the sphere of light.”

Conforming to Christ “just as He [Christ] Himself continuously is [lives] in the sphere of light.”

The phrase begins with the comparative conjunction HOS [ὡς - 5613] meaning JUST AS. Then the subject of the verb, the singular nominative of the intensive pronoun AUTOS [αὐτός - 846] connoting here HE HIMSELF. It highlights the participation of the subject in the action of the verb and emphasizes identity. ² It refers to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Next, we have the verb EIMI [ἐστιν - 2076], meaning IS in the present tense. This is a static present which represents the verbal idea as “always existing, perpetually.” Our Lord continually resided in the Circle of Fellowship during His life on earth. The active voice says that the Lord Jesus Christ produced the action, choosing the divine plan rather than self-interest. He followed the leading of the Father and never spoke or acted independent of Him, John 5:30; 8:28; 14:10. The indicative mood expresses this idea as a fact. A fact that cannot be denied Him. He resided and functioned inside the Circle of Fellowship, walking in the light of His Father. He did this every day, moment by moment, perfectly. This was the requirement so that He could to go to the cross and be the Savior of the world, 1 John 3:5; Hebrews 4:15. Next, the prepositional phrase is repeated. It is used to describe the Circle of Fellowship. EN [ἐν τῷ φωτὶ -1722] plus the locative of the articular noun PHOS meaning IN THE SPHERE OF LIGHT.

Communion with the Father

7b] κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ̓ ἀλλήλων, “[then] we [inclusive use of we] have fellowship with one another,”

The apodosis is now fulfilled. We include “THEN” to complete the Greek concept of a conditional sentence, if/then. ³ It marks the logical conclusion of a conditional sentence. Next, the direct object is placed first; the word is the accusative singular of KOINONIA meaning FELLOWSHIP ⁴. It is placed first to emphasize its importance. The central theme of this section is about fellowship. The verb comes next and is the present active indicative first-person plural of ECHO [ἔχομεν - 2192] meaning TO HAVE AND HOLD, TO POSSESS. It is a transitive verb which requires an object to complete its thought. The word that completes the verbal idea is the accusative singular direct object of KOINONIA [κοινωνίαν - 2842] translated FELLOWSHIP (see also exegesis of verse 6). Regarding the verb:

This is a perfective present which indicates that the results of past actions are continuing. This is the divine plan. When we walk in the light, then we will be in fellowship with God. This was true in the past and will continue in the future. The active voice indicates that the believer, like his Lord, yield’s himself to the Lord and follows Him. The indicative mood is the reality that there are believers who are fulfilling the divine plan and remain in fellowship with God.

Following this is the prepositional phrase which begins with the preposition META [μετ̓ - 3326] the preposition of association, WITH plus the reciprocal pronoun ALLELON [ἀλλήλων - 240] meaning ONE ANOTHER. This reciprocal pronoun [found 100 times in the Greek New Testament] is often used to represent the existence of the special bond between believers, “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members ONE OF ANOTHER.” For this reason, we are to pray for one another, James 5:16; to love one another, John 13:34, to encourage one another, 1 Thessalonians 5:11; and to forgive one another, Ephesians 4:32. This is not an exhaustive list. John will use it in the expression love one another five times in 1 John.

The appeal is very strong to hold the view that the phrase “fellowship with one another” refers to the fact that when believers are walking in the light, they experience a wonderful fellowship with each other. This is supported by over twenty times the phrase “one another” is used to describe the relationship between believers. In 1 John, this pronoun appears six times. In five of those passages, John will say we are “to love one another.” We believe the exception is found in our verse, “have fellowship with one another.”

In spite of all of the above facts of usage, the immediate context is talking about our fellowship with the Lord Jesus. The Lord is in the protasis, the if clause, and for the sake of balance, He is in the apodosis, the then clause. We believe that fellowship with Him is the main thought of the Apostle. Notice that fellowship between believers is mentioned in verse three, yet even here, the primary focus is on fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Finally, when believers are walking in the light, they have fellowship with one another and with the Triune God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

7c] καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας. “and the blood of Jesus, His Unique Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

Celebrating the Victory ⁵

The final clause begins with KAI [καὶ - 2532] AND. The connective use of KIA indicates the statement now made is grammatically coordinate with the preceding one, “we have fellowship with one another.” If we walk in the light two things are true: One, we are in fellowship with God who resides in the light and the value of the finished work of Christ on the cross is continually applied to us all. His victorious death is the basis for our cleansing.

How can imperfect persons fellowship with a perfect God? How can a perfect God love His flawed and imperfect creations? What removes the barriers between God and Man? John introduces the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross with the phrase, “the blood of Jesus His Son.” This is the atoning cure! Our Lord went to the cross, and the Father judged Him in our place- He represented us, and bore our sins on the cross—He was our substitute. Jesus removed the barriers. Praise to Him every day and forever for what He has done for us in redemption (Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:19) justification (Romans 5:8), propitiation (Romans 3:25) and reconciliation (Colossians 1:20) and so much more.

Our examination of this clause begins with the nominative singular articular noun HAIMA [τὸ αἷμα - 129] meaning THE BLOOD. The monadic use of the article implies that the noun blood is unique. The blood is unique because His death, which it represents, is unique. Often the focus of some commentators is to view this literally meaning the blood that flowed in His veins ⁵, but this word is used figuratively ⁶ and is a metaphor representing the unique death of Christ on the cross. Next is the genitive singular of possession of the personal name for the Lord, IESOUS [Ἰησοῦ - 2424]. This name emphasizes the humanity of Christ, a name related to the Virgin Birth.

Jesus is further described by an appositional genitive phrase that begins with the articular genitive singular noun HUIOS [τοῦ υἱοῦ - 5207] meaning THE SON. The article is monadic, THE UNIQUE SON. Also, we have the genitive singular of the intensive pronoun AUTOS [αὐτοῦ - 846] acting in the genitive as a possessive pronoun HIS. It is translated HIS and refers to the first Person of the Trinity, the Father, and HIS UNIQUE SON. This thought is directed toward the false teachers that have denied the unique birth of the Lord. There is no word for Christ in the original ⁷; it is just "Jesus His Son."

Cleansing from ALL Sin ⁸

The segment continues with the present active indicative third-person singular of the verb KATHARIZO [καθαρίζει - 2511] meaning TO CLEANSE. It is the unfailing love of God to extend forgiveness to all based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is divine policy. The present tense is a gnomic present expressing what is true all the time. God forgives sin. All sin! In the active voice, the subject produces the action of the verb. The Father’s action was to gather up all the sins of the world and judge His Unique born Son for those sins. Our Lord’s action was His willingness to go to Golgotha to be judged for our sins. The indicative mood is declarative for the statement of fact, a dogmatic assertion, a point of Bible doctrine. The work of Christ on the cross is the basis for our forgiveness, both judicial and parental. The direct object comes next, indicating the ones who receive this grace. The accusative plural direct object of the first-person plural pronoun EGO [ἡμᾶς – 2248] which means US and refers to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is cleansed is now explained in the prepositional phrase, the ablative of separation of APO [ἀπὸ - 575], FROM, plus the adjective PAS [ πάσης - 3756], ALL, and the object of the preposition the ablative singular of HARMATIA [ἁμαρτίας - 266] meaning FROM ALL SIN. The anarthrous construction, without an article, places the stress on the qualitative sense of the word. Here, the principle of sin is in view. This generic expression does not identify any particular sin, but all [PAS] kinds of or sorts of or categories of sin. No category of personal sin is not beyond forgiveness; such as sins of the tongue, mental attitude sins, or overt sins.⁷ The work on the cross was sufficient for all sin; it was total and complete. Again, our Lord’s work on the cross was not a down payment, and there is still other work needed to be added; such as, penance, feeling sorry for our sins, or a promise to do better. He paid the price for all sin in full without any help by us. How do we know? Jesus said, “It is finished! John 19:30.” The work of redemption is complete. The Culminative perfect stresses the work of Christ on the cross as complete, and the results stand forever. Praise God for His infinite grace!

ENDNOTES

¹ This verb is found 95 times in the New Testament. It appears in some key passages: Romans 6:4; 13:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 2:10; 4:1; 5:2; Philippians 3:17; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 John 1:6,7; 2:6; 2 John 3,6; 3 John 3, 4. You can see by these examples that both the Apostle John [13 times] and the Apostle Paul [31 times] made use of the same vocabulary and doctrinal categories. Our Lord Jesus used these words in John 8:12; 11:9,10; 12:35.

² Special Use of The Intensive Pronoun

When αὐτός is in predicate position to an articular noun (or to an anarthrous proper name), it has the force of himself, herself, itself, etc. αὐτός can also bear this force when it stands alone, either as the subject of the verb or in any of the oblique cases. In general, the intensive use of αὐτός is intended “to emphasize identity. It is the demonstrative force intensified.” Wallace, D. B., (1996). Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (p. 349). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

³ The word “then” is understood in Greek and is supplied in the expanded translation of this text. These are called grammaticalizations. They are changes that take place in translating from one language to another, in this case from Greek to English.

⁴ Fellowship has special meaning in the New Testament. It defines our relationship with our Triune God. It means more than friendship, which is wonderful in itself but conveys the idea of intimacy, as in a marriage. Fellowship for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ began when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. At that moment, God gave to us eternal life, John 3:16. This newness of life is the basis of our fellowship, “He that hath not the Son [has not believed in Christ] hath not this life.” It is now possible for us to share our lives with Him [fellowship].

⁵ See article on “The Victory of Jesus Christ On The Cross” link here.

⁶ A metonymy is a figure of speech in which the name of one thing is used for that of another of which it is an attribute or with which it is associated. Bibliotheca Sacra: A quarterly published by Dallas Theological Seminary. (1955–1995). Dallas, TX: Dallas Theological Seminary. One noun “blood” is used for another noun “death” and speaks of the merit of the atonement, the value of the death of Christ on the cross. “From μετά (meta), indicating change, and ὄνομα (onoma), a name; or, in grammar, a noun.” Bullinger, E. W. (1898). Figures of speech used in the Bible (p. 538). London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co.

⁷ The Greek text that is used is the 26^th edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, sometimes referred to as the “Critical Text.” The Nestle - Aland Greek New Testament text is most used today and the basis of nearly every modern Bible translation for almost 100 years.

⁸ Dr. Wuest says:

And while we are having this fellowship with Him, the blood of Jesus, His Son, keeps continually cleansing us from sins of omission, sins of ignorance, sins we know nothing about in our lives and for the reason that we have not grown in grace enough to see that they are sin. Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 13, p. 103).