1 John 1:5. New American Standard Bible 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
This is the message we have heard from Him (1 John 1:5). John was not only an eyewitness of Jesus Christ, he was also one of his very close disciples. Jesus had twelve disciples, but within that twelve, He had an inner circle of three. This inner circle witnessed things that the other twelve did not. They were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. They also were with the Lord in the inner part of the garden and were asked to watch and pray.
Everything that John preached and proclaimed was first spoken by Jesus Christ. Christ spent three years investing His life in the lives of the disciples because Jesus knew that at some point His work on earth would come to an end and the going forth of the Kingdom would be in the hands of these very ordinary men.
John uses the word announce. In the original Greek it means to announce, make known, to report, bring back tidings, or rehearse. John was a messenger and representative of God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of light. This world is filled with darkness and deception. When light invades the darkness, no matter how great or small that light is, it will illuminate the darkness.
All of us who are in Christ are representatives and messengers of God’s kingdom. It is not optional to share the truth found in Jesus as followers of Christ. Many are terrified of evangelism because often they make it more complicated than it has to be. The basis of evangelism and being a witness for Jesus Christ is sharing the truth of who He is and the impact He has made on our lives.
Often the greatest way to engage in a discussion focused on Jesus is to simply ask if the person has ever been told who Jesus is. But a key to being a representative and messenger of the kingdom is following the leading of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit will give us the words that are needed in our moment of need (Luke 12:12). A key component in all of this is sharing what Christ has done personally in our own lives. A person may deny the truth of the bible, but they can’t deny what Christ has done in us. Every person that was affected by Jesus during His earthly ministry, would find someone to tell and talk about how Jesus had touched them.
John writes God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Both in 1 John and in the gospel of John, John uses this comparison between light and darkness. Using it to show the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. In no way is John implying that God and Satan are equal. That God and Satan are engaged in a power struggle. Satan is nothing next to the Living God. But he is ruler of the kingdom of darkness. When he rebelled against Almighty God desiring to be God, not only was his very nature changed, but the angels who took up rebellion with him were cast out of heaven and today they serve Satan to carry out the wicked schemes conceived in his heart (Rev 12:4).
The contrast in using light and darkness gives us a tangible picture of the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. When you walk into a room and it is pitch black with no presence of light, everything within that room is hidden and remains concealed. Without the presence of light, navigating a room or area can become a very dangerous and difficult thing.
But when light invades the darkness it begins to illuminate all that is before us. Even with a small measure of light we are able to begin to see the dangers that stand before us. As that light grows in intensity and power, it overtakes the darkness and reveals all things. This is a picture of the truth of who God is and His word. When His word begins to flood our soul on a daily basis, the dark areas of our mind and heart are flood and the Holy Spirit begins to expose and transform us. Those who reject the Living God, reject the truth and light found in Him. They remain in darkness and sadly if they die without ever coming to Christ, they will die in their sin and will spend all eternity in darkness, separated from Almighty God.
Within God there is no darkness. He cannot be in the presence of wickedness and sin. But thankful He has made a way that we can be set free from the kingdom of darkness and adopted into His family and brought into the kingdom of light and truth. Jesus said that I am the way, the truth, and the light, no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). To receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and begin to walk with Him each day, is to live in the light and be set free from the lies and deceptions of Satan. Life can only be truly found and experienced in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.