ao:eng_webu
1 John 1
1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning of life
2(and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the , which was with the Father, and was revealed to us);
3that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus .
4And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled.
5This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth.
7But if we as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8If we say that we have no sin, we ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Slow reading
Read 1 John 1 three times
Guided passes through short verse groups: read it whole, watch the words, then pray it back. Phrases to stop on along the way, with deeper explanation held back until you have read the verses yourself.
Ask about this chapter
Have a question about 1 John 1?
Ask anything about this chapter. Every answer names the verses it rests on and links straight to them, highlighted in the reader.
Study together
Questions on 1 John 1
Every comment is tied to a place in the text: a verse, a span of verses, or one section of the study. Ask what you do not understand, and answer others from Scripture.
Sign in to ask a question or answer one. Reading always stays open to everyone.
Questions this passage answers
What is sin?
Scripture defines sin as lawlessness, as falling short of God's glory, and as failing to do the good we know we should do. It is not only a list of bad actions but a condition of the heart that produces them, and it is first against God rather than only against people. Scripture also says all have sinned, that its wage is death, and that God is faithful to forgive those who confess.
How do I stop committing the same sin over and over?
Scripture answers a repeated sin by changing what the believer reckons to be true, then by naming the ordinary means: consider yourself dead to sin, stop presenting your body to it, bring it out of secrecy by confession, walk by the Spirit, and remove what feeds the desire. It does not promise a single moment that ends the struggle, and it does not treat repeated falling as proof that grace has run out.
Can God forgive any sin?
Yes. Scripture repeatedly says that God's forgiveness reaches sins as scarlet, murder, persecution of the church and open blasphemy, provided the sinner turns to him in genuine repentance and faith. The one sin the Bible treats as unforgivable is a settled, final rejection of the Spirit's own witness to Christ, and the very fact that a person is troubled about having committed it is itself strong evidence they have not.