1 John 1:6 kjv
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1 John 1:6 nkjv
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:6 niv
If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
1 John 1:6 esv
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:6 nlt
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
1 John 1 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jn 1:5 | This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. | Establishes God's nature as Light. |
| 1 Jn 1:7 | But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. | Direct contrast: true fellowship with light leads to cleansing and fellowship. |
| Jn 3:19 | And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. | Connection of deeds to love for darkness. |
| Eph 5:8-11 | For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light... and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness... | Believers are light; their conduct must reflect it. |
| 2 Cor 6:14 | For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? | No communion between opposing spiritual realities. |
| Amos 3:3 | Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? | Agreement in purpose is necessary for fellowship. |
| Tit 1:16 | They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. | Professed knowledge without corresponding works is denial. |
| Jas 2:14-17 | What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ... Faith apart from works is dead. | Faith without works is dead; a lie about spiritual life. |
| Matt 7:21 | Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. | Professing Jesus must be accompanied by obedience. |
| Rom 13:12-14 | The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime... | Calls believers to shed darkness and walk in light. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." | Conduct reflects God's holiness. |
| Psa 119:105 | Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. | God's truth illuminates the path, guiding from darkness. |
| Prov 28:13 | Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. | Opposes hiding sin; implies living in darkness. |
| Psa 101:7 | No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. | Those who lie and practice deceit cannot be with God. |
| Jn 8:44 | You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. | Satan is the father of lies; his followers do not practice truth. |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns... | Liars are specifically named among those eternally condemned. |
| 1 Cor 1:9 | God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | Defines fellowship as being with Christ. |
| Col 3:9-10 | Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. | Command to not lie, tying it to the "new self." |
| Php 2:14-15 | Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights | Believers should shine as lights, indicating distinct conduct. |
| Heb 12:14 | Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. | Emphasizes the necessity of holiness in living. |
| 1 Jn 2:3-4 | And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. | Direct parallel to 1 Jn 1:6, focusing on commandments. |
| Lk 6:46 | “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? | Echoes the disparity between profession and action. |
1 John 1 verses
1 John 1 6 Meaning
First John 1:6 declares that if someone professes to have fellowship or communion with God, yet their habitual life or actions are characterized by sin and moral darkness, their claim is false. Such a person is living a lie and is not aligning their life with the truth of God's nature or the reality of a relationship with Him. True fellowship with the God who is light requires living in the light, which entails confession of sin and obedience to His ways.
1 John 1 6 Context
First John chapter 1 begins by affirming the Apostle John's eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ, the "Word of Life," emphasizing His tangibility (vv. 1-4). This foundation of concrete reality directly addresses emergent Gnostic ideas that denied the physical incarnation of Christ or taught a dualism where the spirit was good and the flesh evil, leading to the belief that actions of the body did not defile the spirit. John then proclaims a core theological truth: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (v. 5). Verse 6 serves as the first of three conditional "if we say" statements in this chapter (also vv. 8, 10), each challenging the authenticity of claims to spiritual status. This verse directly refutes the claims of those who professed a connection with God while continuing in sinful behavior, effectively operating in hypocrisy. The historical and cultural context includes a nascent Gnostic-like thought that might separate spiritual knowledge (gnosis) from moral conduct, asserting that one could be "enlightened" while living contrary to God's moral law. John unequivocally declares that a claim of fellowship with the all-holy, perfect God who is light cannot coexist with a life immersed in darkness (sin), exposing such a claim as a lie and a failure to practice truth.
1 John 1 6 Word analysis
- If we say: (Greek: Ean legomen - "if we say" or "if we declare"). This conditional clause, present tense, introduces a hypothetical but real scenario, highlighting a claim or profession. It implies a verbal assertion or a self-perception. John uses this phrase as a rhetorical device to directly confront various false claims prevalent among those asserting Christian faith, challenging hypocrisy or theological error.
- that we have fellowship: (Greek: koinōnia echomen - "we have partnership," "we hold communion"). Koinōnia signifies not just a casual acquaintance but a deep, shared participation, communion, intimacy, or joint relationship. It implies shared values, shared life, and mutual activity. In this context, it's a claim to intimate spiritual union with God. John stresses that such a spiritual bond must manifest tangibly in one's life.
- with him: Refers directly to God, established as "light" in the preceding verse (1 Jn 1:5).
- and walk: (Greek: peripatōmen - "we walk around," "we conduct ourselves"). Peripateō metaphorically means to live one's life, to behave, to conduct oneself, or to follow a certain course of life habitually. It speaks of the general tenor and pattern of one's lifestyle, not an isolated act. It highlights the ongoing nature of one's actions.
- in darkness: (Greek: en tē skotia - "in the darkness"). Skotia refers to moral and spiritual darkness, which encompasses sin, evil, ignorance, and spiritual blindness. It is the antithesis of God's nature as light. To "walk in darkness" means one's lifestyle is characterized by sin and spiritual rebellion against God's holy nature.
- we lie: (Greek: pseudometha - "we are lying," "we speak falsely"). This is a strong, definitive statement. It means to deliberately or continually deceive or speak falsehood. John uses the present tense, indicating a persistent state of deceit. This lie is not merely an inaccuracy but a fundamental contradiction between profession and practice, revealing an absence of genuine spiritual reality.
- and do not the truth: (Greek: kai ou poioumen tēn alētheian - "and do not do/practice the truth"). To "do the truth" (or "practice the truth" as rendered in many translations) means to live authentically, sincerely, and in accordance with divine reality and moral uprightness. It's about embodying the truth in one's actions and character. This phrase is a powerful Johannine concept (cf. Jn 3:21). The contrast with "we lie" highlights that not doing the truth is actively living a falsehood, rather than merely not stating it.
1 John 1 6 Bonus section
The rhetorical "if we say" statements (1 Jn 1:6, 8, 10) are crucial to John's structure. They confront three potential false claims believers might make: claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness, claiming to be without sin, and claiming not to have sinned. John systematically dismantles each one, laying bare the nature of true confession and walking in the light. This verse particularly targets the antinomian strain within early Gnostic thought which posited that since the spirit was good and the flesh evil, acts of the flesh did not impact spiritual purity or salvation. John directly refutes this dualism by connecting spiritual status ("fellowship") inherently to practical moral conduct ("walk in darkness"). The choice between "doing the truth" and living a "lie" is not a minor detail but the core essence of whether one's proclaimed faith is genuine or counterfeit. It is a powerful affirmation that Christian faith is not merely intellectual assent or a private experience, but a transforming power that mandates observable changes in lifestyle and moral behavior, making one's life consistent with God's light and truth.
1 John 1 6 Commentary
1 John 1:6 establishes a fundamental principle: the impossibility of genuine fellowship with God while persistently living a life of sin. God, being absolute light (1 Jn 1:5), shares no common ground with darkness. Therefore, anyone who claims spiritual communion with Him ("fellowship with him") yet habitually conducts their life in moral and spiritual "darkness" (sinful behavior, rebellion, unbelief) is unequivocally a liar. This is not a judgment on occasional failings, but on a chosen, continuous lifestyle. The lie is not just in the words "we have fellowship," but in the very inconsistency of their existence. To "not do the truth" signifies that their actions and character do not correspond to the reality of God's nature or the demands of a true relationship with Him. True Christian life is about aligning one's walk with one's talk, demonstrating the internal reality of faith through external conformity to God's light. It's a stark warning against spiritual hypocrisy and antinomianism, which was particularly relevant in countering those who believed spiritual enlightenment negated the need for moral righteousness.
Examples:
- Someone claiming deep spiritual understanding yet habitually cheating on their spouse or taxes.
- A person frequently talking about God's love but consistently showing bitterness and unforgiveness to others.
- A self-proclaimed follower of Christ whose words bless God but whose social media is filled with hatred and deceit.