God’s Word Translation
1 John 1:7
7But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin.
1 John 1:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
- New International Version (NIV)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, purifies us from all sin.
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Context of 1 John 1:7
5This is the message we heard from Christ and are reporting to you: God is light, and there isn’t any darkness in him. 6If we say, “We have a relationship with God” and yet live in the dark, we’re lying. We aren’t being truthful. But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin. 8If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong.
Read all of 1 John 11 John 1:7 word by word
ἐὰν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατῶμεν ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ φωτί, κοινωνίαν ἔχομεν μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων καὶ τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ καθαρίζει ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ πάσης ἁμαρτίας.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- we walkπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- the lightὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the lightφῶςphōs · lightG5457
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- we haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- fellowshipκοινωνίαkoinōnia · participationG2842
- oneἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
- withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
- of JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- cleansethκαθαρίζωkatharizō · to cleanG2511
- usἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
Cross-references for 1 John 1:7
- 1 John 2:9Those who say that they are in the light but hate other believers are still in the dark.
- Psalms 56:13You have rescued me from death. You have kept my feet from stumbling so that I could walk in your presence, in the light of life.
- Psalms 89:15Blessed are the people who know how to praise you. They walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
- Psalms 97:11Light dawns for righteous people and joy for those whose motives are decent.
- Isaiah 2:5Come, descendants of Jacob, let’s live in the light of the Lord.
- John 12:35Jesus answered the crowd, “The light will still be with you for a little while. Walk while you have light so that darkness won’t defeat you. Those who walk in the dark don’t know where they’re going.
- Romans 13:12The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light.
- Ephesians 5:8Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light.
- 2 John 1:4I was very happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has commanded us.
- 3 John 1:4Nothing makes me happier than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
- 1 John 1:5This is the message we heard from Christ and are reporting to you: God is light, and there isn’t any darkness in him.
- Psalms 104:2You cover yourself with light as though it were a robe. You stretch out the heavens as though they were curtains.
- 1 Timothy 6:16He is the only one who cannot die. He lives in light that no one can come near. No one has seen him, nor can they see him. Honor and power belong to him forever! Amen.
- James 1:17Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.
- 1 John 1:3This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
- Amos 3:3Do two people ever walk together without meeting first?
Commentaries on 1 John 1:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7But if we walk in the light - If, having received the principle of holiness from him, we live a holy and righteous life, deriving continual light, power, and life from him, then we have fellowship one with another; that is, we have communion with God, and God condescends to hold communion with us. This appears to be the intention of the apostle; and so he was understood by some versions and MSS., which, instead of ' , with each other, have ', with him…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7But if we walk in the light - Compare the notes at 1 John 1:5. Walking in the light may include the three following things: (1)Leading lives of holiness and purity; that is, the Christian must be characteristically a holy man, a light in the world, by his example. (2)walking in the truth; that is, embracing the truth in opposition to all error of paganism and infidelity, and having clear, spiritual views of truth, such as the unrenewed never have. See 2…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-10Verses 5-10 A message from the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal Word, we should all gladly receive. The great God should be represented to this dark world, as pure and perfect light. As this is the nature of God, his doctrines and precepts must be such. And as his perfect happiness cannot be separated from his perfect holiness, so our happiness will be in proportion to our being made holy. To walk in darkness, is to live and act against religion…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Christians share fellowship with each other and with God when they live in the light. A person cannot claim to have fellowship with God and then refuse fellowship with God’s people. This was the behavior of the Gnostics. The apostles of Christ had known Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, and they continued to have spiritual fellowship with him (1:3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Compare Ep 5:8, 11-14. "We walk"; "God is (essentially in His very nature as 'the light,' 1Jo 1:5) in the light." Walking in the light, the element in which God Himself is, constitutes the test of fellowship with Him. Christ, like us, walked in the light (1Jo 2:6). Alford notices, Walking in the light as He is in the light, is no mere imitation of God, but an identity in the essential element of our daily walk with the essential element of God's…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 John 1:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 John 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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