God is light (v5). This speaks of how God is perfect in all His ways. We must never lose sight of this. The pure nature of God creates a challenge in having fellowship. Habakkuk says, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Habakkuk 1 v13).

This points to the necessity to walk in the light (v6-7a) John highlights the inconsistency of saying we have fellowship with God who is light, while walking in darkness (v6).

Darkness and light cannot mix, so to walk with Christ must mean walking in the light (v7a). This is vital for fellowship with God (v6a) and believers (v7a).

The way to walk in the light is now outlined (v7b-10). It begins with cleansing in the blood (v7b). To get rid of the darkness of sin, is only through the blood of Jesus. Trusting in Jesus’ death and experiencing its cleansing is the only way we can have fellowship with the God who is holy and pure.

To be cleansed we must acknowledge and confess our sin (v8-10). This is true at the moment of salvation but also has to be ongoing in the Christian’s life.

Confession needs to be regular for the Christian to maintain fellowship. We need to keep short accounts with God. Failure to do so will damage our walk.