1 John 1:5 (DRB)

Passage

And this is the declaration which we have heard from him and declare unto you: That God is light and in him there is no darkness.

Nearby Context

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and have heard, we declare unto you: that you also may have fellowship with us and our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:4 And these things we write to you, that you may rejoice and your joy may be full.

1 John 1:5 And this is the declaration which we have heard from him and declare unto you: That God is light and in him there is no darkness.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another: And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "declaration", "heard", and "declare". It is saying that the contrast between light and darkness marks a real divide in how people respond to God's work.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And these things we write to you..." into verse 6's "If we say that we have fellowship...", so "light" and "darkness" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "darkness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.