1 John 1:5 (YLT)

Passage

And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all;

Nearby Context

1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship <FI>is<Fi> with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ;

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

1 John 1:5 And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all;

1 John 1:6 if we may say--`we have fellowship with Him,' and in the darkness may walk--we lie, and do not the truth;

1 John 1:7 and if in the light we may walk, as He is in the light--we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son doth cleanse us from every sin;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "darkness", "message", "heard", and "announce". 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 may say-- 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.