1 John 1:6 (YLT)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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;

1 John 1:8 if we may say--`we have not sin,' ourselves we lead astray, and the truth is not in us;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "say--", "fellowship", "walk--we", and "truth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "say--", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And this is the message that we..." into verse 7's "and if in the light we may...", so "darkness" and "say--" 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 "darkness" and "say--" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.