1 That which was from the first, which has come to our ears, and which we have seen with our eyes, looking on it and touching it with our hands, about the Word of life 2 (And the life was made clear to us, and we have seen it and are witnessing to it and giving you word of that eternal life which was with the Father and was seen by us); 3 We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ: 4 And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be made complete. 5 This is the word which came to us from him and which we give to you, that God is light and in him there is nothing dark. 6 If we say we are joined to him, and are walking still in the dark, our words are false and our acts are untrue: 7 But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, we are all united with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son makes us clean from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are false to ourselves and there is nothing true in us. 9 If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil. 10 If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us.
1 John · Bible in Basic English
1 John 1 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (10)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 4:20; John 20:27; 1 John 4:14; John 1:1–18; Luke 24:39
- 2 1 John 5:20; John 1:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 17:3; Titus 1:2
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:9; John 17:3; John 17:21; Acts 4:20; Philippians 2:1
- 4 John 15:11; John 16:24; 2 John 12; 2 Corinthians 1:24; Habakkuk 3:17–18
- 5 John 8:12; James 1:17; Isaiah 60:19; Psalm 27:1; John 1:9
- 6 1 John 2:4; 1 John 4:20; John 3:19–21; John 8:12; Proverbs 4:18–19
- 7 Ephesians 5:8; Romans 13:12; Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 2:9–10
- 8 Romans 3:23; Ecclesiastes 7:20; James 3:2; Isaiah 53:6; 1 John 2:4
- 9 Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; Jeremiah 33:8; Psalm 51:2–5; 1 John 1:7
- 10 1 John 1:8; 1 John 5:10; 1 John 2:4; Psalm 130:3; 2 John 2
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
II. 11 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, and which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life: and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us: the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
or does it remain that I deceive myself, and do not the "truth" before Thee in my heart and tongue?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
… cold." They desire to persevere, because they hear that it is written, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." They grieve for sin, hearing that "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." They rejoice in good works, because they hear that "the Lord loveth a cheerful giver." …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For the words of the apostle are the confession, not of the common herd, but of the eminently pious, just, and holy men: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." When there shall be no sin in a man, then there shall be this apatheia.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)