Jesus, the Word of Life

1What existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and touched with our own hands—this is thea Word of life! 2This life was revealed to us, and we have seen it and testify about it. We declare to you this eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. 3What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah.b 4We are writing these thingsc so that ourd joy may be full.

Living in the Light

5This is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness—none at all! 6If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. 7But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves. 9If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word has no place in us.