This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
Observations
this is a message John is repeating, not something he came up with
John heard this message from Jesus
John is not stating it gently, but rather declaring it
God is light
so much so that there is no darkness in Him
that is, He is completely light
There is no darkness in God
what does light represent here?
we can walk in the light (v.6)
God is in the light (v.6)
“if we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie” (v6)
“if we walk in the light... Christ cleanses us of all sin” (v7)
“if we say we have no sin, we decieve ourselves” (v8)
“if we confess our sins, ... He forgives our sins” (v9)
Things God Does
and other interpretations
is light — it’s a metaphor — God isn’t literally the same as light. We know that light is not sentient. Rather, God has some characteristic which is likened to light.
what does light mean when applied to us? (e.g. “walk in the light”)
darkness means saying you have no sin
light mean confessing your sin
so light means (at least, but maybe more than) truth about sin
but then what does light mean for God since He has no sin?
is light truth? That makes this verse: “God is truth and in him is no lie”?
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light."
so light for Him is pretty much the same as light for us
light for us is truth
so light for Him is truth
(is that right?)
There’s not even the slightest hint of falsehood in God