I John 1:5-7 - Light (Greek - Phos)

1 Jo 1:5 - And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

1 Jo 1:6 - If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 

1 Jo 1:7 - but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Light- Original Greek Word , transliterated word – phōs, Phonetic spelling foce.
The word Phos comes from an obsolete phao means to shine or make manifest, especially by rays; luminousness, fire or light. 

Another meaning for Phos is light of the sun or of the day. One of the most wonderful, cheering, and useful of all the works of God; called into being on the first of the six days of creation, by his voice: "Let there be light;" and there was light. No object better illustrates whatever is pure, glorious, spiritual, joyful, and beneficent. Hence the beauty and force of the expressions, "God is light," (1 John 1:5), and "the Father of lights," (James 1:17); Christ is the "Sun of righteousness," and "the light of the world," (John 1:9; 8:12). So also the word of God is "a light," (Ps 119:105); and heaven is full of light, (Rev 21:23-25). The opposite of all these is "darkness."

John begins his argument in this portion of scripture with a statement about the nature of God- that “God is Light”. According to John Jesus identified himself as the light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5) and Matthew tells us how he commanded his disciple to take up the same role (Matt 5:14-16). All this implies that the character of God himself as light and that Jesus was the incarnation of divine light for men.

Light, in the Scriptures, is the emblem of purity, truth, knowledge, prosperity, and happiness - as darkness is of the opposite. John here says that “God is light” - phos - not the light, or a light, but light itself; that is, he is himself all light, and is the source and fountain of light in all worlds. He is perfectly pure, without any admixture of sin. He has all knowledge, with no admixture of ignorance on any subject. He is infinitely happy, with nothing to make him miserable. He is infinitely true, never stating or countenancing error; he is blessed in all his ways, never knowing the darkness of disappointment and adversity.

God is the source of wisdom, knowledge, holiness, and happiness; and in him is no darkness at all - no ignorance, no imperfection, no sinfulness and no misery. And from him wisdom, knowledge, holiness, and happiness are received by every believing soul. This is the grand message of the Gospel, the great principle on which the happiness of man depends. Light implies every essential excellence, especially wisdom, holiness, and happiness. Darkness implies all imperfection, and principally ignorance, sinfulness, and misery. Light is the purest, the most subtile, the most useful, and the most diffusive of all God’s creatures; it is, therefore, a very proper emblem of the purity, perfection, and goodness of the Divine nature. God is to human soul, what the light is to the world.


“God is light”, so as the children of light we must walk in the light and stay away from the world of impurities.As the children of light we must constantly keep fellowship with the chief source of our light, and then only we can shine our light brightly. We are called to reflect the light of Christ to who ever we come in contact with.