the ‘message’ which he and his associates ‘heard from Him’ (i.e. from the Life who appeared) and ‘proclaimed’ (1:5). At the heart of this message, is the first of two great theological declarations made in the letter: ‘God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all’ (1:5). The message thus concerns the character of God. Two things are in view in this declaration about God. First, the declaration that God is light and totally devoid of darkness means that God is true and the one who has made ‘the
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