“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” 1 John 1:7
John had walked with Jesus. Now, as an old Apostle, he wrote that God is light, that God is love, and that we can walk in His light, cleansed by the Savior and loving one another.
John wrote what he had “seen and heard”: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.” “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light.”
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” “God is love,” and “there is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Who’s who
John: an Apostle and eyewitness of Jesus
The Saints: facing false teachings
Jesus Christ: the light, sent because of God’s love
Where and when
A letter from the aging Apostle John to the Church.
Eight stops from “God is light” to “he first loved us.” Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: a letter, a bright path, a dark night, and coming home. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
1 John 1:3“ye also may have Meaning: friendship, a shared life together. with us”
1 John 1:9“If we Meaning: honestly admit. our sins”
1 John 2:10“none Meaning: cause to trip. in him”
1 John 3:17“shutteth up his Meaning: heart; his tender feelings.”
1 John 4:10“the Meaning: the offering that makes us right with God again. for our sins”
1 John 4:18“fear hath Meaning: punishment, pain.”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. The sun, the lamp, the path, the water, the heart, the firewood, the shrinking shadow, the hand and the letter. 1 John 1–4
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Where are you?
In the dark, taking a step, on the bright path, or sharing the light. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Light the path
John’s letter is full of light and love. Tap each light along the path, and his words will fill in, one by one. When every light is lit, the path is bright.
“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5
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Their world, their words
A little background helps us see why John wrote about light and love. Outside sources are labeled.
Church resource · Student manual
Why John wrote
1 John “was written at a time when apostasy was spreading in the Church.”8
He wrote to keep them in the light.
Scripture · 1 John 1
An eyewitness
John had known Jesus himself: “which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled.”1
Jesus was real, not an idea.
Church resource · Student manual
A real Savior
Against false teachings, John bore “witness of the Savior’s physical existence.”8
He came in the flesh.
Church resource · Student manual
Light and love
“John associated light with love and darkness with hate.”8
Twice John says it plainly: “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16).4
What the text does not say
John doesn’t say we must already be perfect to walk in the light. He says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,” and then promises that the blood of Jesus “cleanseth us from all sin.”1
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Look to Him
Jesus is the light of the world, and His love came first. Every stop on the path leads back to Him.
“Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.”
“Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you.”
“When the spiritual light of the Holy Ghost is present, the darkness of Satan departs.”
Elder Robert D. Hales, quoted in the student manual8
“That if men will personify that love in their lives, they will become like the Lord himself.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, quoted in the student manual8
Jesus (John)
The light of the world
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
The Lord (D&C)
Brighter and brighter
“That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” Doctrine and Covenants 50:24
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Seek Him today
A question to ask in prayer
Where is one dark spot in my life where Jesus wants to bring His light? 1 John 1:7
Ask Him to show you, then take one step toward His light. His love came first, and it is still reaching for you.
Try it today
One step on the bright path each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven days in the light. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“He first loved us.”
Read 1 John 4:9–19 slowly. Think of a time you felt His love before you did anything to earn it. Let that love push out one fear. 1 John 4:9–19
A verse to hold
Talk about it
What does John say God is?
How can we walk in the light?
What happens to fear when love grows?
Who loved first, us or God?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Prophet
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God” (2009)
Why love is the great commandment, and how God loves us completely even though we are incomplete.7
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
Walk in the Light is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for November 22–28, 2027 (1–3 John and Jude).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The teachings are in 1 John 1–4; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
