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That is, "This is the sum and substance of the gospel of Christ's doctrine, and our message, to teach us to know what God is, namely light, that is,a being of infinite knowledge, wisdom, and purity; and that there is no darkness in him, no darkness of error, no darkness of ignorance, no darkness of falsehood, impunity, and sin, found with him, or can be pleasing to him."
Note here, 1. The gospel is a message, a special and gracious message, sent by God to a lost world. The ministers of the gospel are messengers sent of God, to make known this message; and if so, then they must receive their mission from God, then their message depends not upon their own, but God's authority; then their people are to receive it, not as the message and word of man, but as it is indeed the word of God. This is the message that we have heard, and declare unto you.
Observe, 2. The metaphor which which St. John makes choice of, to set forth the nature of God by.
He describes him, 1. Affirmatively, God is light, his nature and attributes are (though darkly and imperfectly) resembled by it; the light, as it was the first of all creatures, shadows forth the eternity of God's being, who is the First and the Last; light, of all bodies, is the most immaterial and uncompounded, denoting the spirituality and simplicity of God's nature.
Is the light diffusive, and cannot but impart itself for the benefit of others? so is God communicative of his goodness to all persons, shining upon the just and upon the unjust.
But according to the apostle's intendment here, light is of a pure and undefiled nature, it is a bright and spotless splendour; though it shines upon a dunghill, it contracts no pollutions; this represents the perfect purity and unspotted holiness of God.
2.Negatively, In him is no darkness at all; that is, God is so pure, that not the least impuirty can cleave unto him; so holy, that no sin can be found in him, and consequently no darkness of sin or impunity can proceed from him.
Learn we then, always to entertain high and holy thoughts of God, and to conceive of him as a being that hates sin, and all the works and workers of darkness, Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee: sinners shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Psa_5:4