<p>1:8 <i>If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us</i>- This attitude of &quot;we have no sin&quot; could have arisen from incipient Gnosticism, but it more likely refers at least initially to the attitude of Judaism, to legalistic self-righteousness in the Jewish world which was ever tempting the converts to whom John was writing. To do the truth is to walk in the light (:6), but walking in the light doesn't mean being without sin; rather it refers to a life focused upon the light of the Lord's life, in which our &quot;all sin&quot; is dealt with by the Lord (:7). To have &quot;the truth&quot; in us may well refer to the abiding presence of the Lord Jesus, &quot;the truth&quot;, through the &quot;Spirit of truth&quot;, the Comforter. The Comforter convicts the world of sin, and surely convicts us too. The presence of the Spirit within a believing heart doesn't mean that the person doesn't sin, but rather that they become conscious of sin, and the cleansing process can therefore begin.</p>