This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
And then finally, in chapter 4, verse 1Jo 1:20 , "If a man says, I love God, (and a lot of people make that claim, "I love God") and hates his brother, he is a liar." So it's not what I say that counts; what I say can be deceptive. I can even deceive myself. And to say that I love God is a glorious thing, but if I hate my brother, then that's a lie.