Each week throughout 2021, I will share a Bible study blog post taking us through the letter of 1 John. Only five chapters long, this brief book is worthy of our consideration. Whether you drop in for one post or many, I pray that you enjoy them. Access all posts here.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
To Disbelieve You Have a Sin Problem (1:8)
Here, John shows us God's light produces a chain reaction of grace. We see ourselves honestly, confess our sins, and He faithfully continues His work of sanctification, shaping and molding us into the image of Christ, cleansing us from all unrighteousness.
But before getting to that, John mentions a second errant claim the secessionists made. Some Christians make this claim today. They said, we have no sin (1 John 1:8).
This assertion an obvious error. But what, exactly, were they claiming when they said they had no sin?
It is possible some thought moral perfectionism possible. They might have believed the complete eradication of their sinful tendencies possible on this side of eternity.
It's also possible the eventual Gnostic error had begun to take hold. If so, they would have thought their bodies were separate from their spiritual person. So when they used their bodies to sin, they felt a spiritual God couldn't care less. Things done in the physical realm were of no consequence to them. On the inside, they knew they were spiritual and holy, good with God.
And in our day, both assertions might creep in, but we have other creative ways for denying we have sin. One thing we like to do is rename sin. So a lustful person is passionate. A greedy person is a penny-pincher. A liar is one who bends the truth. A drunkard is an alcoholic. An adulterer is a cheater. To have sex with your girlfriend is to sleep with her. On and one we go, softening and rephrasing sin.
We also like to defend or excuse our sin. We claim to be "imperfect." We preach that everyone makes mistakes. We compare ourselves with others, rather than God's perfect light, and are self-satisfied. Like the Pharisee in Luke 18, we say, "I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" (Luke 18:11).
And don't call it sin! Whatever you do, don't use that word! It reminds us there is a law from God, and we haven't been able to keep it. So don't call it sin.
Get Romans 3 out of our faces!
All, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." (Romans 3:9–11).
Remember, this view corrupts a person from the inside out. Here, we learn to feel this way is to deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
To Believe You Have a Sin Problem (1:9)
But if the truth is in us, what will result? We will confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
Here, he means we will confess our sins to God, since God is the One who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We cannot do that for each other. Our sin must be confessed to God.
This is not to say we shouldn't confess to one another:
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another..." (James 5:16).
At times, it will be the confession you make to others that will help you really overcome. But that confession has more to do with what we already talked about, walking in the light. We can't, though, merely tell others about our sins. We must also confess our sins to the Lord.
He also means we should confess our known sins. There is no way I could know every sin I've actually committed. I don't have that kind of time! And neither do you, I assure you. But when we learn of a sin we've committed -- whether it be in our thoughts, words, or actions -- we must confess it to God.
Man up, call it a sin, and tell God you hate that you've gone there. Admit you were wrong. Don't weakly make excuses for yourself. Don't try to soften it. Instead, thunderously declare you sinned! The blood of the Son was shed for the very thing you did. With remorse and contrition, own up to it.
Experiencing Your Sin Savior (1:9)
Notice, in verse 9, John tells us that if we confess, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, John isn't introducing teaching which contradicts the gospel. He isn't saying you cannot go to heaven unless you admit every single sin you've ever committed. Instead, he continues to build his case for progressive sanctification. You will become more like Jesus if you confess your sins. You will experience God's forgiveness, the forgiveness every believer has positionally, in a real and tangible way in your life. He might lessen the consequences. He might calm your heart with His peace. He might delete your feelings of shame. But He will respond to confession.
I remember a time when I was a little boy, and I needed to confess some crimes I'd committed. First, I had been goofing around in the yard and had broken a branch off one of our trees. I felt terrible about this. Second, I had broken a clay flower pot. I was sure it cost a million dollars. But I didn't confess. One day, my mom asked me, "Nathan, did you break that clay pot in the backyard." I confessed. I started crying. "It's OK, honey. I forgive you," she said. And when I saw the grace she gave me, I quickly replied, "And I snapped the branch off the tree also!"
You see, when we look to the grace and mercy found at the cross of Christ, it ought to motivate us to confess our sins to our Father in heaven. He is predisposed to grant us His grace.
And one way He will dispense His grace is through forgiving and cleansing. Again, He makes us more like Jesus, more sanctified.
Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus, in a somber moment, knowing He was about to die, tied up his garments and washed the feet of His disciples. It was the task of the lowest household slave in that era, and Jesus did it to exemplify a life of service toward others, but Peter couldn't let it happen.
Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean..." (John 13:8–10).
What did Jesus mean? He broke away from showing them how to serve each other and used the moment to teach a lesson. You see, Jesus' people, believers like Peter, have been made clean by the blood of Christ. But we walk through this world and still need Jesus to wash us. We still need sanctification. So, though you may have "gotten saved" or been "born again," you still need Jesus to make you better, to purify you, to make you more like Himself.
That said, let's look at the third thing God's light produces -- next week...
