A Study of the Book of 1st John
“Back To the Basics”
Sermon # 2
“The Truth About Sin”
1 John 1:5-10, 2:1-2
Several years ago the noted psych-iatrist, Dr. Karl Menniger, wrote a book about how we as a society fail to deal with sin entitled, “What Ever Happened To Sin.” He wrote, “It was a word once on everyone’s mind, but now rarely if ever heard…Is it only that someone may be stupid or sick or criminal… anxiety and depression we all acknowledge, and even vague guilt feelings; but has no one committed any sins? Where, indeed, did sin go? What became of it?” As Dr. Menninger points out, what has become of sin is that people simply refuse to admit they have any.
Sin, at least in the eyes of some, is an outmoded concept. It is not fashionable to talk about sin these days. After all, we live in an age that claims there are no moral absolutes. Our society today thinks that all truth is relative. It should not be surprising that as a result, we are a society that has lost its moral compass.
Whenever there is a fresh tragedy like the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, (April, 1999) there will be a Television special aired in which some commentator will ask a question like; "What would make a teenager take a gun to school and shoot his teachers and class-mates?" The massacre provoked debate on everything from bullying, to the role of violent movies and video games in American society, the gun culture, and the use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants by teen-agers. In fact every conceivable answer to this question is explored - except the one we don’t like to mention – sin. The evil that lurks in the human heart, we don’t like to admit to that. Thomas Carlyle once said, "The deadliest sin is the consciousness of no sin."
What do you do with sin? John, in our text, tells us that there are really only two options available to us. We can either deny it or deal with it.Denial is a popular choice. We like to deny the existence of sin, or the impact of sin, or the degree of sin, or the consequences of sin.
We read beginning in verse five, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that 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 unright-eousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (2:1) My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Christianity is not, at its core, the observance of rituals or rules. Rather, it is a walk of personal fellowship with the living God. But before we all sign up for the prog-ram, John makes it clear that fellowship with God is not a matter of being chummy with your good buddy in the sky! A God of light expects lives that are permeated by light. To have genuine fellowship with the holy God, we must walk in the light, as He Himself is in the light.
Three False Statements About Sin. Each of the false claims about sin is introduced by John’s use of the term “if we say” (vv. 6, 8, 10) and is followed by John’s denial of that claim.
First False Statement –You Can Be A Christian And Still Live In Habitual Sin. (vv. 6-7)
With each of the false statements we will examine the claim, the consequences and the contrast drawn by John.
•The Claim (v. 6a) “it doesn’t matter if I sin”
“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness.”
First of all he says “if we say.” The little word “if” is a suppositional conjunction. In the original Greek there are different words for “if” there is (ea) and there is (ean). It is (ean) that is used here, meaning “suppose.” “Suppose if you will that there are those who say I have a relationship with God, but they continue to walk in sin.”
John describes their moral conduct as “walking in darkness.” and it describes a habitual way of walking, a way of life. These people were not just “in darkness” they were living lives of darkness. The present tense conveys the idea that they were persistent, willful, and tenacious in the habits they chose.
•The Consequences (v. 6b) – we lie
“…we lie and do not practice the truth.”
John says when we take that position “…we lie and do not practice the truth.” You cannot tolerate sin in any habitual way and claim to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
When a person testifies that they are saved, and then lives in the world, walks with the world and fellowships with the world, the Word of God clearly declares that person a liar.
•The Contrast (v. 7)- walk in the light
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Those who walk in the light, do so as a reflection of the power of God within them. The general pattern of their lives; that is their day-to-day actions and attitudes will reflect their relationship with the light. We are not children of the night we are children of the light and we have no excuse for walking in darkness.
So then it is false to believe that a Christian can live in habitual sin.
Second False Statement –As A Christian You Can Attain Level At Which You No Longer Sin. (vv.8-9)
•The Claim (v. 8a) – “I no longer sin”
“If we say that we have no sin…”
The first statement about sin was that is was possible to have fellowship with God and still continue in habitual sin. In this second claim there is the claim that either through some process of enlightenment (Gnostic knowledge) or spiritual development it is possible to cease sinning at all. According to this view spirituality is an attainment. When we finally arrive we don’t have to deal with sin anymore.
As Dr J. Vernon McGee says, “My friend, if you feel you have reached the state of perfection, I really feel sorry for your spouse because it is hard to live with someone who thinks they are perfect.” [J. Vernon McGee. 1 John (Pasadena: Thru the Bible Books, 1984) p. 31]
I will go beyond that and say, If you think you are perfect I doubt very much that your spouse is so deceived.
•The Consequences (v. 8b) – we deceive ourselves
John says when we take that position “…we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The claim to be without sin is the ultimate in self deception. And the reason we are so deceived is that the truth has found no place in us. When a person is saved the light of God comes into the heart. And what John says here is not that it immediately drives out all falsehood and sin. That is a battle that lasts a lifetime. What he says is that when the truth enters in, its light reveals sin! The mark of a true believer is not being without sin but rather of being consciousness of sin! The result of having God’s light in our hearts is that it reveals any remaining darkness.
But we need to apply this personally. If as a way of life, I am not allowing God’s Word to confront my sinful thoughts, attitudes, motives, words, and deeds, I am walking in darkness. If I dodge my sin by blaming others or making up excuses for why I sin, I am walking in darkness.
“The well-loved author Corrie Ten Boom, in her autobiography, The Hiding Place, made a keen observation about the futility of rationalizing our sins. She said, “The blood of Jesus never cleansed an excuse.” Although we are fully justified as Christians, we must honestly acknowledge wrongdoing for what it is—sin against a holy God. If we hide behind excuses, we will neither sense His forgiveness nor gain the victory over evil habits.
•The Contrast (v. 9) - if we confess we are forgiven.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This verse seems to stand in sharp contrast to other Scriptures which teach that we are forgiven totally at the point of salva-tion, including all future sins. For example, Romans 8:1 states, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Why, then, do we need to be forgiven again when we sin after salvation?
In verse nine, “confess” is in the present tense, but “forgive” and “cleanse” are the Greek aorist tense, focusing on an action that is completed. So confession points to an ongoing action, but the forgiveness and cleansing are completed actions in the past.
Let me use an analogy. John uses the word “believe” in the present tense to refer to the means of how we get saved (John 3:16). When a person first believes, he receives all the benefits of salvation. Does he stop believing then? No, he goes on believing in what Jesus did for him on the cross. So the Christian is characterized by a lifestyle of believing in Christ. As he goes on believing, he repeatedly enjoys the benefits that he received at salvation.
In a similar way, the believer’s life is marked by continual confession of sins. It begins at salvation, when he acknowledges his sin to God and asks for forgiveness and cleansing. As the believer confesses his sins he experiences ongoing forgiveness and cleansing. In verse seven “cleanses” is in the present tense, indicating that there is an ongoing sense in which the effects of the cleansing of Jesus’ blood are applied to us. Thus when a believer sins, he does not lose the forgiveness and cleansing that took place at salvation. But he does not experience it in his walk until he confesses his sin. Ongoing
confession of sin and the experience of forgiveness and cleansing characterize those who walk in the light.
So how does on reconcile the compre-hensive nature of God’s forgiveness at salva-tion with the continual need for Christian confession? Perhaps we can see a model in example of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. When Jesus told Peter, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean.” (John 13:10). The bath represented the cleansing applied at salvation, completely and forever justifying them. Therefore the believer needs to confess and lay aside sin in their daily lives, thereby ridding themselves of the dirt from living in this world.
John says that if we confess our sin that God is “faithful” (Isa 1:18, Jer. 31:34) and “just” in forgive us and cleanse us from our sin. Forgiveness and cleansing are somewhat overlapping, except that forgiveness relates to the guilt of sin being pardoned, whereas cleansing points to the defilement of sin being removed. So then it is false to believe that a Christian can attain a level at which they no longer sin.
Third False Statement About Sin – There Is No Such Thing As Sin! (v. 10)
•The Claim (v. 10a) “if we say we have never sinned”
“If we say that we have not sinned…” The phrase “we have not sinned” is aorist tense in the original which means “I have never sinned at any point in time in my life, I am not a sinner.” That sounds very modern because in our day we deny that sins are really sins. We call them by some other name. The most prevalent perhaps is to label every human failing as some kind of disease. Alcoholics and drug addicts can check into clinics for treatment of their “chemical dependence.”
Beyond that we just re-label everything.
Abortion is a women’s right to chose. Adultery is an affair. A lie is bending the truth. Sexual perversion is sexual orientation.And of course it is always different if it is our sins that we are discussing then, all of us are prone to cover up our sins by giving them polite names. A bad temper is justified as just being “nerves,” and dishonesty is labeled “harmless exaggeration.” Instead of accepting responsibility for their behavior, people demand to be accepted as they are!
Yet if we are to grow in grace, we must put aside all rationalizing and get to the heart of the problem. The blood of Jesus does not apply to excuses, but it has the power to cleanse any sin.
•The Consequences (v. 10b) – we make God a liar.
“… we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
John says when we take that position “… we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” So how do we make Jesus a liar? So who is right, the man who denies the reality of sin in general and in himself in particular or God who declares that all have sinned?
You make God a liar when we deny his explicit teaching that all have sinned (Rom. 6:23) and we make him a liar when deny we need a Savior. If you haven’t sinned you don’t need Him. The claim to being sinless is not only self-deception, but blasphemy. It amounts to calling God a liar.
A person walking in the light does not deny his sin or try to cover it up. He does not blame others for it or make excuses about
it. Rather, he confesses it.
•The Contrast (2:1-2) – When we fail we have an advocate with the father
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Throughout these verses John has been telling the reader that sin is inherent to human life. Everyone does sin! Now he writes he does not want us to sin. So which is it? Notice that this verse does not say that we cannot sin, but John is writing that we may not sin. John does not want his followers to sin, yet in verse eight and ten, he has said that they will sin at times. Sometimes we do fail Him. What then? We are to come to God to confess the sin and seek forgiveness, knowing that we are able to approach Him through the work of Christ as children approach a father.
Dr. Griffin Thomas has a helpful word on this subject, he says. “If any man sins, we have an advocate.’ There is no allowance for sin, but a perfect provision in case we do sin; no need to sin, no right to sin, no compro-mise with sin, no license but provision in case we do. On board ship, the provision of life-boats is not associated with any intention to have a ship-wreck but they are there in case of need. When it is said, ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate,’ it is the provision in case of need.”
Closing Illustration
Charles Finney was preaching in a meeting in Detroit. After the service one night a man said "I want you to come home with me, Mr. Finney. Some who knew the man said to Finney, Don’t go - but he went.
When they got to the man’s house, the man locked the door, and pulled a revolver from his pocket. He said - "Don’t be afraid, Mr. Finney. I am not going to shoot you. I heard you preach tonight about the Lord Jesus Christ. This revolver has killed four men. Is there any hope for a man like that?" Finney replied, "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin" The man answered - "You don’t understand, Mr. Finney. Down below this apart-ment where you are sitting there is a saloon. I have helped send men down the road to hell; I have helped men to rob their own children of food and milk. Is there any hope for a man who would run a saloon?" Finney replied, The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin
The man continued, I have been a gambler all my life. I have spent my life taking money from people illegally. Is there any hope for a man like that?" Mr. Finney said, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!’
The man persisted. "Across the street there is a wife I have abused, a little girl who is disfigured. One night I came home from gambling and drinking in a drunken stupor. The child ran to put her arms around me and I pushed her away from me. She hit the heater and is terribly disfigured. Is there any hope for a man like that? Finney said, "The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin"
Soon thereafter Mr. Finney left. The next morning the man stumbled across the street. He had not slept; he had prayed all night. When he got into the house he stumbled up to his room.
In a little while his wife said to the little girl - "Tell your daddy it’s time for breakfast" She went upstairs and said, "Mama says it’s time for breakfast" The man said, "Maggie darling, I don’t want any breakfast this morning. She ran back downstairs and said, "Mama, Daddy said he did not want any breakfast this morning and he called me darling." The mother said, ‘You made a mistake; you heard him wrong. Go back up there and tell him it’s time for breakfast.’
In a moment the man came down, took his wife in his arms and his little girl on his knee. ‘Oh wife, he wept, I have sinned against you like few men have ever sinned against anyone, but last night I heard the preacher preach. I heard about Jesus and about the blood of Jesus. “The blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all my sin. You have a new husband. Daughter, you have a new daddy." Now that is the truth about Sin!
“The Truth About Sin”
1 John 1:5-10, 2:1-2
Three False Statements About Sin. Each of the false claims about sin is introduced by John’s use of the term “if we say” (vv. 6, 8, 10) and is followed by John’s denial of that claim.
First False Statement –You Can Be A Christian And Still Live In __________ Sin. (vv. 6-7)
The Claim (v. 6a) “if we say it doesn’t _____ if I sin”
The Consequences (v. 6b) – we _____
The Contrast (v. 7) - walk in the ______
Second False Statement –As A Christian You Can Attain Level At Which You No _______ Sin. (vv. 8-9)
The Claim (v. 8a) “if we say we no ______ sin”
The Consequences (v. 8b) - we ________ ourselves
The Contrast (v. 9) – if we _______ we are forgiven
God is “faithful” (Isa 1:18, Jer. 31:34) and “just” to forgive.
Third False Statement About Sin – There Is No Such Thing As ________! (v. 10)
The Claim (v. 10a) “if we say we have _____ sinned”
The Consequences (v. 10b) - we make God a ______
The Contrast (2:1-2) - when we fail we have an
_______ with the Father.
