Ever sinned as a Christian?
Truth and falsehood are not related so much to the trustworthiness of the teller as they are to correspondence with reality. The problem with the claim of sinlessness is not that the motives of the claimant are unpure. His or her report may be made with honest conviction. But the report of sinlessness is mistaken: it does not correspond to reality. “We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
What is the reality of sin for the Christian? The simple fact is that while in His death Jesus dealt fully with sin, the sin nature within us is not eradicated. The ingrained responses still tug. We still experience pride, lust, anger, hatred, and fear. The capacity to sin remains ours and will be an ever-present burden until we find our full release in resurrection.
But the capacity to sin, and even the temptation to sin, are not really the issue in the Christian life.
What is at issue are our choices. While we can feel the old passions stirring, we also have a new appreciation for godliness. We want to be like Jesus! Now two sets of desires war within us, and we have been given the freedom to choose.
We can walk in the light and live in the radiance shed by the Living Word. Or we can turn our backs and chase off into the darkness after the illusive pleasures of sin. The choices we make, not the temptations we experience, are what move us into darkness or into light.
But again John is sensitive. Men and women who turn toward the light, and begin that hesitant journey toward holiness, find that their sinful “deeds will be exposed” (John 2:20). In the radiance of the light of Jesus, we become aware of pools of darkness in ourselves. Things we did that before seemed natural and proper become tawdry and shameful. Motives we suppressed come to light. The action we justified we see to be a petty release of antagonism. Our drive to succeed is recognized as a materialism that has pushed aside the needs of family and replaced the value of persons with the love of money.
The more we live in the light Jesus sheds, the more aware we become of how unlike God we are. Rather than feeling comfortable in His presence, we pull back in shame and hopelessness, deciding we are forever separated from Him.
But again John is sensitive. Men and women who turn toward the light, and begin that hesitant journey toward holiness, find that their sinful “deeds will be exposed” (John 2:20). In the radiance of the light of Jesus, we become aware of pools of darkness in ourselves. Things we did that before seemed natural and proper become tawdry and shameful. Motives we suppressed come to light. The action we justified we see to be a petty release of antagonism. Our drive to succeed is recognized as a materialism that has pushed aside the needs of family and replaced the value of persons with the love of money.
The more we live in the light Jesus sheds, the more aware we become of how unlike God we are. Rather than feeling comfortable in His presence, we pull back in shame and hopelessness, deciding we are forever separated from Him.
Or, unable to face the reality, we deceive ourselves and deny the blemishes that surface. “My sin is gone,” we insist. And since pettiness and antagonism are wrong, we rechristen our reactions “righteous indignation.” We dare not acknowledge our materialism and distorted values, so we justify our drive to succeed by the money we can give to missions. Closing our eyes to reality, we wander through life, insisting on our sinlessness and yet wondering why we have only an aching void inside rather than fellowship’s joy.
But what’s the alternative? How can a sinful and sinning human being maintain a joyful and comfortable relationship with a holy God? John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The basis of our fellowship with God is not our sinlessness, but His forgiveness.
You and I are invited to live our lives in intimate relationship with the Lord, in comfortable closeness and joy. The key to experiencing this kind of fellowship is to walk in light, not darkness. Some may claim fellowship while obviously choosing sin. They lie. Others may claim fellowship on the basis of a supposed sinlessness. They deceive themselves. The reality is that we are imperfect—and yet can have fellowship!
To have fellowship involves choosing a basic direction toward godliness; walking into the light, we can see God and reality. But we also become aware of our sins and failures. We will become aware of all that God still has to do within us to make us truly godly.
We cannot live in fellowship with God if we live a lie: to walk in the light means we must face and deal with the reality of our sin.
How do we deal with sin? We confess (lit., “acknowledge”) sins. Instead of pretending or hiding our sins, we acknowledge them to God. And God “will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God’s forgiving grace will remove every barrier between the believer and God, even that of remembered guilt, so that we can be comfortable in the very presence of our Lord.
One last important promise is given us by John. God will not only forgive us as we acknowledge the sins we discover, but He will also purify us. God will touch our motives and desires, and He will gradually reshape us. Like John himself, as we walk into the light of Jesus, we will gradually lose the old anger and drive for prestige, and will become men and women who love.
A dangerous promise? (1 John 2:1–2) Some, reading John’s letter, were sure to object to his teaching. “If we know we can be forgiven,” they say “then why not sin? If that’s all there is to fellowship, why make the effort to follow Jesus?” The objectors of course misunderstand. Only the person who wants to live in darkness will pervert the promise of forgiveness into a license for sin.
John was writing to help us avoid sin. “But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (vv. 1–2).
Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (pp. 1049–1050). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
But what’s the alternative? How can a sinful and sinning human being maintain a joyful and comfortable relationship with a holy God? John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). The basis of our fellowship with God is not our sinlessness, but His forgiveness.
You and I are invited to live our lives in intimate relationship with the Lord, in comfortable closeness and joy. The key to experiencing this kind of fellowship is to walk in light, not darkness. Some may claim fellowship while obviously choosing sin. They lie. Others may claim fellowship on the basis of a supposed sinlessness. They deceive themselves. The reality is that we are imperfect—and yet can have fellowship!
To have fellowship involves choosing a basic direction toward godliness; walking into the light, we can see God and reality. But we also become aware of our sins and failures. We will become aware of all that God still has to do within us to make us truly godly.
We cannot live in fellowship with God if we live a lie: to walk in the light means we must face and deal with the reality of our sin.
How do we deal with sin? We confess (lit., “acknowledge”) sins. Instead of pretending or hiding our sins, we acknowledge them to God. And God “will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God’s forgiving grace will remove every barrier between the believer and God, even that of remembered guilt, so that we can be comfortable in the very presence of our Lord.
One last important promise is given us by John. God will not only forgive us as we acknowledge the sins we discover, but He will also purify us. God will touch our motives and desires, and He will gradually reshape us. Like John himself, as we walk into the light of Jesus, we will gradually lose the old anger and drive for prestige, and will become men and women who love.
A dangerous promise? (1 John 2:1–2) Some, reading John’s letter, were sure to object to his teaching. “If we know we can be forgiven,” they say “then why not sin? If that’s all there is to fellowship, why make the effort to follow Jesus?” The objectors of course misunderstand. Only the person who wants to live in darkness will pervert the promise of forgiveness into a license for sin.
John was writing to help us avoid sin. “But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning Sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (vv. 1–2).
Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (pp. 1049–1050). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
