1 John 1: 7-10
If we look at all religions of the world and their founders or teachers – Buddha, Mohammed or Confucius – they never claimed to be God – people just followed their teachings.
Only in Christianity we see Christ claiming Him to be God.
“The greatest miracle of Christianity is Christ, and if we don’t have Him we don’t have anything”.
All the four verses are conditional statements with the word ‘if’.
I. IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT (7)
This verse refers to the believers in the Lord Jesus.
The condition here is that we have to choose to live a life under the light.
We have two advantages – we have fellowship with God – fellowship with each other.
God’s purifying process begins when we accept Lord Jesus as our Savior.
Unrepentant believer cannot or will not have any fellowship with a holy God.
A scholar once said that his Christianity does not interfere with his social life.
John says it does interfere as we purposely choose to walk under His light.
If it does not interfere with our personal and social life, that person is not saved at all.
“And the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin”
John was referring to the false teachers of his day.
DOCETISM was an early heretical belief that held that Christ’s body was not material or real, but only the appearance of a body.
John was disputing their claim and explains incarnation of Lord Jesus.
God sent His Son to die on the cross and shed His blood for the sins of the world.
Theologically it is known as PROPITIATION.
Mysteriously and miraculously the sacrifice of Lord Jesus on the cross is the source of our purification from all our sin.
II. IF WE CLAIM TO BE WITHOUT SIN (8)
Every person without exception sins - This verse refers to all people.
Those who claim they don’t have any sin in them are deceiving themselves.
John is speaking of the root of sin, that fallen Adamic nature that we all inherited.
John is saying: 'Yes, Christians do sin, because they are sinners by nature'.
John is talking about that we are sinners by birth – we are born with DNA of sin.
III. IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS (9)
Verse 8 'sin' speaks of our nature that is what we are and have in our fallen nature.
Whereas verse 9 speaks of 'sins' is what we do after receiving salvation.
Confession is naming the sin and being honest with God and ourselves.
Here Lord Jesus assumes the role of an ‘Advocate’.
He represents all believers before the throne of God.
His sacrifices satisfied the justice of God referred to “Propitiation”
Because He lives today He is our advocate to apply His sacrifice to daily sins.
John is telling us that we all will sin – so we should not claim that we are without sin that makes us a liar.
It is a daily process of sanctification that cleanses and purifies once again from the sins we commit on a day to day basis.
IV. IF WE CLAIM WE HAVE NOT SINNED (10)
Docetists of John’s time were implying not only they have no sin but also they do not sin.
Romans 3:23: 'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God'.
Those false teachers were making God a liar and denying the reason for the Cross.
John is saying that if we claim that we have not committed any sin it is absolutely invalid according to the Word of God.
Because God clearly teaches through His word that we do things that are sinful.
If we look at all religions of the world and their founders or teachers – Buddha, Mohammed or Confucius – they never claimed to be God – people just followed their teachings.
Only in Christianity we see Christ claiming Him to be God.
“The greatest miracle of Christianity is Christ, and if we don’t have Him we don’t have anything”.
All the four verses are conditional statements with the word ‘if’.
I. IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT (7)
This verse refers to the believers in the Lord Jesus.
The condition here is that we have to choose to live a life under the light.
We have two advantages – we have fellowship with God – fellowship with each other.
God’s purifying process begins when we accept Lord Jesus as our Savior.
Unrepentant believer cannot or will not have any fellowship with a holy God.
A scholar once said that his Christianity does not interfere with his social life.
John says it does interfere as we purposely choose to walk under His light.
If it does not interfere with our personal and social life, that person is not saved at all.
“And the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin”
John was referring to the false teachers of his day.
DOCETISM was an early heretical belief that held that Christ’s body was not material or real, but only the appearance of a body.
John was disputing their claim and explains incarnation of Lord Jesus.
God sent His Son to die on the cross and shed His blood for the sins of the world.
Theologically it is known as PROPITIATION.
Mysteriously and miraculously the sacrifice of Lord Jesus on the cross is the source of our purification from all our sin.
II. IF WE CLAIM TO BE WITHOUT SIN (8)
Every person without exception sins - This verse refers to all people.
Those who claim they don’t have any sin in them are deceiving themselves.
John is speaking of the root of sin, that fallen Adamic nature that we all inherited.
John is saying: 'Yes, Christians do sin, because they are sinners by nature'.
John is talking about that we are sinners by birth – we are born with DNA of sin.
III. IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS (9)
Verse 8 'sin' speaks of our nature that is what we are and have in our fallen nature.
Whereas verse 9 speaks of 'sins' is what we do after receiving salvation.
Confession is naming the sin and being honest with God and ourselves.
Here Lord Jesus assumes the role of an ‘Advocate’.
He represents all believers before the throne of God.
His sacrifices satisfied the justice of God referred to “Propitiation”
Because He lives today He is our advocate to apply His sacrifice to daily sins.
John is telling us that we all will sin – so we should not claim that we are without sin that makes us a liar.
It is a daily process of sanctification that cleanses and purifies once again from the sins we commit on a day to day basis.
IV. IF WE CLAIM WE HAVE NOT SINNED (10)
Docetists of John’s time were implying not only they have no sin but also they do not sin.
Romans 3:23: 'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God'.
Those false teachers were making God a liar and denying the reason for the Cross.
John is saying that if we claim that we have not committed any sin it is absolutely invalid according to the Word of God.
Because God clearly teaches through His word that we do things that are sinful.
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