1 John 1:8-9 continued
Continuing on from Saturday’s entry.
The third point is that we when put ourselves above others as somehow being better than them and “sinless” we are demonstrating that we do not have the truth of God in us. Because if the truth of God was in us, we would know that we all have sinned and all fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23)/ If the truth of God is not written on our hearts then we do not have the Holy Spirit in us. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can say Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16:17). So beware the pious person who judges others severely as though they were perfect. It may be that they are not a follower of Jesus and have never had the Holy Spirit open them up to the knowledge of God and Jesus.
The Revised English Bible illustrates the fourth point well when it states if we confess our sins God is just and may be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from wrongdoing. I was really struck by the words that we can trust God to forgive our sins. I think that is a problem we often have. We do not believe that God will forgive our sins and continue to berate ourselves and hold on to the knowledge of our sinfulness. But in these verses James is telling his readers that God is true to His own nature and promises and will forgive our sins and continuously cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is really powerful. First, that it is in God’s nature to forgive us and second, that He is able to do this because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The other statement in this translation of verse 9 is that we are continuously cleansed. This is something James has stressed already. We do not get forgiven once, we are continuously forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. The Amplified Bible describes unrighteousness as everything that is not in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought and action. How often do we consider God’s will to be purpose, thoughts and actions? We might concede His purpose and occasionally consider our actions to be part of God’s will but we frequently do not align our thoughts with His will.
So in these two verses there are many challenges to consider. Do we lack humility and look down on others because we believe we are less sinful than them? Do we judge others harshly? If so have you actually had a personal encounter with God and Jesus Christ? If you have not then perhaps you might consider asking God for that encounter. If you truly ask He will be true to Himself and answer. This leads into the last challenge, that it is in God’s nature to forgive us, which He does continuously through Jesus. The final part of that challenge is that we must trust God to forgive our sins.

1 John 1:8-9
If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts]. If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. Amplified Bible
There are four points I wish to discuss regarding these two verses. I will be discussing the first two points in this blog and completing the discussion in the next blog.
The first point is that these verses were answering the Gnostics who claimed sin was of no regard and they were saved because they had a secret knowledge. For them sin was of no consequence because it was in the body, which was imperfect. They considered they were without sin because they lived in the Spirit and were saved by their secret knowledge.
The next point is James’ statement that there were people who claimed they were without sin. The Revised English Bible speaks of how we are self-deceived if we claim to be sinless and that we do not have any truth in us. The idea we are sinless is a great sin in itself. Many who claim to follow Jesus are very keen to harshly judge others and be like the Pharisees who looked pious and claimed they were without sin. It is very likely these were the people James was speaking of. There are still people today who stand in their nice, clean church buildings and consider themselves to be better than those unsaved people around them because they go to church every Sunday and pay lip service to some restrictive practices they believe are part of being a Christian, but are really only part of their church tradition. These people often severely and without love condemn those around them they decide are “sinners”. They compare themselves favourably to them and look down on them. But they do not do what Jesus did. He went among the sinners. He did not condemn them harshly and He always acted with love. He did not declare he was sinless, even though He was. It is an easy trap to fall into and a very dangerous one. Be careful to be humble and recognise your sin. Do not consider your religious observances make you better than the people around you. Even if you are a follower of Jesus and they are not the only difference between you and them is that you can bring your sins to Jesus for continual cleansing and they have not yet had an encounter with their Saviour.
I will continue this discussion in the next blog.

1 John 1:6-7
These verses are very powerful.
In the section to the end of chapter 1 and into chapter 2, John uses as series of “if” statements. In these “If” statements he is dealing with three obstacles to fellowship. These two verses contain the first error and it centres on the clam that we have fellowship with God. John wants those reading these letters to have fellowship with God but John is saying here that words alone do not bring fellowship with God.
In verse 6 he describes the person who claims to have fellowship. Maybe they are like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. They have a deep piety and outward adherence to the observances of their faith. In a modern setting he will be someone who makes a show of church attendance. Perhaps he is a stalwart of the church, involved in important functions within the service. He is pious and makes a great show of his comfortable religious feelings. Yet behind the façade he is living in darkness. Perhaps he seeks the accolades of being the leader within the church. Perhaps he has great pride in his piety and that pride is of greater importance than his relationship with God. Perhaps he goes home from church and beats his wife, or views on line porn, or is having an affair, or is sexually abusing one of his children. He may cheat on his neighbour, or spread gossip, or be harsh and judgemental while accepting all the wrong things he does as being perfectly acceptable. He may just leave church and never think of God again all week, reserving his time with God for the Sunday service. There are any number of ways we can claim to be in fellowship with God but be like the person who claims to have fellowship but continues to live in darkness. Any part of our lives, no matter how innocuous it seems, that has not been surrendered to God, is darkness.
So if we say we are in fellowship with God but continue to live in darkness as described above, we are lying. We must “do the truth” not just profess it. We must test every aspect of our lives against the revelation of God as given through Jesus, the prophets and the apostles as written in the Bible. We must live out the truth made known by God in our lives. As Jesus put it in Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” NIV. That is evidence of fellowship with God.
In verse 7 John reminds us that when we have fellowship with God we then have fellowship with one another. All believers have a bond. It is not about which religious institution you attend, if any, or which doctrine you subscribe to. It is about having fellowship with fellow believers because we are one in God through Jesus Christ. The fellowship we have with fellow believers if very special and can be found whenever we interact with another believer. Fellowship does not require a building or formalised service to exist. It occurs whenever believers come in contact with one another and share their faith.
One final note on these verses. John describes the blood of Jesus as purifying us from all sin because we are walking in the light and have fellowship with one another. The emphasis in these words is on a continuing walk in the light of Jesus and a continual purifying. It is not a once off thing that we can go through once and then continue on with life as though nothing happened. It is impossible to be in a relationship with God (fellowship) as a once off thing, just as it is impossible to have a friendship with another person that is built on a once only encounter and then never revisited. The path we follow once we enter the gate that is Jesus is a path that continues until we reach heaven. It is continual, difficult and sparsely populated. Our fellowship with God is ongoing and our purification from sin is also ongoing. This is what John seeks to emphasise in these two verses.

1 John 1:5
In writing this letter, John seeks to bring those reading it into true fellowship with God. He wants each person to know God through Jesus and to seek that relationship as the most important thing in his or her life.
In this verse John states that He has heard from God through Jesus that He is light and in Him there is no darkness. What does “light” mean?
John 8:12 “… Jesus …said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” (NIV)
John 1:4-5, 9 “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. … The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (NIV)
Here it is drawing attention to God’s uprightness and righteousness. Righteousness is symbolised as being light and in contrast sin is symbolised as darkness. Here God is portrayed as being all light.
Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light too the eyes.” (NIV)
Psalm 56:13 “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.” (NIV)
If we think of night when it is dark, we think of the things that are done in secret, those that are not seen by others because it is dark. We can also think of that which is hidden because the darkness prevents us from seeing it. Another aspect of light is its ability to expose all things and “bring them into the light”. Every aspect of our existence is exposed to the light of God and known by Him.
Psalm 90:8 “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.” (NIV)
Because Jesus and therefore God is light, then to be in His presence, we must also walk in the light. To follow God’s will is to walk in the light.
2 Samuel 22:29 “You are my lamp’ O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light.” (NIV)
Psalm 18:28 “You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (NIV).
Psalm 89:15 “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.” (NIV)
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (NIV)
Psalm 139:11-12 “If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (NIV)
John 3:20 “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (NIV)
In our relationship with God through Jesus, it is important that we understand that God is light. That nothing we do is hidden from Him and that we can walk in the light because of Jesus’ death for our sins. It is important to understand this before moving on into this letter.
John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” (NIV)