1 JOHN

Chapter 2, Verse 1

[2-6-11]

 

Review:

1 John 1:9-10) [KJV] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[GNB] But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

Concerning “confess our sins,”

“From ομός, one and the same, and λέγω, to say. Hence, primarily, to say the same thing as another, and, therefore, to admit the truth of an accusation” [Vincent].

QUESTION: What are we doing when we confess our sins to God?

ANSWER: We’re saying the same thing about that sin that God says. Without excuse, we’re saying that what we did was sin.

Matthew 7:1) Judge not, that ye be not judged.

1 Corinthians 11:31) For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

QUESTION: What two things can we do to escape a just punishment for our sins?

ANSWER: 1) We can judge ourselves as being without excuse for our conduct. 2) We can intercede/make excuses for others when they sin.

NOTE: When my wife spends most of a day cleaning her house I had better not tell her that the house is a pigpen. That would be an insult to her cleaning abilities. Yet, when God cleanses us from the stains of sin we walk around thinking we are filthy in the sight of God. That’s an insult to God’s ability to cleanse. AFTER WE CONFESS OUR SINS, WE MUST CONFESS, AND THANK GOD, THAT WE ARE CLEAN AND FORGIVEN.

10) [KJV] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

QUESTION: Can we really make God a liar?

ANSWER: Of course not! When we deny the truth of Scripture we are, in essence, calling God a liar!

On To This Week’s Lesson:

1 John 2:1) [GNB] I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one.

1 John 1:6) [GNB] If, then, we say that we have fellowship with him, yet at the same time live in the darkness, we are lying both in our words and in our actions.

QUESTION: What does “live in the dark” mean?

ANSWER: When our life choices are contrary to the sound teaching of Scripture we are walking in the darkness.

NOTE: This verse isn’t talking about acts of sin; it’s talking about choosing to live contrary to the Truth.

ANOTHER NOTE: John is most probably directing this comment at the Gnostics. They claim that they know Jesus, but they claim that Jesus never came in the flesh, and they claim that since the spirit is saved, but not the flesh, that it’s O.K. to sin. One might learn some valuable lessons that will benefit the saved spirit. They claim to have a relationship with Jesus, but they walk in darkness.

QUESTION: Why did John write this letter?

ANSWER: He didn’t want us to sin.

QUESTION: What if we do sin?

ANSWER: We have a Heavenly Lawyer Who represents us in the courtroom of Heaven! We confess! God forgives! God cleanses! He does this to answer the intercessory prayers His Son makes for us.

Romans 8:34) [GNB] Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with him for us!

Concerning this verse,

“John has no patience with professional perfectionists (1 John_1:8-10), but he has still less with loose-livers like some of the Gnostics who went to all sorts of excesses without shame” [Robertson].

NOTE: We must never make grace an excuse for bad conduct. We might not always live right, but we must always desire to live right.