The Question of Sin I John 1:5-10

 The Question of Sin I John 1:5-10

   If the Church and our lives are to mean anything they must reflect the light and glory of God.  We are to be like Christ.  Romans 8:29  " For whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son"  

God is light.  John 1:4 and Jesus is the light of men.  Heaven is that way . Rev. 21:23  "  And the city had no need of the sun ....for the the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof"

The troublers there were arguing that their behavior did not matter. " he , that hates his brother is walking in darkness"  I John 2:11  We are to " do all things without grumbling or disputing...among whom you appear as lights in the world."  Philippians 2 :14

Here is an illustration about light:  " If the sun shines on a dull brick or stone, they reflect none of its beams...there is nothing in them capable of this, nor is there in an ungodly man any natural power of reflecting the light of God.  But let the light shine upon a diamond, and see what rays of sparkling beauty it emits..  Just so the Christian who has the graces of the Spirit , when God shines on his soul, beams of celestial loveliness are reflected by him on the world." 

1. The Apostle's Message.  Sin breaks our fellowship with God.  1:6-7 

" If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie.."

Last week we saw how the message of eternal life produces a joyous fellowship---but a word of warning.  What we say must match what we do.

  a.  walking in darkness, present tense, habitually we are lying and we have no fellowship with God.  Not just sin, but the practice of sin.

2:11 says the darkness has blinded the eyes.  Unconfessed sin = no fellowship with God.  Ps. 66:18 " If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear"

Isaiah 59:2 " But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hid His face from you, so that He does not hear"

1:6 we are living a lie that is not consistent with our profession.  

"   A man's verbal profession is not necessarily to be believed.  It must be tested both in itself, in its relation to the fundamental truth that God is light, and its bearing upon his behavior."  Stott

b.  vs 7 But those walking in the light the result is fellowship, unity or koinonia.  " The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin"

cleanse here is catharsis, gk " to purify"

God erases the sin that would break our fellowship with Him or each other if we walk in the light.

2.  Sin exists in our nature.  1:8

  Misleading others, leading them astray, the troublers in the church went one step beyond.  They had been saying with their untruth that sin did not keep one apart from God.  Now they denied sin altogether!

" If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves , and the truth is not in us"

John Newton used to say that whatever else he might forget he remembered 2 things.  1st that he was a great sinner, and second that Jesus Christ was a great Saviour.

3.  Sin shows itself in our conduct.

Vs. 10 If we say that we have not sinned ( perfect tense)  we make him a liar , and his word is not in us.

Psalm 14:3 in the OT recognized it.  " They are all gone aside...there is none that does good, no not one.

Isaiah 64:6 ; 53:6

The Conclusion is in vs 9 for us.   If we confess (present tense) our sins , God is faithful ( aorist) and just to forgive us our sins.  

2 Tim 2:13 " He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself"

His justice demands that the sinner appear before Him cleansed.  Romans 3:25

Read Ps 32:1-5 and pray about specific sin that keeps you apart from God, confess it to Him , and receive the cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ His Son.