1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:8-10 (Matthew Henry Commentary on 1 John 1)
Here,
I. The apostle, having supposed that even those of this heavenly communion have yet their sin, proceeds here to justify that supposition, and this he does by showing the dreadful consequences of denying it, and that in two particulars: –
1. If we say, We have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, 1Jo_1:8. We must beware of deceiving ourselves in denying or excusing our sins. The more we see them the more we shall esteem and value the remedy. If we deny them, the truth is not in us, either the truth that is contrary to such denial (we lie in denying our sin), or the truth of religion, is not in us. The Christian religion is the religion of sinners, of such as have sinned, and in whom sin in some measure still dwells. The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and mortification of sin, of continual faith in, thankfulness for, and love to the Redeemer, and hopeful joyful expectation of a day of glorious redemption, in which the believer shall be fully and finally acquitted, and sin abolished for ever.
2. If we say, We have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us, 1Jo_1:10. The denial of our sin not only deceives ourselves, but reflects dishonour upon God. It challenges his veracity. He has abundantly testified of, and testified against, the sin of the world. And the Lord said in his heart (determined thus with himself), I will not again curse the ground (as he had then lately done) for man’s sake; for (or, with the learned bishop Patrick, though) the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, Gen_8:21. But God has given his testimony to the continued sin and sinfulness of the world, by providing a sufficient effectual sacrifice for sin, that will be needed in all ages, and to the continued sinfulness of believers themselves by requiring them continually to confess their sins, and apply themselves by faith to the blood of that sacrifice. And therefore, if we say either that we have not sinned or do not yet sin, the word of God is not in us, neither in our minds, as to the acquaintance we should have with it, nor in our hearts, as to the practical influence it should have upon us.
II. The apostle then instructs the believer in the way to the continued pardon of his sin. Here we have,
1. His duty in order thereto: If we confess our sins, 1Jo_1:9. Penitent confession and acknowledgment of sin are the believer’s business, and the means of his deliverance from his guilt. And,
2. His encouragement thereto, and assurance of the happy issue. This is the veracity, righteousness, and clemency of God, to whom he makes such confession: He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1Jo_1:9. God is faithful to his covenant and word, wherein he has promised forgiveness to penitent believing confessors. He is just to himself and his glory who has provided such a sacrifice, by which his righteousness is declared in the justification of sinners. He is just to his Son who has not only sent him for such service, but promised to him that those who come through him shall be forgiven on his account. By his knowledge (by the believing apprehension of him) shall my righteous servant justify many, Isa_53:11. He is clement and gracious also, and so will forgive, to the contrite confessor, all his sins, cleanse him from the guilt of all unrighteousness, and in due time deliver him from the power and practice of it.
faithandverity said:
The point of contention here is whether God forbids Christians to sin. On the point of being sinless, allow me to borrow from John Wesley who wrote in 1764: “There is such a thing as perfection; for it is again and again mentioned in Scripture. Is it sinless? It is not worth while to contend for a term. It is “salvation from sin.”
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Mat 7:13 -14
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” Joh 12:48
godwordistruth said:
FaithandVerity,
Let me restate again: God’s grace is NEVER a license for a Christian to sin nor to continue to live in sins.
However, if your position is that while on still on this earth you are already PERFECT and has achieved a SINLESS state and could never ever sin again, you are in serious error and far from the truth as clearly revealed in the bible.
Shalom.
godwordistruth said:
Hi Faith and Verity,
God’s grace is NOT a license for a Christian to sin nor to continue to live in sins.
There is no basis to say that 1 John 1 is only meant for unbelieving Jews. It is clearly and specifically addressed to BELIEVERS in Christ. Apostle John was addressing fellow believers and with whom he is clearly having fellowship within the common faith and Apostle John’s wish for them is that they love the truth and their JOY MAY BE FULL.
1Jn 1:3-4 “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
For a believer truly born again and regenerated by the Holy Spirit in Christ, it is without doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ by his vicarious death on the cross, once and for all, make possible the atonement for sins of past, present and future. God showed his amazing grace! He does not need to be merciful, as a believer I am amazed at His grace. God is no longer my angry Judge. God is now my heavenly Father.
As a believer, have I obtained mercy from the wrath of an angry, holy and righteous God ? YES
As a believer, did God poured His abundant grace with faith and love in Christ Jesus on me ? YES
As a believer, do I still have the remnant of the original sin in me and do I sin (or fall short) everyday? tragically YES.
Do I need to sin and should I continue to sin ? NO
We do not need to sin because God has given us, through new birth, a new nature in Christ with the capacity to obey him. Having received adoption as a child of a Holy God, I should and must be pursuing holiness and following His commandments as revealed by His scriptures and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Are believer, still on earth, already perfect and sinless now ? NO, not yet.
Apostle Paul himself declared his own struggle:
Rom 7:18-25 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
“Faithful is the Word and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1Ti 1:15 )
Am I better than Paul ? No I really don’t think so…………. I am probably a worse sinner than Paul .
Jesus Christ himself taught his disciples that when they pray to the Heavenly Father, they are to ask for forgiveness of sins. As such, I ever thankful to Jesus Christ, glorious and ascended King, my advocate and Great High Priest sitting on the right hand of the Father. He pleads my case before my faithful Heavenly Father……….I go to Him: “Heavenly Father, I have sinned today, please forgive me” ……….My Heavenly father has promised to forgive, I trust him.
faithandverity said:
1Jn Chap 1 is not meant for Christians to believe they can sin. Christians are
forbidden by God to sin:
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
In 1 Jn Chap 1, the Apostle was writing to unsaved Jews. The first 5 verses set the context for the next five verses:
– “which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,”
– “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,”
– “And these things write we unto you,”
– “This then is the message…”
The Apostle warns us that we remain un-regenerated if we continue to sin:
– 1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
If we are truly saved, the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sins and we will enjoy the fellowship of the elects. 1 Jn 1:7. The Body of Christ is sacred and without sins. 2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Christians are member of Christ’s Body. It is not just spiritual for we read in 1Co 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
1Jn 1:8 refers to the imputed sin of Adam. Everyone is borne a sinner with the exception of Christ who created His own Body and is not contaminated by the blood of Mary. Rom 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” In addition to that, 1Jn 1:9 continues to say that we have also sins of our own doing which need God’s forgiveness.
If the unsaved Jews insist that they have not sinned (whether imputed or of their own doing or cleansed by the blood of bulls) and therefore do not need Christ, they are dismissing the Gospel which the Apostle is preaching in the passage. In so doing, they are calling God a liar because they deny the original sin and Christ, the Messiah, as taught in the Old Testament.
The Apostle’s teaching follows that of Christ in John 8: 31-47. Christ has set us free from sin. Why slacken our resolve to walk with Him in holiness? We are free from sin! We are no longer the servant of sin! In fact we have become slave to righteousness! See Rom 6:18. Instead of indulging in the flesh we hate it instead. See Rom 8: 1 to 13. We must not be deceived that we remain under the power of sin. As member of Christ we must pursue holiness (Heb 12:14; 1Pet 1:13-17) and stay away from sin. God has promised that we can do it:
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
The parable of the wheat and tares in Mat 13 is meant to warn us that there are hypocrites among us. If we accept that we too can sin, we have degraded ourselves to be just like them while they try to be like us. Such belief is meant to help them co-exist with us in the visible church.
It goes without saying that no true Christian will try hiding his or her sins from God. A true child of God believes that God is all knowing and s(he) cannot hide anything from Him. This is a fundamental belief of JEHOVAH. Moreover, the indwelling Holy Ghost will convict him or her of the sin. It is the work of God. Can a person resists/suppresses it? We are conscious of our communion with God through Christ with the help of the Holy Spirit and cannot deny sinning or the existence of God. Moreover, God promises to chastise us when we sinned. Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. God is faithful. He will do it.
We are cleanseth from all sins by the blood of Christ and God will keep us from falling.
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
faithandverity