John
tells us here that God is Light and there is not the slightest trace of
darkness in Him. Light represents truth, knowledge and righteousness. Darkness,
on the other hand, is a picture of sin, falsehood and ignorance. He wants to
show that it would not be congruent or even possible for anyone who lives in
continual sin, if he is in fellowship with God. If anyone claims to be in fellowship
with God yet lives a life of sin, that person is lying and there is absolutely
no truth in him. There are two things that will be clearly evident when a
person is walking in the light. Firstly, he would have fellowship with other
like-minded believers. Secondly, this believer would then experience cleansing
of all sins. The word “all” is referring to every kind of sin.
In
verse 8, we get the sense that some of them, influenced by wrong teachings, felt
that they have no sin. So John set out to address that wrong idea. He said, “If
we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth in not in
us.” In other words, everyone, even a believer, would sin. However, the
heartening thing is that purification and restoration for believers is always available.
How can one experience this promise? When one confesses and repents from his or
her sins.
We
need to know, however, that forgiveness, while it is based on God’s mercy, is
also based on His justice. How so? Look at verse 9. John said that God is just
and would forgive our sin and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. Why? It
is because John wanted his readers to know that God would never retract on His
promise. We need to know that in Christ, the penalty for our sin had been paid.
And based on what Christ had done on the Cross at Calvary, God would forgive
when we confess and repent of all our sins. God can be trusted and would never
go back on His word. He is just.
John
further emphasized that if we say we have no sin, we would make God out to be a
liar. However, knowing human tendency to go to the extreme, John provided the
balance regarding sin, committing sin and experiencing God’s forgiveness in 1
John 2:1-2. It is not God’s desire for us to sin, but He also knows that we believers
have a nature that would cause us to fall from time to time. To ensure that we are
not ridden with guilt, he reminded us of God’s provision. We have an able advocate
before God the Father. He is none other than Jesus, the Righteous. He could
defend us ably because He is the atoning sacrifice for their sins.
We
all need to live life honestly. We exist to bring praises to God, so we must let
His praise flow ceaselessly out of our lips and lives. And when we stumble and
fall, we don’t need to live a life of pretense. All we need is to come to God
in repentance, acknowledging and turning from our sins. God is fully cognizant
of how Jesus, His Son, had paid the awesome price for our sin. He is aware that
the blood of Christ never congeals, and it still cleanses and washes away sins,
guilt and condemnation. Remember, we have a perfect advocate, Jesus the
righteous, and He is God’s perfect atonement for our sin!
No comments:
Post a Comment