1 John
1Jo 1:8-10 - Honest Confession - Faithful Forgiveness
by Joe Holder
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1Jo 1:8-10)
Denial of the incarnation represents one of the most serious departures from historic Christian faith. It must represent one of, if not, the leading essential doctrine of the historic faith. Why would anyone deny the incarnation or question any of its primary characteristics? Since Jesus came to settle the sin issue, anyone who tampers with the truth of the incarnation must not fully understand his sin problem. This is likely what John was dealing with in these verses. The Docetists denied that Jesus actually possessed a literal human body. If He did not have a human body, He could not suffer as man and die for man's sins. Did these people deny their own sin? I know of no record that they held to this view, but it appears that John is imposing onto them the obvious consequences of their error.
Often otherwise sincere believers will deny either particular sins they have committed or they will deny some element of their inherent sinful nature. They may not hold to Docetic heresy, but they join the foolish conclusion John imposed on them here.
Mt 1:21 says Jesus was born to "save his people from their sins." 1Jo 1:8 and 1Jo 1:10 seem to deal with somewhat different issues of sin. Some use the singular form of the word sin in the eighth verse to interpret that verse as referring to our original sin or our "sin nature." Then they interpret the tenth verse with sins in the plural as referring to individual acts of sin committed in our lives. It seems a more natural interpretation in the context to notice the two verb tenses. Verse eight speaks of sin in the present tense. Verse ten speaks of sin in the past tense, more precisely in the past perfect tense. This distinction seems more natural to the context than to contrast inherent sin nature with acts of sin. The eighth verse deals with our attitude toward present conduct. Given the dominance of human pride, we might confess to some particular sin in our past, but strongly deny that it poses any problem to us in the present. To acknowledge present sin forces us to ask why we haven't already dealt with it and repented of it. Rather than face the embarrassment of confronting present conduct, we might be tempted to deny the sin. Simply deny that you have any present sin. How does John deal with this problem? "...we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." The cruelest deception we ever perpetrated on anyone is self-deception! Honest confrontation and confession of sin forms a foundational principle of our discipleship. If we refuse to face present sin in our life, confess it and repent, how can we witness to Jesus as our Savior with any degree of credibility?
Our culture has cultivated a self-absorbed worldview so fully that its ideas have penetrated even many sincere believers. They would not think of joining the Docetic heresy; they are altogether orthodox doctrinally. But pride and self-absorption hold them tightly in their grip. To confess to specific sins would require too much honesty and too much loss of pride. They will not do so. They will deny or redefine their conduct so as to justify it. Do anything except confess to it as a real sin. Therein lies the self-deception. But more seriously such a person, according to John, does not have the truth in him. That is a grave question.
The next step John confronts deals with past sins. "If we say that we have not sinned, ...". It is one thing to deny sin in your present conduct, and John gives this idea no comfort, but it is a far more serious problem to deny that you have ever had a sin problem. Since God said we are all sinners, to deny sin in our past is to contradict God's conclusion about us. We make Him a liar; our denial of past sin charges God with lying about our sin problem.
Occasionally over the years I've confronted people who confess to past sins, but will tell you they now live above sin. When examined carefully in light of Scripture, their conduct will not stand up to their assertion. They apparently have redefined sin so as to justify this excessive pretense of sinless living.
In the midst of bruising our pride in more ways than we could imagine John also reveals to us a far better way to deal with our sins, "If we confess our sins...". Have you ever discovered sin in your life and dealt with it by saying, "I'll confess it to God, but it is no one else's business. I don't need to confess it to anyone else." Is this correct? Almost certainly it is wrong, a good indicator of pride's influence in our conscience. Ask yourself one simple question if this attitude surfaces in your mind. Did you actually commit any of those sins in the presence of any other human being? If you did, you should confess that sin in their presence. Otherwise they might fall under your example and begin practicing the same sin because of your example. If you confess the sin in their presence, they quickly understand that you view the conduct as so unacceptable that you refused to allow it to stand in their mind. By confession to them you remove the stumbling block from their pathway.
But John goes beyond our confession to others. "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." God honors His nature and character. He responds to our confession by forgiving us! There is nothing in us to deserve that reaction in God. We sinned! But He is faithful to His own nature, and that prompts Him to forgive us. "...and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Occasionally we will try to adopt a different view of sin than God's view. Have you ever heard anyone say that God can forgive all sins, but His church cannot, indeed should not? Does it seem a bit strange for someone to justify a different course for the church than the God of the church takes? Never does God tell one of His children, "You can repent of this sin and I'll forgive you. But even if you repent of that sin, I can't and won't forgive you." The promise gloriously extends God's forgiving hand to His children that open honest confession will be met with His open and honest forgiveness! That is truly good news for sin-sick sinners.
Take note as we conclude our study of this first chapter of John's epistle that he is writing to children of God, to believers, not to lost sinners. To apply this passage to unsaved sinners is to do it and its Author a terrible injustice. The whole letter is written to children of God, this lesson included. In that light we should notice carefully an ongoing progression in both the confession and in the forgiveness. Confession is not a once-in-a-lifetime event. Every time we become aware of sin in our life we should condition ourselves for immediate, full and genuine confession, both to God and to those impacted by our sinful conduct. I sin today and realize that what I did was sin. Immediately I confess it. I sin again tomorrow and realize the sinfulness of my conduct. Once again I immediately confess the sin. This practice of confession should become a regular habit. However, we should practice the habit with growth and purpose. We should not continually sin and confess the same sin repeatedly! To do that denies repentance. Confession without repentance amounts to dishonest confession. Godly confession includes acknowledgement of the sin and commitment to cease the sin that required confession. To confess with no intent of repenting is not Biblical confession. It is equivalent to a rebellious son being discovered in conduct that dishonors the father. When confronted by the father, the son responds with "Yes I did it and I intend to do it again. What do you plan to do about it?" Is this what you want to tell God when faced with your sin?
The whole process outlined in 1Jo 1:1-10 should form the process of growth and maturity in faith. By confession we learn to face our sins more honestly, more as God faces them. And as we face them in this manner, we remove them from acceptable conduct in our lives. We stop sinning! Thus we slowly remove sinful habits from our life and the nature of our confession changes. It becomes a process of purification or, to use the New Testament term, sanctification.
The joyful encouragement in this passage for sin-sick sinners is amazing. We keep on confessing our sins from a sin-sick heart, and God keeps on forgiving and cleansing us from our sins. His forgiveness and cleansing makes us more sensitive to sin, so the process actually discovers more sins in us, sins we may not have even know as sins before. Once we discover this sin in our improved sensitivity to sin, we promptly confess and seek God's grace to help us cease the practice. He is always a willing helper in our battle with sin. Try it today!
1Jo 1:1-3 - Implications of the Incarnation