The Presence of Sin and the Importance of Understanding It
Notes
Transcript
There are two verses here that John uses a phrase to indicate a certain misunderstanding that is held in the church that he is writing to. “If we say…” We covered one of the three times this is used in chapter 1 of 1 John. What a person says reveals a great deal of what is going on inside their mind and their heart. In this case, there is a great misunderstanding regarding the presence of sin. This morning I want to talk about what we should know about the presence of sin and why we should understand it.
Read 1 John 1:8-10
Know what sin is
Know what sin is
The first question that I ask when I read verse 8 is, “Why would a person say that they have no sin?” The answer to this question is important because it points out one of two issues in a person’s life. The first reason a person may say that they have no sin is because they are ignorant of what sin is in the first place. A good comparison would be for a person stating that they have no money, despite the fact that they have many stock holdings or lots of real estate. They aren’t aware exactly of what wealth is defined as. In the same way, I could envision a person who does not believe in God to state that they have no sin because they do not know what sin is according to God.
This is one of the many many reasons why we emphasize the importance of a person reading their bible on a regular basis. Of the many benefits of a person reading God’s Word is that they know what is expected of them. For instance, last week’s sermon revolved around the fact that a person cannot walk in the presence of sin habit and also remain in fellowship with God. It cannot happen.
I won’t go through and list the many passages of scripture that discuss sin but I hope my preaching over the years has pointed out the areas that do address how we should think and what we should do. As we continue to grow in Christ, our desire to know Him increases and so does the desire to know what He expects of His people.
The second reason a person would state that they have no sin leads into the second point.
Know it exists
Know it exists
The second reason a person might say that they have no sin is an attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the person that they are saying this to. It is foolish to attempt this because any person that wasn’t born yesterday knows that is false.
One reason why people fear talking to me or other people in their lives about sin is because they fear there will be a response of shock and disappointment. The truth is that I’ve lived enough life to know that there is nothing that can shock me when sin is concerned.
If we freely admit that we do sin and that it happens in our lives, we are able to move forward and accept the way that God intends on handling sin. Which leads directs us to verse 9 and the third point.
Know that forgiveness exists
Know that forgiveness exists
The forgiveness of God is a significant aspect of the beauty of the gospel! But please keep in mind that this statement on God’s forgiveness is conditional. We must first confess these sins to Him before forgiveness is given to us.
The condition that our forgiveness stands is confession but we need to focus on what exactly this means. You've heard me in the past talk about the fact that a confession is not always tied to admittance of sins. Yet, it is interesting that the confession of sin is only addressed four times in the New Testament. We can look back to Matthew 16 where Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God. This confession serves as a proclamation about what He believes.
In the same way, when we confess our sins to God, we are admitting our wrong doing to Him. Along these same lines, it is helpful to notice that it is a confession of “our” sins. I consider this helpful both from an individual standpoint of taking an ownership as well as a congregational standpoint. A prayer of corporate confession takes place in Nehemiah 1, which Mrs. Glenda read for us to begin our service, where Nehemiah declares on behalf of the people of God that they sinned.
We also need to remember that confession of sin must come from a place of sincerity. This isn’t just an admission but ought to be filled with sorrow if we are viewing sin against a holy God through the right lens. Consider parts of Psalm 51, which takes place after David is confronted by Nathan the Prophet. “Against you, you only, have I sinned; Create in me a clean heart, O God; Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.”
The character of God is described here to further remind us of the way that God forgives. First, He is faithful to forgive. He doesn’t place it on a to-do list and then forget about it. Rather, God is faithful to fulfill the providence of forgiveness. Just as a renter who is always on time with the right amount, God is faithful to forgive when the conditions that He has laid out are ment.
The second way that God’s character is mentioned to describe the level of forgiveness is because He is just or righteous. This seems to be odd to the person who understands the extent of sin in our lives and an understanding that “the wages of sin is death”. Based on this verse in Romans, we should think initially that the just way to handle sinners would be to banish them to eternal death. But we are told in John 3 that God had such a love for the world that He sent His son to die for their sins that they might not be condemned but be delivered from their sin. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead, God is now just to forgive of those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
When we talk about sin in the bible, we must always point back to the forgiveness that is available. We should know that forgiveness is available but we should also
Know the extent of forgiveness
Know the extent of forgiveness
You’ll notice that John says “all” unrighteousness rather than “most” or “some” unrighteousness. This is a difficult point for some people to overcome when they think about the sin that is in the depths of their heart. “Yes but you don’t know what I’ve done.” It doesn’t matter. Is your confession sincere? Are you repenting of that sin and turning away from it? Then God is faithful and just to cleanse of ALL unrighteousness! The depths of His forgiveness knows no end in terms of either the amount that we have sinned or the size of the individual sin. Whether it be a white lie or mass murder, the blood of Jesus covers it all… if we will confess it.
Finally,
Know that acknowledgement and confession of sin and forgiveness is proof of salvation
Know that acknowledgement and confession of sin and forgiveness is proof of salvation
If we are willing to confess our sins to God, this is proof of the opposite of what is said in verse 10: the truth is in us. I did some writing last year on the assurance of salvation. One way that we should be assured, or certain, that we have been saved is the fact that we continue to feel conviction and that we continually confess these things to God.
If this takes place, the word is in us. However, if confession is not a regular habit, then you should consider whether or not you have been saved. If you’re here this morning and seem to be on the fence, this is my plea to you that you will give your life to Him. He has sent His son to this earth that you might have forgiveness of sin and that His word might be in you!
Pray
Know what sin is
Know it exists
Know forgiveness exists
Know the extent of forgiveness
Know that acknowledgement of sin and forgiveness is proof of salvation