1 John 2: Don’t Sin, But If You Do

Today’s reading is 1 John 2.

At the end of our first chapter, John explained if we claim we don’t sin and haven’t sinned, we’re lying. In other words, those who walk in the light sin. Which brings up an immediate concern. Is John saying we’re just allowed to sin? John anticipates.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

1 John 2:1a (ESV)

Don’t sin, says John. Don’t commit any sins. Don’t commit favorite sins. Don’t commit big sins. Don’t commit small sins. Don’t commit grievous sins. Don’t commit minor sins. Don’t pick and choose sins. Don’t think because you’ve stopped some sins, other sins are okay. Don’t think because you haven’t sinned for a certain period of time, sinning now is allowed. Don’t sin.

Now, allow me to share something with you from my own experience. If you’ve never really tried to not sin, you are in for a rude awakening. The moment you take up the commitment to not sin, you’ll discover what a truly rotten sinner you are. I promise you, if you’ve never tried to not sin, and I mean not sin at all, you probably think you’re not that bad of a person. You probably think you’re alright because you haven’t committed the biggies like Hitler, Stalin, Manson, and Dahmer. But the moment you start really trying to tackle all your sinning, you’ll discover you sin much more than you knew. When we flit through life not worrying about sin, we don’t pay attention enough to recognize our anger, slander, gossip, pride, malice, lying, cheating, lusting, etc. But take up arms against these things, committing to completely cut them off, and you are in for the fight of your life.

And you will fall. Oh, how you will fall. What then? John anticipates again.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 2:1b (ESV)

Don’t sin. But if you do, don’t throw in the towel. Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Take up arms again and fight with every fiber of your being against sin. Why? Because we have an advocate with our Father: the righteous Jesus Christ.

The word translated “advocate” is the same word used of the Holy Spirit in John 14:16, 26, 15:26; 16:7. It can also be translated Comforter, Helper, Counselor, Supporter, Encourager. It means someone who is called alongside. It can refer to someone who comes alongside materially to support and share burdens, someone who comes alongside emotionally to encourage and comfort, or someone who comes alongside legally to plead the case for. Since ESV uses “Advocate” in 1 John 2:1, we readily think of that legal meaning. If we sin, Jesus will plead our case before the Father so we will have forgiveness. This explanation provides true information, but is that the limit of John’s point?

John has already told us if we confess sin, we’ll be forgiven. Is he merely giving us the mechanics now? Or is he providing an even better point. What if instead of “Advocate” we read, “If anyone does sin, we have a Helper, an Encourager, a Supporter”? Instead of seeing it as a legal-representation statement, we might see it as a burden-bearing statement. When we sin, our weakness comes to the surface. Instead of giving up because we are weak, we call a Helper to come alongside us. Not just any helper, a helper who is with the Father. Who else will provide greater help in the battle against sin than the sinless, righteous Jesus who is at the right hand of the Father?

In other words, John’s point is not: Don’t sin, but if you do, no biggie, Jesus will forgive you. His point is: Don’t sin, but when you do, don’t give up, rely on Jesus more.

Praise the Lord!

Today’s reading is 1 John 2.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does 1 John 2 prompt or improve your praise of God?

1 John 1: If We Confess

Today’s reading is 1 John 1.

Read carefully what John says in 1 John 1:8-10:

If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Clearly, the first and last statements in this triplet go together, forming an inclusio around and a contrast with the rhetorically emphasized middle statement. We must not pull that middle statement out, stripping it of its place in the triplet, developing theories and ritualistic practices based on the statement alone as if it was presented in a vacuum. When John talks of confessing our sins here, he is not revealing a ritual by which we gain absolution for a particular legal code infraction. Rather, he foregrounds the opposite of the surrounding statements.

John contrasts confessing sin with denying sin. In other words, in this passage, “confessing sin” does not refer to a prayer by which we mention a particular legal infraction to God so He will mark it off our ledger. It certainly doesn’t refer to mentioning a specific legal infraction to anyone else (neither priest, clergy, discipler, prayer partner, or simple Christian) in order to receive absolution for it. The term translated “confess” literally means to say the same thing as or say the same words, to speak alongside. In the context, confession here means to say the same thing as God does about sin.

Consider the contrast further to see this is so. The person who says he has no sin, lies to himself and has no truth in him. Additionally, the person who says she has not sinned, makes God a liar and God’s Word is not in her. That is, the person who denies having sinned does not say the same thing as God about sins, but patently says the opposite of what God says. Most certainly, these outer statements are not talking about particular legal infractions. Many people can speak of particular infractions and declare, “I don’t have that sin. I’ve never committed that sin.” For instance, many can claim, “I’ve never murdered.” But other than Jesus, no one can claim, “I have no sin.” This drives home, the middle statement isn’t talking about admitting to particular infractions so they can be forgiven. The middle statement is declaring we must confess we are sinners. We must confess our sinning. We must say the same thing God does about our sin. As the tax collector did, in contrast to the Pharisee, we must honestly and humbly admit we are in need of mercy because we are sinners (see Luke 18:9-14).

Certainly, if a person never committed any sins, that person would be walking in the light. But only Jesus has pulled that off. For the rest of us, walking in the light does not actually mean walking perfectly. Rather, it means letting the light of Jesus’s walk expose our sin. It then means being honest about what is exposed. It means saying what God says about what is exposed. If we do say what God does about our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Praise the Lord!

Please, understand two very important points.

First, I’m not saying we don’t need to mention specific sins and seek forgiveness from God in prayer. Proverbs 28:13 still stands: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (ESV). Additionally, the benefit of speaking of particular sins to God goes far beyond simply receiving forgiveness for particular infractions. We bring our sins to God to gain strength in the battle against them. In fact, as James encourages us, spiritual growth and victory come from talking to one another about our sins and praying with one another to God about them (James 5:14-16).

Second, remember what we learned yesterday. John does not give us permission to sin and certainly not permission to pursue sin. If we think this through, we wouldn’t remotely fear this teaching gives permission to sin. After all, do you think any of us will be able to honestly and truthfully say what God does about our sins and still want to commit them? Of course not. If we truthfully and honestly say what God does about our sins, we will want to take up arms against them and cast those sins away. We will want to take up arms against the tempter and drive him from us. We will want to beg and plead for God to bring His strength into our lives and drive the adversary and all His temptations away from us. No one saying what God does about sin will ignore sin or flippantly pursue it.

Will you step into the light of Jesus? Will you let His light expose your sin for what it is? Will you learn what He says about your sin? Will you say what He does about it? Can we help you do so? Let us know in the comments below.

Next week’s reading is 1 John 2.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from 1 John 1?

John 21: When Your Worst Sin Happened After You Became a Disciple

Today’s reading is John 21.

The final words of John 20 sure seemed like the wrap up to the book. But in good author fashion, John provides a postscript, an epilogue, an afterword. You might think of it as an after credits scene. He tells us of one more sign from Jesus, but this scene is all about Peter.

In a masterful stroke, Jesus arranged the scene to call to mind some of the most important days in Peter’s life. First, Peter has decided to go fishing. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be seen as a return to his former way of life or if it is just a person who is confused reverting back to what is comfortable. But, he’s fishing for fish, not men. This was his life before Jesus. Jesus recreates the miraculous catch by which He first called Peter as seen in Luke 5:1-11. It was the day Peter had told Jesus to depart because Peter knew he was a sinful man. It was the day Jesus called Peter to fish for men.

After the catch, the men come to shore and find Jesus at a charcoal fire with fish and bread on it. Two scenes are captured in one. Jesus provides a meal for the men reminiscent of the miraculous meal of John 5 with the bread and fishes. That was the event when Peter had confessed Jesus had the words of life, was the Holy One of God, and there was no other place to turn (John 6:68-69). At the same time, Jesus is cooking the meal on a charcoal fire. That wouldn’t be a big deal except this particular word for fire is only used in two places in the whole Bible: here and the fire around which Peter warmed his hands when he denied Jesus three times in John 18:18.

This entire scene is set up for Peter. And what a terrible place Peter must have been in. Can you imagine? He had given his allegiance to Jesus years earlier. At the time, he thought he knew what he was doing. He even declared what a sinner he was. But Peter’s worst sin came after he had been a disciple of Christ for a couple years. And in that moment, he realized he hadn’t understood precisely what it meant to follow Jesus. He hadn’t really known what it meant be a sinful man until the denials. At least, that is what it no doubt felt like.

Have you been there? I became a disciple as a teenager. I knew I was a sinner at the time. But I had no idea how much of a sinner I could be. Sure, I had lied, but I hadn’t had anything truly big to lie about. I didn’t really understand lust, I wasn’t old enough to. I wasn’t married and didn’t have kids. I didn’t know what it was like to hurt or betray the people I loved most. All of that came after I was a Christian. Additionally, I lived at home, with people encouraging me to serve the Lord. I didn’t know what it was like to really have an opportunity to betray the Lord until later. How many people have been in the same boat?

The fact is, most of us, like Peter, will commit our worst sins after we become disciples of Jesus. It doesn’t mean we aren’t actually disciples. And, praise God, it doesn’t mean Jesus will give up on us. This entire chapter is Jesus’s powerful means of drawing Peter back, of comforting him over his guilt and shame, of recommissioning him with work in the kingdom.

Committing your worst sins after you are a disciple doesn’t mean you have to get baptized again because the first one didn’t count. It means you’re pretty normal. In fact, it is only as we get to know Jesus more and more that we will learn how truly awful our sins are. It stands to reason they will cause us more pain after we are disciples.

Now, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying sins after becoming a disciple don’t matter. Peter’s sin mattered. Those sins cost the death of Jesus as much as any other. But Peter was a disciple. He didn’t have to give up. He simply needed to lean in. He needed to grab hold of Jesus and follow Him. And that is precisely what He did. You can too.

Tomorrow’s reading is John 21.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does John 21 prompt or improve your praise of God?

John 13: The Devil Made Me Do It

Today’s reading is John 13.

The disciples are gathered for dinner with Jesus before the Feast of Passover. It’s going to be a big night all the way around. But already as the night begins, John tells us, “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him…” (John 13:2, ESV). Judas already had the plan set. We must see this here, because in John 13:27, John told us after Jesus gave Judas a dipped morsel of bread, “Satan entered him.” Which is it? Was it in his heart at the beginning of the evening or did Satan enter him at the end?

These are odd statements, but comparing them and their timing, we realize John is not suggesting Satan possessed Judas against his will. Judas is not a case of demon possession. John speaks metaphorically. These statements are like when Jesus spoke to Peter in Matthew 16:23, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” (ESV). As Peter had been influenced by Satan such that Jesus talking to Peter would even name Satan, Judas has been influenced. John describes it as Satan putting it in his heart and also as Satan entering him.

If nothing else, we at least learn from John’s description Judas was not doing the prescribed will of God. That is, Judas was not obeying God as some with novelty try to suggest. He was obeying the adversary. Yes, God weaved this sin into His plan and providence, but Judas was not on God’s side when he betrayed Jesus.

At the same time, noticing how these two statements about Satan and Judas compare, we cannot use them to justify our own sinning. “It’s not my fault. The devil made me do it.” Yes, the devil influences us. Yes, we might even at times be so committed to the devil someone could describe it as Satan entering us and dwelling in us. But our sins are our choices. When Satan wants to put things in our heart, we can always refuse. When he knocks on the door of our heart trying to enter, we can always keep the door locked.

To summarize the point of all this in two points. 1) Let us never think we are so strong we are beyond the influence of the enemy. 2) Let us never think we are so weak we can blame the devil for our sin. Instead, let us rely on Jesus all the way.

Tomorrow’s reading is John 13.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does John 13 prompt or improve your praise of God?