The biggest problem in the Christian life...in fact in all of history...is sin. We say a great deal about victory in Christ, and being dead to sin, and newness of life (wonderful truths), but we must be careful not to let our guard down regarding sin. A myth is emerging that--once we become Christians--we no longer sin. This would suggest that resisting sin is natural, maybe even automatic, for believers. This sets us up for severe failure and disappointment, because it is NOT TRUE that we do not sin! (See Paul's admission of helplessness against sin in Rom. 7:13-25.)
We sin because we have, residing within each of us, a sinful nature (and your name is on the one inside of you) that cooperates with the world and Satan, dragging us into sin. Sin is a hair-trigger phenomenon that happens quickly, often unobtrusively. What we will learn in the future is how easy it is to sin: Thoughts, words, and actions whirl through our lives and selves at blinding speed, and unsuspecting or untrained believers have no strength or assets to stop them.
Ways for fighting sin will receive full treatment in upcoming messages, when we will see how to deal with sin before it happens. Eventually, we will get into specific sins, and see how springloaded and primed these sins are...how hard it is for us not to slip. For now, though, we want to see what to do after sin has already taken place. We must find God's way to get our sins forgiven, to stay in "good graces" with Him.
1 Jn. 1:8-10 gives us the answer. Verse 8 tells us, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Verse 10 fleshes this out by saying, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives." John is talking to believers. As children of God, we still sin...there's no denying it...so God has provided a solution for us.
1 Jn. 1:9 resolves it, giving us a method for clearing our accounts with God. This verse says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We must honestly face and humbly ADMIT our sins to God, as specifically as we can remember them. This will remove all the sins we have committed...as believers...and will restore our fellowship with Him, so we can do all the other things He makes available that allow us to get closer to Him, mature, and share His love with each other and with the world.
So what happens if we don't confess our sins? Hint: See Heb. 12:5-6. We will look at this and other things as we progress through future studies. If you want to take a shortcut, download the first book.
We sin because we have, residing within each of us, a sinful nature (and your name is on the one inside of you) that cooperates with the world and Satan, dragging us into sin. Sin is a hair-trigger phenomenon that happens quickly, often unobtrusively. What we will learn in the future is how easy it is to sin: Thoughts, words, and actions whirl through our lives and selves at blinding speed, and unsuspecting or untrained believers have no strength or assets to stop them.
Ways for fighting sin will receive full treatment in upcoming messages, when we will see how to deal with sin before it happens. Eventually, we will get into specific sins, and see how springloaded and primed these sins are...how hard it is for us not to slip. For now, though, we want to see what to do after sin has already taken place. We must find God's way to get our sins forgiven, to stay in "good graces" with Him.
1 Jn. 1:8-10 gives us the answer. Verse 8 tells us, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Verse 10 fleshes this out by saying, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives." John is talking to believers. As children of God, we still sin...there's no denying it...so God has provided a solution for us.
1 Jn. 1:9 resolves it, giving us a method for clearing our accounts with God. This verse says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We must honestly face and humbly ADMIT our sins to God, as specifically as we can remember them. This will remove all the sins we have committed...as believers...and will restore our fellowship with Him, so we can do all the other things He makes available that allow us to get closer to Him, mature, and share His love with each other and with the world.
So what happens if we don't confess our sins? Hint: See Heb. 12:5-6. We will look at this and other things as we progress through future studies. If you want to take a shortcut, download the first book.
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