BIBLE STUDY MANUALS: 1 JOHN CHAPTER 1, BEING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

BEING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD:

1 JOHN CHAPTER 1

OBSERVATION STAGE

The purpose of the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the normative rules of language, context and logic .which limits the observer to the content offered by the letter of I John. This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.

Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.

I) [1 Jn 1:1 NIV]:

"That which was from the beginning, which we [the Apostles] have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed intently at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the word of Life."

A) THE VERSE PORTRAYS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS THE EMBODIMENT OF ETERNAL LIFE

1) "THAT WHICH" IS NEUTER AND IMPERSONAL POINTING TO THE CONCEPT OF THE WORD OF LIFE

"That which" rendered from the Greek "ho" a relative pronoun, singular, in the neuter gender points to a concept which is described as "the word of Life".

2) BEING HEARD, SEEN, GAZED INTENTLY UPON, TOUCHED AND NAMED "THE WORD OF LIFE" POINTS TO A PERSON

"Which we have gazed intently upon." =

The phrase "gazed intently upon" = "etheasametha" is from the Greek verb "theaomai" = "to look intently upon" from which we get our English word theater. The theater is a place where you sit and look, not just with a passing glance but with a gaze - a steady gaze for a couple of hours. John is saying that they gazed intently upon "that which" = a person. This Greek word "etheasametha" can mean "careful regard", but since this word follows another word meaning nearly the same thing, i.e., the word "seen," we must conclude that this second word signifies the more intensive meaning, "gazed intently upon".

So the deliberate use of the impersonal neuter relative pronoun points to the concept, "the word of life"; yet we also have that which is heard, seen, gazed intently upon, touched and named "the Word of life" as if "that which" were a Person.

Furthermore, verses 2 & 3 describe "that which" to be the Son of the Father, Jesus Christ, Who was with the Father, and was manifested as a human and named "Eternal Life", (v. 2)"

So the impersonal neuter relative pronoun combined with the personal comments of being heard, seen, gazed intently upon, physically touched and named "the Word of life" combine to portray an individual Who is the embodiment of "the word of life", i.e., eternal life personified.

B) "FROM THE BEGINNING" = FROM THE TIME WHEN JESUS CHRIST WAS SEEN, GAZED INTENTLY UPON, TOUCHED AND DEMONSTRATED BY HIS ACTIONS THAT HE WAS THE WORD OF LIFE IS IN VIEW

The phrases, "which we have heard... seen with our eyes.... gazed intently upon... hands have handled" point to the time frame in which the phrase "from the beginnning" has in view. In other words it points to the time when Jesus Christ was on the earth in His humanity demonstrating to others that He was the embodiment, i.e., the manifestation and essence of eternal life when "we have heard...have seen.... have gazed intently upon... hands have touched" Him.

C) THE "WE" REFERS TO THOSE WHO PERSONALLY WERE WITH JESUS CHRIST FROM THE BEGINNING WHEN HE WAS IN THE FLESH AS THE EMBODIMENT OF ETERNAL LIFE

"Which we have heard... seen... gazed intently upon... and our hands have touched" =

Notice the "we" refers to the author and a group of individuals who actually heard, saw and gazed intently upon "the word of Life" and handled Him with their hands.

It is evident that the author John and others with him testify to a time from "the beginning" when they observed Jesus Christ, heard Him speak, gazed upon Him intently, touched Him with their hands with the understanding that He was the embodiment of eternal life - the author and sustainer of life, eternal life. Considering the evidence that the author was the Apostle John and that he is referring to those with whom he had fellowship with, we can infer that the "we" refers to himself and the apostolic circle of witnesses who traveled with Jesus Christ when He was on the earth in His incarnation.

D) "CONCERNING THE WORD OF LIFE" POINTS TO THE MESSAGE ABOUT LIFE, MORE SPECIFICALLY ETERNAL LIFE

"concerning the word of Life" =

The focus here relative to life, is eternal life which is expressly stipulated in verse 2:

1) [Compare 1 Jn 1:2]:

"and the Life was manifested, and we [Apostles] have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us"

I cont.) [1 Jn 1:1 NIV]:

E) AUTHOR JOHN IS MAKING A PROCLAMATION CONCERNING THE WORD OF LIFE

"this we proclaim concerning the word of Life." =

The subject here then is concerning the word of Life, Jesus Christ.

The proclamation is that the word of Life, Jesus Christ has been heard and seen, was gazed intently upon and touched with ones hands by author John and fellow Apostles. In other words, they had an ongoing personal fellowship with the Son of God.

II) [1 Jn 1:1-2 N.A.S.]:

(v. 1) "That which was from the beginning, which we [the Apostles] have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have gazed intently at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the word of Life.

(v. 2) and the Life was manifested, and we [Apostles] have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us"

A) "AND [INDEED] THE LIFE WAS MANIFESTED" =

The word "and" [= "kai"] joins verses one and two in an emphatic way as if to say, "and indeed". Verse two repeats the concept that the apostles "have seen, and bear witness" to the word of eternal life. This repetition makes what is said emphatic.

B) "THE LIFE WAS MANIFESTED" =

And indeed the word of eternal life was manifested, i.e., became incarnate. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ was made manifest in the flesh - disclosed - brought out into the open for man so that God Who is eternal Life may be "heard" and "seen" and "gazed upon" and "touched", (v. 1).

C) "WE HAVE SEEN AND BEAR WITNESS" =

John wrote this letter to fellow believers: (ref. v. 2:1), about Jesus Christ to bear witness and proclaim to believers that He truly is Eternal Life Who was with the Father in heaven and then was manifested in the flesh to John and fellow Apostles.

D) "AND WE APOSTLES BEAR WITNESS AND PROCLAIM TO YOU BELIEVERS THE ETERNAL LIFE" =

Author John and fellow Apostles not only bear witness to having seen, heard, gazed upon and touched the word of Life, Jesus Christ, but they proclaim, i.e., declare Him to fellow believers that He is eternal life.

A person may receive eternal life but only God can BE "Eternal Life". Jesus Christ Who is "Eternal Life" is God Himself and is declared by the Apsotles to believers that He is eternal life.

E) "THE ETERNAL LIFE WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER"

"was with the Father" = "was" = "en " = past imperfect = Jesus continually & thus eternally was with God the Father before His appearing before the disciples and mankind. The verb form "en" = "was" that God the Holy Spirit inspired John to use here defines a continuous existence in the past = a declaration of the eternality of our Lord, an attribute reserved only for God. Therefore Jesus Christ is God.

F) "THE ETERNAL LIFE WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER" =

"with" = "pros" = literally, face to face on an intimate and equal relationship with God the Father. Only God can have such an intimacy and equality with God the Father, again indicating that Jesus Christ is God.

G) "THE ETERNAL LIFE WHICH WAS WITH THE FATHER AND WAS MANIFESTED" TO THE APOSTLES =

Notice that the eternal Life, Jesus Christ was made manifest to the world and specifically in this verse to the Apostles for a particular reason which is explained as the passage unfolds. Notice that the sentence begun in verse 1 carries through verse 2 and continues to verse 3.

IV) [1 Jn 1:2-3 N.A.S.]:

(v. 2) "and the Life [Jesus Christ] was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the Eternal Life [Jesus Christ], Who was with the Father and was manifested to us

(v. 3) Who we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also [through this letter], that you also may have fellowship [with the Father and His Son] with us; and indeed [that you may have] our fellowship [which] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

A) "WHO THE APOSTLES HAVE SEEN AND HEARD", I.E., JESUS CHRIST, IS DECLARED TO BELIEVERS

"Who" = "hO" = nominative, (= subject), singular, masculine, relative pronoun = Who = The incarnate Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice by the personal pronoun, that it is indeed a Person that author John is referring to throughout this letter.

B) SEEING AND HEARING JESUS CHRIST IS THE FOCUS OF WHAT IS DECLARED TO THE BELIEVERS

"Who we have seen and heard" =

Of the four ways in which the Apostles experienced Jesus Christ first hand in verse 1, i.e., "have heard", "have seen", "gazed intently upon", and "hands have touched" Him; "have heard" and "have seen" are in the Greek ongoing type perfect tense and thus point to a capacity of other believers also being able to share in this experience. The latter two, "gazed intently upon" and "hands have touched" are in the once for all time completed action aorist tense verbs which points to one time personal experiences which are not capable of being experienced by believers.

B) JESUS CHRIST IS PROCLAIMED SO THAT BELIEVERS MAY HAVE THE SAME FELLOWSHIP THAT THE APOSTLES HAVE WITH GOD THE FATHER AND HIS SON

"that you [believers] also may have fellowship [with the Father and His Son] with us [Apostles]; and indeed [that you may also have] our fellowship [which] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." =

The purpose of proclaiming, i.e., declaring Jesus Christ to believers is so that they may have the same fellowship that John the Apostles have with the Father and His Son.

This is repeated for emphasis: "and indeed" all believers may have the fellowship that the Apostles have with the Father and His Son.

Notice that having fellowship with John and the Apostles themselves is not in view; but believers having the fellowship with the Father and His Son which John and the Apostles have, is. To have fellowship with John and the Apostles would be an impractical goal due to different times and geography within which believers lived.

V) [1 Jn 1:3-4]:

(v. 3) "Who we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also [proclaim to you through this letter], that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed [that you may also have] our fellowship [which] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

(v. 4) And these things we write, so that your joy may be made complete."

A) JOHN WRITES TO BELIEVERS INFORMING THEM HOW TO MAKE THEIR JOY COMPLETE VIA MAINTAINING FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

"And these things we write, so that your joy may be made complete." =

John writes this epistle so that the believer can be instructed as to how to have fellowship with the Apostles and with the Father and His Son so that their joy may be made complete.

1) "YOUR JOY" REFERS TO THE BELIEVERS WHOM JOHN IS ADDRESSING

"so that your joy may be made complete" =

Many ancient texts have "your" = "emon", genitive case, (possessive), 2nd pers. plural personal pronoun which makes the best rendering, (rather than "our"). John & the Apostles' purpose is stated in this passage as providing the information in writing to believers so that fellow believers may have fellowship with the Father and His Son. Thus, like the Apostles, fellow believers may also have their "joy....made complete" by experiencing this fellowship. It makes much better sense that the purpose of 'First John' is so that the reader's joy be made complete as a result of their learning to have fellowship with God rather than that the Apostles' joy be made complete, since John and the Apostles would not always be aware of all those who have read his letter and come into fellowship with God.

The KJV Bible renders it "your", the NIV footnotes "your", the NAS and NIV render it "our" and the Amplified Bible renders it both ways.

VI) [1 Jn 1:3-5]:

(v. 3) "Who we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

(v. 4) And these things we write, so that your joy may be made complete.

(v. 5) And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all"

A) AND WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE MESSAGE OF HOW TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD SO THAT THE BELIEVER'S JOY MAY BE MADE COMPLETE

"And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you" =

This refers to the particular message in this epistle concerning the "word of Life," Jesus Christ, (v. 1); Who is "Eternal Life" Himself, (v. 2); Who is proclaimed to the world so that one may have fellowship with "the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.", (v. 3). So what follows is the announcement of the message which was heard from Jesus Christ on how to have fellowship with the Apostles and the Father and His Son.

B) FIRST COMES THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ABSOLUTE HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WITH WHOM WE ARE TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH

"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" =

Since this passage indicates that believers must deal with their sins before God in order to maintain fellowship with Him, we can say that the word "light" here refers to the absolute holiness and righteousness of Gdo and the word "darkness" refers to sin and unrighteousness.

C) ALL MEN EVEN BELIEVERS ARE INHERENTLY DARK, I.E., EVIL, AND THUS ARE INCAPABLE OF BEING IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" =

Since God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, then to have fellowship with Him one must be as perfect as He is. God cannot have fellowship with someone who is walking in darkness. Implied here is that all men are inherently in darkness even believers. So God cannot have an association of fellowship with men, even believers.

VII) [1 Jn 1:5-6]:

(v. 5) "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

(v. 6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."

A) MEN SAY THEY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD YET THEY INHERENTLY WALK IN DARKNESS

"If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth" =

If we consider the fact that all men, even believers are inherently evil and incapable in and of themselves of having fellowship with God,

then when an individual says he has fellowship with God under his own effort, yet walks in darkness, i.e., does not acknowledge his inherent, evil condition before God,

then he lies and does not practice the truth.

The point is that men do claim to have fellowship with God on the basis of their ability and actions, yet they inherently walk in darkness as all of us constantly do out of expression of our inherent sin nature - even believers. So our claim is a lie and we do not practice the truth.

B) EVEN BELIEVERS ARE INHERENTLY EVIL AND WHEN THEY DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS, THEY LIE AND DO NOT PRACTICE THE TRUTH

There are many who say that they no longer sin - or sin so rarely that it almost does not count. So they say that they are constantly in fellowship with God, meeting His approval with their behavior.

VIII) [1 Jn 1:5-7]:

(v. 5 ) "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

(v. 6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

(v. 7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

A) WHEN BELIEVERS WALK IN THE LIGHT, I.E., PURPOSELY EXPOSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR SINS IN THE LIGHT OF GOD'S HOLINESS, THEY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

"But if we [believers] walk in the light as He Himself is in the light." =

But when the individual believer walks in the light by letting God's light shine on him, exposing his own darkness and thus admitting to it to God. Then he can have fellowship with God.

It has already been stipulated that even a faithful believer cannot walk according to God's light. To walk according to the light, would be to walk in sinless perfection. This would be impossible for the believer to do considering his intrinsic sin nature; so the subject of the book of 1 John would be an academic and futile one.

A believer cannot truly walk in sinless perfection. What John is saying in verse 7 is that "God is light; in Him there is no darkness [sin] at all." (v.6); and so the believer is to focus his mentality on the absolute perfection of God.

VIII cont.) [1 Jn 1:5-7 cont.]:

(v. 5 ) "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

(v. 6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

(v. 7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

B) BUT IF WE BELIEVERS WALK IN THE LIGHT AS GOD IS IN THE LIGHT

Notice the key conjunction in: "If we believers walk in the light". Since believers cannot walk according to the light of God's absolute holiness there must be a provision for man to account for his sinfulness. The solution for man is to walk in the light of God's holiness so that his sins are brought to light and he can thus acknowledge his shortcomings.

C) BUT IF WE BELIEVERS WALK IN THE LIGHT AS GOD IS IN THE LIGHT WE - GOD AND THE BELIEVERS - HAVE FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH ANOTHER

"we have fellowship One with another" =

Verse 6 says, "If we [believers] claim to have fellowship with Him [God] yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." Verse 7 therefore continues with the subject of how God and the believer can "have fellowship One with another".

"One with another" = "allelon" = God and the believer

The Greek pronoun "allelon" is a reciprocal pronoun meaning 'One with another' or each other. It refers back to the two subjects in verse 6: God and "we" believers.

D) BELIEVERS WHO WALK IN THE LIGHT, I.E., PURPOSELY EXPOSE AND ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR SINS TO GOD, THEY HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD BECAUSE THE BLOOD OF HIS SON JESUS CLEANSES THEM FROM ALL SIN

"and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." =

Because the believer has appropriated what our Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross through his, the believer's, once for all time act of faith in Christ as Savior, then that believer has available to him a cleansing - a payment of the penalty - for his sins relative to eternal life and relative to temporal life. (Temporal sins = the day to day sins of the believer which take him out of fellowship with God but not out of eternal life). A believer can have fellowship with God because of what God the Son did on the cross. God could not cleanse a believer from his temporal sins without a penalty having already been paid and thereby satisfying God's Holiness and Justice. God cannot just forgive and cleanse a man of his sin without exacting a payment for those transgressions. That would be letting the man get away with doing evil. So it is the literal blood of Jesus Christ which was shed for the believer which provides the means by which God can continually cleanse the confessing believer from his sin and continually bring that believer back into fellowship with Himself. Just as salvation is not accomplished by anything a person thinks, says or does; so fellowship is not accomplished by anything a person does either - just an acknowledgment, an acceptance of one's shortcomings, (1 Jn 1:9). It is all by the grace of God - all to His credit - to His exclusive glory. Just as God is justified in saving a believer unto eternal life because of what His Son did on the cross, so God is also justified in bringing a believer into fellowship with Himself because of the blood which was shed at Calvary. It is not the action of confessing one's sins which justifies God in bringing a child of His into fellowship with Himself but it is solely the work of His Son on the cross.

IX) [1 Jn 1:6-8]:

(v. 6) "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

(v. 7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

(v. 8) If we [believers] claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

A) BELIEVER CANNOT TRUTHFULLY CLAIM TO BE WITHOUT SIN OR ACTS OF SIN AT ANY TIME

"If we [believers] claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" =

The believer's dilemma to having fellowship with God is that even he cannot truthfully claim to be without a sin nature nor without acts of sin, for God has declared it otherwise.

Verse 8 of 1 John chapter 1 eradicates the second false way which men attempt to walk with God: Men claiming to be without sin.

"sin" = "hamartian" = sin, singular = the sin nature which commits acts of sin, (cp. Ro 7:17, 20-21).

This verse can be a startling one. If we believers thought that we were without sin for the moment, (i.e., had no sin nature which constantly expresses itself with sinful thoughts, words and deeds), then 1 John 1:8 refutes that thought. God says, through the words of the Apostle John, that believers who claim to be for a moment without sin are not telling the truth. "The truth is not in" them, they are actually deceiving themselves. A believer may not be conscious of sin in his life or having a sin nature which produces those acts of sin, but this does not indicate that there is a sinless condition. A believer who considers himself as not having sinned for a time is deceiving himself, his eyes are not on God's Word. He is neither walking in the light of God's holiness nor keeping his eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ through the careful examination of the Word of God.

[McGee, op. cit., p. 762]:

"Another method which is often used is an attempt to bring man up to God's level. They say that man has reached sinless perfection and that he is living on that very high plateau. Well, John deals with that approach. Listen to him -"

[Zane Hodges, op. cit., pp. 62-63]:

"There is danger here. When we are open before God and walking in true fellowship with the Father and the Son, we may not be conscious of the fact that we need continuous cleansing from 'the blood of Jesus Christ.' Therefore, we may be tempted to claim that we are free from all sin, at least for the moment. But the fact that we are not conscious of any sin does not mean that we do not have any. Our own deep-seated sinfulness guarantees that at no point in time - however long or short - may we rightly claim to 'have no sin."

[Footnote #5, p. 73]:

"Numerous commentators have claimed a special sense for the words 'we have no sin,' referring them to sin as a principle within us... or taking them as 'the equivalent of having a sinful character or disposition'... But this is clearly an overrefinement that goes against Johannine usage elsewhere. The Greek phrase echein hamartian occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in John's Gospel... In all these places, the obvious meaning seems to be to bear present guilt for some particular sin."

In fact, anyone who does make such a claim is a victim of self-deception: 'we deceive ourselves'. The apostle is obviously thinking those who really believe this claim about themselves, and not those who make the claim hypocritically. Someone has humorously suggested that if a man makes this claim, he does not deceive his wife, his children, or his friends - but only himself!

A sincere claim to sinlessness, even if intended to cover only a brief period of our experience, betrays the fact that 'the truth is not in us' in any effective or dynamic way. It would be a gratuitous mistake to think that the words 'the truth is not in us' indicate that the person in question is not saved. The apostle continues to use first person pronouns, 'we' and 'us', just as he has done from verse 5 on. The claims under consideration in verses 5-10 are ones that true Christians could make. Indeed, the claim made in this verse is precisely the type of claim a Christian might make if he was having the experience described in verse 7. We are warned, therefore, that even when we feel closest to God, we should remember that this closeness is not due to our being free of sin. Instead, as has been pointed out, only 'the blood of Jesus Christ' makes such closeness possible, since we are never at any time free from the taint of wickedness.

If 'the truth' has its proper effect upon us, if it is dynamically in control of our thinking, we will not fall into this trap. If we do fall into it, 'the truth is not in us' as an active and controlling force that shapes our thoughts and attitudes.'

[Zane Hodges, (B.K.C., op. cit., p. 885), states]:

'If Christians understand the truth that God's Word teaches about the depravity of the human heart, [cp Romans chapter 7] they know that just because they are not conscious of failure does not mean that they are free from it. If the truth is 'in' them as a controlling, motivating influence, this kind of self-deception will not take place. Whether someone claims to be 'without sin' for a brief period of time or claims it as a permanent attainment, the claim is false."

As a matter of fact, verse 10, which ends this section of 1 John, confirms that a believer cannot claim to be sinless even for a brief period of time at the risk of calling God a liar because of what God has said in His Word:

1) [Compare 1 Jn 1:10]:

"If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."

X) [1 Jn 1:9]:

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us these sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

A) IF WE BELIEVERS SHOULD CONFESS OUR KNOWN SINS, I.E., ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT SINS WE HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF COMMITTING

"If we confess our sins" =

"ean homologOmen ......tas ....hamartias hEmOn " =

"If ....we should confess the ....sins............our"

"If" = "ean" =

The Greek text indicates a third class if-then situation: if we believers are confess: maybe you will and maybe you won't say the same thing to God that He is saying to us about specific sins in our lives, i.e., that we have committed them.

"we should confess" = "homologomen" = present tense, active voice, subjunctive mood, second person plural. The confession or acknowledgment of one's sins is what the Greek word = "homologomen" means. Notice that the verb is in the subjunctive mood = objective possibility, maybe one wil and maybe one won't. Considering the fact that a believer cannot claim to be without sin at any moment, then constant present tense confession is in needed in order to maintain God's temporal forgiveness so as to remain in fellowship with Him in one's temporal life. The word literally means, 'we are saying the same thing':

"homologomen" = we believers are saying the same thing (that God the Holy Spirit has said to us - He has brought our sins to our attention) = we are confessing our sins:

"homo" = same

"logomen" = we say = This comes from the Greek verb ="lego" = to speak or to say.

[Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, by W.E. Vine, Revell Co, Old Tappan, N.J., 1981, p.224]:

"HOMOLOGEO, lit., to speak the same thing (homos, same, lego, to speak), to assent, accord, agree with,....... to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction, [which comes from God the Holy Spirit], 1 John 1:9..."

From 1 John verse 7 we have, "but if we walk in the light". Walking in the light in verse 7 is saying the same thing as "If we confess our sins.." in verse 9. The issue in the phrase in verse 7 of walking in the light is not a matter of walking with God through one's own effort. It is actually a matter of recognition of one's own depravity - of recognition of one's incompatibility with the Absolute Holiness and Righteousness of Christ. Walking in the light is not a matter of one's effort at all - and neither is confessing one's sins. Observe in 1 John 1:7 that the phrase is "but if we walk in the light" not 'but if we walkaccording to the light.'

In order to walk in the light, Christians are commanded to be discerning of what is right and what is wrong. This necessitates an earnest study of doctrines taught in the Bible and a constant acknowledgment to God when one does not conform to the standard of God's Holiness. This concept is stated in verse 9.

This confession is not a deed but an admission, an acceptance of guilt. And by this acceptance a believer is freed by God of ALL sin. ALL of the believer's daily sins up to the point of confession are completely cleansed. This is like salvation in that the cleansing we receive is by accepting our guilt and trusting in God to make it right. When salvation occurs, however, our sins are cleansed for all eternity by being promised a new nature - a new righteousness from Christ, (Rom 3:21-24). When confession of sin occurs in a believer, that believer's sins up to that moment are cleansed relative to now being placed back into fellowship with God - no longer under His discipline, (Hebrews 12:4-6) - no longer grieving the Holy Spirit with sin, (Eph 4:17-30).

B) GOD IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US BELIEVERS THESE CONFESSED SINS AND EVEN PURIFY US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

"He is faithful and just and will forgive us these sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

"He is faithful and just" = God "is faithful" because He is Who He is: Absolute Faithfulness. Examine God's Word and you will find 100% faithfulness in the fulfillment of prophecy and promises. Examine especially the unfathomable gift of the life of the Son of God faithfully dying on the cross and rising from the dead for our sins as promised. So much the more will God be faithful in forgiving His child of temporal sins.

"He is faithful and just", (cont.) = God "is just" = His justice is not impugned by forgiving the believer of his temporal sins because God Himself has already paid the penalty for those sins even before they were committed - both for eternal life and for temporal fellowship, (1 Jn 1:7; 2:2).

"and [God] will forgive us these sins" = Let's review verse 9 from the Greek text with respect to the word "these":

ean homologomen......... tas .hamartias emon

if ....we are confessing ...the sins ...........our

pistos ...estin .kai dikaios.....ina

faithful He is and righteous that

aphe ..................emon tas ...hamartiao

He may forgive us .....these sins

"these" = Most translations indicate that God will forgive us 'our' sins; but the Greek indicates that it is "these" sins which are being confessed that are referred to as being forgiven - there is no possessive "our" = in this part of the verse. So the correct rendering should be:

aphe ..................emon tas ...hamartiao

He may forgive us .....these sins

"and purify us from all unrighteousness." = the answer is that upon a believer's confession of his known sins - those sins which are brought to his attention by God the Holy Spirit - God then forgives that believer of those sins he has confessed; and furthermore, He purifies that believer from ALL of that believer's unrighteousness including those sins which he is not even aware of. The believer is then cleansed of temporal sins on the basis of what his Savior did for him on the cross. That believer, for the moment, is in fellowship with God, i.e., abiding in Christ until he violates a principle from God's Word again.

C) CONFESSION IS NOT A REQUIREMENT FOR SALVATION

[Zane Hodges, The Epistles of John, op. cit., p. 63]:

"It is hardly worth refuting the incredible view sometimes advanced that 1 John 1:9 is meant for the unsaved. Nowhere in the Johannine literature is 'confession of sin' given as a condition for having eternal life. Faith is the only condition John knows for this [cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 1 John 5:1, 12, 13; and passim]. Moreover, this view of the verse flies in the face of the first person plural that controls verses 5 to 10. See the discussion of the first person plural under verse 6.)"

SO CONFESS AND MOVE ON

D) CONFESSION OF THE BELIEVER OF HIS SINS DOES NOT REQUIRE AN EMOTIONAL REACTION SUCH AS FEELING SORRY

Incidentally, feeling sorry for ones sins may or may not accompany the "homologomen" = "confessing" of ones sins to God. According to His Word, all that God requires is that one acknowledge back to Him the sins that are brought to mind. The biblical kind of repentance which is the noun form of the Greek verb "metanoeo" = to repent, (cp Mt 3:2; Mk 6:12; Lk 17:3; Acts 2:38; 17:30), means to change ones mind about acknowledging that one does have shortcomings in ones life. This is to say that when one repents it is synonymous with one who is a believer acknowledging to God that he does continually fall short of the holiness of God, (cp Ro 7:19). Therefore the word which is translated "repent" in Scripture relative to salvation and temporal forgiveness of daily sins in ones life does not refer to feeling sorry for one's sins. The word "repentance" is translated from the Greek word "metanoias" which means a turn about, a deliberate change of mind resulting in a change of direction in thought. To repent is to turn from one's sin with respect to acknowledging that it is a problem in ones life which one needs God to deal with.

Vines, (Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, Revell Publishing, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1981, pp. 279-280), states:

"METANOEO, lit., to perceive afterwards (meta, after, implying change, noeo, to perceive; [comes from the Greek noun] nous, the mind, the seat of moral reflection), in contrast to pronoeo, to perceive beforehand, hence signifies to change one's mind or purpose..." ).

E) OLD TESTAMENT PROVISION OF CONFESSION FOR FORGIVENESS OF TEMPORAL SINS

Compare what David, a believer, states in Psalm 32:5:

1) [Ps 32:5]:

"I [David] acknowledged my sin to Thee,

And my iniquity did not hide;

I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'

And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin."

Note that old testament saints were saved unto eternal life in the same faith alone in Christ (the Messiah Savior) alone way except that they looked forward to the time of the cross, (ref. Ro 4:1; Jn 3:16; Heb 11:4, 13); whereas church age believers look back in time, (Eph 1:3-2:9). Fellowship with God for old testament believers came as a result of confession and practice of various acts such as stipulated under Mosaic Law, (cp Lev 4:3, 5:5; 5:15-19; Ex 30:19-21, 40:11-12, 30-31; Pr 28:13; Ps 32:5).

2) [Compare Lev 5:5-6]:

(v. 5) "When anyone is guilty in any of these ways [vv. 1-4], he must confess in what way he has sinned

(v. 6) and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin."

The sacrifice of a goat or a lamb under certain Mosaic Law provisions was meant to be a picture of an individual's acknowledgment to God of certain sins committed which then results in God's forgiveness of those 'confessed' sins:

3) [Lev 4:27-35]:

(v. 27) "Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty.

[i.e., becomes aware of his sin]

(v. 28) if his sin, which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed.

(v. 29) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering.

(v. 30) And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

(v. 31) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. thus the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

(v. 32) But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect.

(v. 33) And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt offering.

(v. 34) And the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar.

(v. 35) Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven."

4) [Compare Pr 28:13]:

"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."

F) CONFESSION UNTO FELLOWSHIP IS NOT PART OF WHAT A MAN MUST DO TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

Notice that verse 9 cannot be speaking of salvation unto eternal life since it requires an individual to confess particular sins on an ongoing basis. Recall that salvation is received on a once for all time act of faith alone in Christ alone as Savior. This results in an irreversible spiritual birth and an irrevocable promise of eternal life. There are no requirements of an individual other than a one time expression of faith in Christ and certainly no ongoing qualifiers built into God's plan of salvation, (Eph 2:8-9; 1:13-14; Ro 11:29).

XI) [1 Jn 1:10]:

"If we [believers] claim we have not sinned, we make Him [God] out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives."

A) THE "WE" HERE REFERS TO BELIEVERS

"If we" = If we believers = recall that this part of John's epistle was written exclusively to believers.

1) [Cp 1 Jn 2:1-2]:

(v. 1) "My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone [any one believer] sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;.

(v. 2) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world."

The above passage states that John is writing to those who are his "dear children" for whom is provided an Advocate with the Father whenever that child sins in order to successfully defend that child against receiving eternal condemnation - i.e., John is writing to believers. Unbelievers do not have an Advocate until they become believers.

B) BELIEVERS ARE PICTURED IN SCRIPTURE AS ABLE TO SIN BUT NOT ABLE TO LOSE THEIR SALVATION

"If we [believers] claim we have not sinned" =

1) [Eph 5:1-14]:

a) INTRODUCTION

Compare a passage from Ephesians chapter 5 which verifies the possibility of born again believers sinning yet not losing their salvation:

Ephesians 5:1-14 exhorts believers to imitate God in their daily walk. In so doing it indicates the undesirability and the consequences of a disobedient life. Verses 7-12 indicate the shamefulness of going back to the disgusting lifestyle of the world after Christ had sacrificed Himself so that the believer would not have to be a slave to sin and suffer eternal condemnation, (v. 2). The passage says to act instead like the person that a believer is: a child of light possessing eternal life, (v. 8), rather than to act like the world and suffer the consequence of losing one's inheritance in, (and not one's destiny to), the kingdom of Christ for being immoral, (v. 5):

b) (v. 1) Therefore [Christians, (v. 3)] be imitators of God, as beloved children [believers];

["Therefore, be imitators..". = Paul is commanding Christians in this passage, (Eph 14:1b - 3; 13:30-32), who are eternally secure, (Eph 4:30; Jn 10:28) to be imitators of God]

c) (v. 2) and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

d) (v. 3) But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints;

[Notice that Paul indicates the proper behavior for saints: moral, righteous behavior - as opposed to improper behavior: "immorality," and "impurity" and "greed". This strongly implies that saints can behave improperly and still be called saints, i.e., still have eternal life]

e) (v. 4) and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

f) (v. 5) For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, or one who is an idolator, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, even God.

"has an inheritance" = a disobedient believer will not receive an inheritance of any kind when that child of God, (Eph 5:1), goes to heaven. That child has been disinherited from any rewards but remains a saved child who will go to heaven but with precious few rewards and inheritance, (Eph 4:30; 1 Cor 3:11-15)]

g) (v. 6) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience"

"sons of disobedience" = those who disobey the gospel, i.e., those who do not believe in Christ as Savior, are defined as sons of disobedience, i.e., sons of Satan, unbelievers. The only requirement of the Gospel is to believe it, (Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8-9). So to disobey the gospel can only mean to disbelieve in it. Compare 1 Pet 1:18-22, 2:6-8. 1 Pet 4:17 teaches that to obey the gospel is to believe it, to disobey the gospel is to disbelieve it. Compare Eph 2:1-3 = unbelievers are disobedient & follow Satan.

i) [Jn 3:36]:

Compare Jn 3:36 which contains the Greek word "apeithon" = "disbelieving one", (nominative participle) = refusing to believe in the Son:

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects

[= 'apeithon' = refuses to believe, i.e., rejects the Son as his Savior]

will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

ii) [Compare Jn 3:18]:

"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Notice that here in John 3:18 that the only condition presented for being condemned is to not believe in the name of God's one and only Son. Compare Jn 8:42-47 = those who do not believe in Christ belong to their father the devil, i.e., are not saved. Since the sole condition on the part of the individual is to receive eternal life is to trust alone in Christ alone

and

since the sole condition of condemnation unto the Lake of Fire, i.e., since the only thing that gets you condemned to hell is not ever trusting alone in Christ alone as Savior and

since disobeying the gospel of salvation gets you condemned to hell then disobeying the gospel of salvation is the same thing as disbelieving it. One can disobey by doing something 'out of the line of the authority that you are under' and one can also disobey by believing something out of line.

1 cont.) [Eph 5:1-14 cont.]:

f) (v. 6 cont.) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of "apeitheias" = disobedience [noun form of the same verb, ''apeithon'', as in Jn 3:36 above]

g) (v. 7) Therefore [you believers] do not be "oummetochoi" = joint partakers [in disobedience, disbelief and sin] with them,

[Do not be joint participators in sin with unbelievers = This does NOT say as some maintain, 'Do not be joint partakers of God's wrath with unbelievers' because one would not, as a believer, participate in such wrath, (1 Thes 1:10; 5:9). So Eph 5:7, quoted above, commands believers not to sin as unbelievers do; but it does NOT indicate that believers would be condemned to Hell if they led sinful lives]

h) (v. 8) For you [believers] were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; [so therefore] walk as children of light

i) (v. 9) (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

j) (v. 10) [so do not sin by] trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

k) (v. 11) And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, [which are characteristic of the unsaved] but instead even expose them;

l) (v. 12) for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

m) (v. 13) But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light,

[The light of the righteousness of Christ which evidences itself via God the Holy Spirit in the conscience of every believer. Cp 1 Jn 1:5-7; Ro 9:1]

1 cont.) [Eph 5:14 cont.]:

n) (v. 14) For this reason it [Scripture] says,

'Awake, sleeper,

And arise from the dead,

And Christ will shine on you"

This verse contains a quotation from a combination of Old Testament passages or perhaps from an early Christian hymn. In any case the words speak of a believer who has committed "deeds of darkness" who is commanded to wake up and rise from the dead as he is involved with the deeds of evildoers. Here is a Christian who has no deeds, i.e., divine good works, (Eph 2:10; I Cor 3:11-15). His faith - his very life - is considered dead by Scripture and the God Who inspired that Scripture. This Christian is not physically dead nor spiritually dead. He is temporally dead, dead meaning useless in the same way that faith without deeds is dead = useless to God, (Jas 2:17, 26). He is out of fellowship with God. He walks in darkness. Having grieved God the Holy Spirit with his sin, (Eph 4:30), his soul is separated from the righteousness of God and is useless to God until that sin is dealt with, (1 Jn 1:5-10). While he is in this state of temporal death, under the control of his sin nature, he produces nothing of eternal value, (Ro 8:8). Romans 8:6a says that the mind of sinful man is death. The man described in Eph 5:14 is a sinful believer - a believer who is not under the control of the Spirit but under the control of the sin nature.

i) [Compare Gal 5:13-15]:

(v. 13) "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

(v. 14) The entire Law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

j) (v. 15) If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

XI cont.) [1 Jn 1:10 cont.]:

"If we [believers] claim we have not sinned, we make Him [God] out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives."

B) BELIEVERS WHO CLAIM A MOMENT OF SINLESSNESS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES ARE IN VIEW

"If we claim we have not sinned" =

"we have not sinned" = "ouch emartekamen" = we have not committed acts of sin in our daily lives so no confession is needed, (v. 9).

Verse 9 speaks of believers admitting to God acts of sin in their daily lives in order to be forgiven and purified from all unrighteousness and have fellowship with God restored. Then in verse 10, if any believer claims to not have not sinned in the light of God's command in verse 9 to confess one's daily sins then God says that "we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in our lives." So the context of verse 9 which presumes that believers do commit daily acts of sin and provides the remedy of confession continues to verse 10 which addresses the believer who denies having sinned indicating his denial of the need to confess anything resulting in the declaration that he is making God out to be a liar and that God's Word has no place in his life.

C) IF BELIEVERS CLAIM TO HAVE NOT COMMITTED ACTS OF SIN IN THEIR DAILY LIVES THEY MAKE GOD OUT TO BE A LIAR AND HIS WORD IS NOT IN US

"If we claim we have not sinned we make Him [God] out to be a liar and His Word is not in us" =

****************

Notice that this verse is referring to believers as if they have been asked the question of ‘have we sinned.’ So in the present moment we are answering the question with the answer, ‘we have not sinned’ = aorist tense: completed action, which has in view our immediate past, i.e., our current walk as believers before God - considering the context of the entire passage, (esp. v. 7). The false answer is ‘We have not sinned’ which has in view not our past before we got saved but the immediate moment in the past to which the question, ‘have we sinned’ addresses - our walk with God as believers from moment to moment in this mortal life. God’s word defines sin and we are to look at our walk and admit to Him when we have sinned. At no time can we claim "we have not sinned" in this life for that would make God out to be a liar. If God has made provision for our sins when we believers commit them, then that infers that we believers do sin:

[1 Jn 1:9]:

"If we confess our sins, [present tense] He is faithful and just and will forgive us these sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

So sins of the past before one got saved are not in view, nor are only sins committed in ignorance in view because this has not been expressly stipulated in the passage anywhere. This verse 10 directly parallels verse 8 which has sins of the present moment in view which is corroborated by the present tense provision of verse 9 quoted immediately above.

Verse 10 then considers the possibility that we believers are not homologomen = admitting to, confessing those sins that we have committed, (v. 9) - that we believers are claiming not to have sinned, (v. 10) in spite of walking in the light of God's holiness, (v. 7), so that the light of God's perfection can bring out the imperfections in the believers' daily lives. Thus we make God out to be a liar for Scripture says differently and His Word is not in us, (v. 10).

[Zane Hodges, The Epistles of John, op. cit., pp. 63-64]:

"Instead of denying our sinfulness, however sincerely, we should be prepared to acknowledge it. It is true that, as we walk in the light in fellowship with God, at any given time we may not be conscious of our sinfulness. But 'the light' which shines forth from the God with Whom we have fellowship has a revelatory role to play in our lives. As long as we walk in that light, we are in a position to be shown our failures; when that happens we should 'confess' them....

The exposure of our sin by the light confronts us with a challenge to the fellowhsip in which we are walking with God. If we deny what the light shows us, we have ceased to be honest and open with God and fellowship ends. But 'if we confess' (Greek: homologeõ, 'agree, admit, acknowledge') the 'sins' that the light reveals, we can depend on God to 'forgive' them and 'to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' If this happens, fellowship continues.

An analogy can be found in a man who has just put on a suit which he has superficially examined for dirt or spots. If he walks into a lighted room wearing that suit, he may be active in that room for some time before he actually notices a spot or two on the suit. At this point he can deny the truth of what he has seen in the light by saying, 'No, that is not a spot of dirt but a part of the weave of the fabric.' But if he does say this (to push the analogy further) the light in effect goes out and he is now in darkness.

In the same way, a Christian can maintain his fellowship in the light by promptly confessing what God's truth reveals to him. Failure to do so plunges him into darkness. Of course, a Christian can deliberately step out of the light by deciding to do what he knows to be wrong. The Christian who deliberately chooses sin has also deliberately chosen to forfeit his openness and integrity before God. He has stepped into the darkness and can return to the light only by confession.

The importance of all this can hardly be overstated. King David, in his great psalm of confession after his sin with Bathsheba, gives expression ot a simple yet profound truth. He says to God, 'Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts.' (Psalm 51:6). In another psalm we read, 'If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not heart me' (Psalm 66:18). And in the Book of Proverbs we are told, 'He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy' (Proverbs 28:13). Clearly, God values inner integrity, and the absence of this in ou hearts is precisely what it means to 'walk in darkness.'

So believers maintain fellowship with God by permitting God to enable them to study and live according to His Word which begins with acknowledging their shortcomings to God.

4) [Psalms 119:9-11]:

The Old Testament reflects this concept:

(v. 9) "How can a young man keep his way pure?

By living according to your word.

(v. 10) I seek you with all my heart;

do not let me stray from Your commands.

(v. 11) I have hidden your word in my heart

that I might not sin against You."

So how important is studying and obeying God's Word relative to sin in a believer's life? All important. Notice that the enabling not to sin in this passage in Psalms comes from God. ("do not let me stray from Your commands.") It is all by the grace of God via the faithful study and obedience to God's Word which contains God's commands to the believer for daily Christian living. It is inexplicably both. God with His indescribably infinite power and man with his finite capacity at the same time.

5) [Ephesians 5:25-26]:

This passage verifies the principle of God's gracious working of sanctification in the believer through the Word - the study of Bible doctrine:

(v. 25) "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;

(v. 26) that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water [God the Holy Spirit, Jn 7:38-39; Ez 36:24-27] with the word."

[Hodges, op. cit., pp. 64-65]:

"But suppose that, instead of confessing as sin what the light has shown us, (v. 7), we say, that we have not sinned, what then? In that case, we make Him a liar. We have denied the testimony of His Word and thus, in effect, charged God with untruthfulness. It is inappropriate here to take the words we have not sinned as a categorical denial that we have ever or at any time sinned. Few Christians would be likely to make such a claim and, as previously stated, the passage is definitely for Christians. The sequence of thought in this passage shows us what is meant. Even while we are in fellowship with God, we are not free from the need for cleansing (verse 7); should we deny that truth, we are self-deceived (verse 8). If we confess whatever sins the light shows us, we are forgiven (verse 9). But, if we deny what the light shows us, we are making God (Who is that Light: verse 5) a liar, his word is not in us as an effective, controlling influence. Suppose, for example, that I steal something - an act which God’s word condemns. But suppose I also claim that in this case, or under some special set of circumstances, it was not really an act of theft at all - that I was somehow entitled to it. If that is my response, then I am contradicting God’s word, I am showing that His word is not a controlling force within me, and I am saying in effect that God is a liar, since He has called my act a theft and I have refused to do so. Clearly then, the connecting thread that unites verses 5 to 10 is the idea of truth or its opposite, falsehood or deception. The man who claims fellowship while in darkness is lying and not doing ‘the truth’ (verse 6). The man who thinks he has no sin is self-deceived and ‘the truth’ is not effectively at work within him (verse 8). The man who will not acknowledge as sin whatever God calls sin is calling God a liar (verse 8). The man who will not acknowledge as sin whatever God calls sin is calling God a liar, by denying the truth of His word. By contrast, the person [believer] who walks in fellowship with God agrees with the light and confesses [his sins]. For the believer, the essential essence of fellowship is our willingness to share the light with god and to agree with everything we can see in that light [which uncovers our daily sins]. When that is the case, God is pleased because He finds ‘truth in’ our ‘inward parts’ (Psalm 51:6). We can then enjoy His ongoing forgiveness and cleansing. Despite the clear teaching of this passage, from time to time it has been claimed that since the born again believer is already forgiven for his sins, he does not need to ask for it even after he commits sin. Those who take this view are mixing apples and oranges. It is true that there is a perfect and permanent forgiveness that we have ‘in christ.’ Paul speaks of it in Ephesians 1:7 ("In Him we have..the forgiveness of sins’); Ephesians 4:32 ("even as God in Christ forgave you"); and Colossians 2:13 ("And you…He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses"). Colossians 1:14 might be added, depending on how the textual evidence is taken. But this is "status truth" (also called "positional truth"). Thus "in Christ" our status is that of people who have died with Him, been buried with Him, raised with Him, and seated with Him in heavenly places (cf. Galatians 2;20; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:12). If this is our status before God, there can be no question about our having full forgiveness, since God sees us as alive and seated before Him in His Son. The status just described is analogous to God’s full acceptance of Israel, as expressed in Balaam’s inspired utterance: "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel" (Numbers 23:21). Yet, on a practical level, Israel was full of failures! Although we are seated in Christ as fully accepted and forgiven people, we live down here on earth, and our ongoing sins must receive the forgiveness of our heavenly Father if we are to be in fellowship with Him. [Notice that salvation is not in view, but fellowship with God for the eternally secure believer is] This is not hard to understand, since earthly parent/child relationships work exactly the same way. If a child has never told a parent, "I’m sorry," something is clearly wrong in the relationship, even though the child remains his parent’s child. In the same way, as born again people [through a moment of faith alone in Christ alone, (Jn 1:12)] we are permanently in the family of God; but when harmony with our Father is breached, He requires confession as a condition for restoring that harmony. That is why our Lord taught His disciples to pray daily, "Give us this day our daily bread, " and also, "Forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:11-12). Forgiveness of sins is as urgent a daily spiritual need as daily bread is a physical need. To teach otherwise is contrary to Scripture."

CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITY CONT:........

JOHN CHAPTER 15:........