The book of 1 John is one of my favorite letters in the New Testament. John deals with a most important subject. That the christian faith is not about what we do, but who we have fellowship with. The word fellowship is the word koinonia which means an intimacy and communion with. The christian faith is meant to be a constant communion with the Son and the Father. I like how Ray Stedman in his sermon regarding this says that fellowship is not an automatic for the believer. The key to whether or not we are walking in fellowship is if we are walking in the light.
There is a need in the church and individual believers life to take sin more seriously than we have. We don't realize the harm that it does. Not just to our witness to non-believers, but to our fellowship with God. We need to realize that sin is first sin against God. And if you love God then you will realize that it grieves God when we allow sin into our lives. True repentance is necessary not just one day a week, but each day of the week.
This is because John says in 1 John 1:5 "And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." The darkness is the idea of sin, error or untruthfulness. There is no error or sin in the nature of God. And so if we are to walk in fellowship then we cannot walk daily in sin without confessing. Our conscious mind should not allow us to stay at peace when we walk in darkness because the Spirit constantly calls us back to himself (1Thess 5:19).
John goes on to say that if you say that you have not sinned then you are calling God a liar. He also says this in 1 John 1:10. This is talking about the battle that goes on between the flesh and the spirit that goes on each day in the life of the believer. He is talking about present day sanctification. If you think you have arrived then you are only lying to yourself because there is still sin to be dealt with in you. Rather, the task for the believer is regular confession. Sometimes this confession means to confess to others and sometimes it means to confess to God (Matthew 5:23-24).
There is still a need at times for confession not just to God, but to one another. There are times when God may grow distant for some believers because confession has not taken place. You may pray and feel that your prayers are not getting any further than the room you are in. God may stop working in your life and wait for you to get right with your brother. When a believer lies about another person or is dishonest or cheats another person a break in fellowship takes place. And the only thing that will make that right again is for someone to swallow their pride and confess they are wrong. Notice in James 5:16 it says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
The good news from 1 John 1:9 is "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The key word there is "all". God's Spirit convicts us of sin and our need for repentance. Then once we repent, it is the power of Jesus to cleanse us from all of it. He doesn't cleanse just part of it. You notice in this verse that this is based on the faithfulness and righteousness of God.
Ray Stedman's sermons on 1 John
http://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/stedman_ray/1Jo/Studies_in_First_John_1966_67.cfm#The_Man_Who_Rationalizes_Sin_1_John_1_10_2_2
There is a need in the church and individual believers life to take sin more seriously than we have. We don't realize the harm that it does. Not just to our witness to non-believers, but to our fellowship with God. We need to realize that sin is first sin against God. And if you love God then you will realize that it grieves God when we allow sin into our lives. True repentance is necessary not just one day a week, but each day of the week.
This is because John says in 1 John 1:5 "And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." The darkness is the idea of sin, error or untruthfulness. There is no error or sin in the nature of God. And so if we are to walk in fellowship then we cannot walk daily in sin without confessing. Our conscious mind should not allow us to stay at peace when we walk in darkness because the Spirit constantly calls us back to himself (1Thess 5:19).
John goes on to say that if you say that you have not sinned then you are calling God a liar. He also says this in 1 John 1:10. This is talking about the battle that goes on between the flesh and the spirit that goes on each day in the life of the believer. He is talking about present day sanctification. If you think you have arrived then you are only lying to yourself because there is still sin to be dealt with in you. Rather, the task for the believer is regular confession. Sometimes this confession means to confess to others and sometimes it means to confess to God (Matthew 5:23-24).
There is still a need at times for confession not just to God, but to one another. There are times when God may grow distant for some believers because confession has not taken place. You may pray and feel that your prayers are not getting any further than the room you are in. God may stop working in your life and wait for you to get right with your brother. When a believer lies about another person or is dishonest or cheats another person a break in fellowship takes place. And the only thing that will make that right again is for someone to swallow their pride and confess they are wrong. Notice in James 5:16 it says "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
The good news from 1 John 1:9 is "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The key word there is "all". God's Spirit convicts us of sin and our need for repentance. Then once we repent, it is the power of Jesus to cleanse us from all of it. He doesn't cleanse just part of it. You notice in this verse that this is based on the faithfulness and righteousness of God.
Ray Stedman's sermons on 1 John
http://www.blueletterbible.org/audio_video/stedman_ray/1Jo/Studies_in_First_John_1966_67.cfm#The_Man_Who_Rationalizes_Sin_1_John_1_10_2_2
