Lesson for May 22, 2024

The Book of I John

I John 1:8-10

Verse 8

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Sin in this verse is a reference to Adam’s original sin, since it is singular. This means that everyone is born separated from God. The sin nature, which is the home for Adam’s original sin, is passed down to everyone genetically from their father. All human beings commit sin as a result of succumbing to temptation from their sin nature. “If” is a third-class condition meaning maybe a believer will say they have no sin nature and maybe they won’t. Believers who say they don’t possess a sin nature are fooling only themselves.

There are three types of sin according to the Bible.

1. Imputed sin – Adam’s original sin is imputed to the entire human race at birth. It was Adam’s sin that alienated the entire human race from God (spiritual death). (Romans 5:12b; I Corinthians 15:21-22)
2. Inherent sin – when Adam sinned, he brought into existence the sin nature. The human race inherits their sin nature through physical birth. (Romans 5:12a, 18, 19; Psalm 51:5)
3. Personal sin – personal sin is not imputed to the human race. Personal sin is succumbing to temptation, which originates with the sin nature. (Psalm 32:2; Romans 4:8; II Corinthians 5:19)

There are results in each of the three categories of sin.

1. Imputed sin – brings spiritual death (separation from God) upon the entire human race. (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 6:23)
2. Inherent sin – mankind inherits a sin nature from which comes the temptation to commit personal sin. (Romans 5:19)
3. Personal sin – everyone personally commits sin when they succumb to temptation from their sin nature. (Romans 7:15-20; I John 1:8-9-10)

The word in Greek for deceive is “planao,” and means seduce. Saying that you do not have a sin nature means that you are ignorant of the truth (Bible doctrine). The Word of God teaches us that we are born with a sin nature passed down to us genetically from our father. The temptation to disobey God originates from the sin nature. Temptation is not sin but saying “yes” to the temptation is a sin. Acknowledging the fact that we possess a sin nature means we understand that we will be tempted to sin. (Romans 5:12)

Verse 9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“If” is a third-class condition – maybe a believer will confess their sins and maybe they won’t. However, until they do confess their sins, they are not forgiven.

The Greek word for confess is “homologeo,” meaning to name, to cite, to admit, or to acknowledge. It is used most often in a legal sense when confessing a crime. By ackowledging our personal sins to God, we are saying that we recognize our wrongdoing, we admit that we transgressed God’s law, we are naming our sin (jealousy, envy, slander, etc.), and we are citing our failure. All of these concepts are contained in the Greek word “homologeo.”

When we confess our sins to God, He always does the same thing, which is to forgive us. If we name the same sin a thousand times, God is faithful to forgive us a thousand times. Forgiveness is based on Christ’s payment for sin and God’s faithfulness. Forgiveness has nothing to do with how a believer feels about their sin, though they certainly should feel bad about it. Penance, remorse, sorrow, or any other emotional or overt act has nothing to do with your forgiveness. Genuine sorrow for committing personal sin may accompany confession but has nothing to do with God’s forgiveness. An advancing believer may feel sorrow for personal sin because sin takes them out of fellowship with God. However, how you can feel about your sin does not bring God’s forgiveness. You may feel genuine sorrow for your sin but until you confess your sin you are not forgiven.

Not only is God faithful to forgive your sin, but He is also justified in doing so. God’s justification for forgiveness is based on Christ’s payment for sin on the Cross. Since all three categories of sin have been paid for and a believer has accepted Christ’s payment, God is justified in forgiving sin.

The Greek word for forgive is “aphiemi,” which means to send away from or to send forth. Theologically, forgiveness means the deliverance from the penalty of sin. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for all sin (pre-salvation and post-salvation). (II Corinthians 5:21; I John 2:2) At salvation, a believer’s pre-salvation personal sins are forgiven. (Ephesians 1:7)

After salvation, a believer’s personal (post-salvation) sins separate them from fellowship with God and they lose the filling of the Holy Spirit. Confession of known sin is the only way to appropriate God’s forgiveness for post-salvation sinning. The divine mechanics go back to the Cross where all sin was judged and forgiven. Confession simply agrees with the judgment that took place on the Cross. Confession is an extension of propitiation (God being completely satisfied with the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross).

Cleanse is the Greek word “katharizo,” and means to purify or purge. When a believer names their sin to God, not only is He faithful and justified to forgive those sins, but He also purges us from all unrighteousness. All unrighteousness would include any sins that a believer cannot remember committing or sins they do not know are sins.

Unrighteousness is the Greek word “adikia” and means any deed, word, or thought that violates the law or the standards of God. This word could also be translated “wrongdoing.” Therefore, God, in His grace, “wipes the slate clean” so we can resume our spiritual lives. Righteousness is translated from the Greek word “dikaiosune.” Righteousness is an attribute of God that denotes His perfect character. It means “right action,” which, in the case of God, means that He always does the right thing. God’s justice operates according to this perfect standard of righteousness. What the righteousness of God demands, the justice of God executes. 

Verse 10

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.”

“If” is a third-class condition in this verse and means, “maybe we will and maybe we won’t.” If a believer says that they have not committed personal sins, they are calling God a liar. God says that everyone has sinned and come short of God’s righteousness. (Romans 3:23) The word liar is the Greek word “pseustes,” which means falsehood. 

There is a school of thought among some Christians that says, after salvation, it is not necessary to confess your sins. The logic seems to be that a person is automatically forgiven on the basis of Christ’s payment for their sin. If this school of thought was scriptural, there would be no need for verse nine of this passage. There would also be many false statements throughout Scripture regarding the result of post-salvation sinning, like our prayers not being answered. (Psalm 66:18) 

Why would God the Holy Spirit have the Apostle John write these verses if it were not necessary to confess our personal sins after salvation? In context, verses 8-10 make it very clear that we need to address personal sin in our lives, which originates from the sin nature, and use God’s recovery system to restore our fellowship with God and restore the filling of the Holy Spirit. Let’s recognize our sin and keep short accounts by confessing our personal sins the moment we realize we have committed them.