In his first letter, John gets right to the point. If he were in a trial before a jury, He would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have seen, ate with, listened to, and literally held the Word, the author, and creator of all things. I want you to enjoy the relationship that I enjoy with God. But, to make that a reality, one must first recognize that God will not deal with sin. If you claim to be free from sin, you are deluded! If you recognize that you are a sinner and confess that sin, God, through Jesus will forgive the sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. BUT, to claim to be perfect makes Him out to be a liar and prevents Him from forgiving and cleansing you from sin and death!”
It is a simple reality. Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners. Romans 5:8 reminds us that God demonstrated His love for us by dying for our sins and accepting us where we are. Romans 6:23 tells us that while the wages of sin are death, God’s gift is eternal life through Jesus. Finally, He reminds us in Romans 10:9-10, that if we confess His lordship in our life and believe him to be God and Savior, He will redeem us! So, John is simply reiterating the simple truth that God wants to be in a relationship with us. He does, however, require redemption be received on His terms, not ours!
God Bless You
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declares to you: God is light; in him, there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 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[b] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
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