If we say that we have not sinned...

1 John 1 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— ² and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— ³ what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

God Is Light

⁵ 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. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; ⁷ but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

The last three verses in today’s text speak well to the present thoughts and attitudes prevalent in our culture. Our present philosophies tend toward calling most things a choice, there is very little which is actually viewed as right or wrong particularly when it comes to moral issues. Modern psychology tends to blame religious thinking or God Himself for any guilt that people feel over their immoral actions, the thought being if we remove God and His standards from our culture there is nothing more to feel guilty over and everyone can feel good about who they are and the choices they make.

The power of positive thinking and positive confession is part of both Christian and non-Christian belief systems. Christian positive thinking says:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Humanistic thinking says: Believe in yourself and you can do or be whatever you desire or want to be. Christian positive thinking says: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. (1 John 5:14-15) Humanistic thinking says: Look out for yourself and do and get whatever you want. It is good to teach people that they can achieve great things; that they can be whatever they desire. When I was young and thought myself both clever and philosophical I wrote: “You are that which you perceive yourself to be, providing you remain steadfast to the conviction that you know yourself better than all others know you”  In other words if you believe in yourself you can be or do anything. This might seem like good and positive philosophy, but it can also lead to insanity and deadly thinking.

If I believe myself to be an oak tree and disregard everyone else’s words and opinions about my identity, though in my own mind I may be convinced and I may even act like an oak tree, I will not eventually convince others and be planted in a yard. More likely I will eventually, if I remain steadfast be planted in an institution. If I believe myself to be a bird and jump from a tall building the results could be deadly. There are natural physical laws which we cannot change or override simply by believing they don’t exist. We cannot change what we are. We can only change what we think or believe. Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked; Who can know it?     This of course is not referring to the large muscle in our chest which pumps blood throughout our bodies. It is referring to our mind and our self conscience. Look at the verses that follow;   
¹⁰ I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

Today’s text says: “ If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us… If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” When we deny the existence of sin we violate a spiritual law, which like the natural physical laws are unchanged by our personal choices and beliefs. What we believe can deceive us. God says He gives to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Romans 6:23 says: “the wages of sin is death…” That is an unchanging unchangeable spiritual law. It is not affected by whether we believe it or deny it. Only one thing changes the consequences, the wages, the fruit of sin. Romans 6:23 continues: but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Today’s text says:  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Today’s culture and philosophy is correct in that we all can choose whatever we want. It is after all our life to live and we can live it the way we choose. We can believe our deceitful heart and mind and choose to identify ourselves as something different than what we are created to be. We can choose to deny the existence of sin. We can even choose to deny the existence of God Himself. He created us with a free will, an ability to choose whatever we want. Our choice though does not change what is. Our free will cannot override the will of God and His spiritual laws. 

 Romans 1:18-26 says:  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. ²⁵ For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions

Today’s text says: 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. John 3:19 says:  This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

Each one has a choice, a choice to live and believe whatever they choose, to choose their own identity  and to receive the fruit of their own doings; or a choice to believe God and receive His gift, a choice to: walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, and have fellowship with one another, and to choose the blood of Jesus His Son which cleanses us from all sin.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit; I choose to believe and receive the identity You created me in, the image of You. I reject the lies of the world and the deceit of my own heart and I believe You. Jesus, I thank You for going to the cross to pay the price for my sin. I choose to accept Your sacrifice for me and I choose to walk in Your light. Holy Spirit fill me and strengthen me to live according to the will of God for my life.   Amen.