If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves

1 John 1 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 revealed, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed 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.

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, so that He will forgive us our sins and 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.

Today’s text ends saying: If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. It is not that we actually make God a liar. Truth is part of His very character. John 17:17 says: “…Your word is truth.” In John 14:6 Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” In Numbers 23:19 God says: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” It is actually as the text says: God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth… If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. Again, God is truth. If we say we have no sin, we are the liars, and we do not deceive God, but rather we deceive ourselves.

Still, there are many who choose to walk in self-deceit, choosing to walk in darkness. They name the name of Jesus and claim to have fellowship with God but embrace the darkness and immorality of our society and culture. In Isaiah 5:20 God says: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  God is not a harsh and unloving God who desires to punish people. Rather He has given each of us the ability and right to choose for ourselves. We cannot though choose what is truth or choose what is good and what is evil. We cannot choose for darkness to be light. God is truth. God is good and He is light. We choose to walk in agreement with truth or we receive the consequence of choosing to be in opposition to God.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”  Believing in Jesus, God’s Son, is more than just naming His name. Believing in Christ means that we acknowledge what He did, that He gave His life on the cross to redeem us from sin. If we look upon the cross and see the suffering Jesus endured and still choose to continue in sin and darkness, we choose unbelief. In John 3:17-21 Jesus says: “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.”  The text says: 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…  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  There is no sin so great that the blood of Christ is not able to forgive and cleanse us from. The only sin that is beyond the redeeming power of the cross is the sin we choose to continue in.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.