Question: “1 John 1:8 If we say, We have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Shouldn’t we be careful about deceiving ourselves by confessing that we do not sin?
Answer
Verse 8 pointing to sinning people. But, verse 7 is pointing to those who walk in God. “1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Notice, there are two kinds of people.
The Holy Ghost and Satan are the two primary teachers of the word of God. The Holy Ghost reveals the word of God with its context as a message. Satan separates passages of the word of God from its context and twists the message. Further the servants of Satan comes as servants of God to preach the deceptive gospel. So, we have to be very careful about the deception in the teaching of the word of God.
Here, the message is from 1 John 1:5 to 2:1. Satan separates verse 8 from the message and presents it as an universal message just to deceive believers. Verse 5 says that God is light. Verse 6 and 7 talks about two different kinds of people. Verse 6 talks about hypocrites who say they are godly but walk ungodly. Verse 7 talks about a people who live holy and whose sins are forgiven. “1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” The hypocrites of the verse 6 are admonished to tell the truth in verse 8, but it does not apply to the people on verse 7 who walk in the light and are cleansed.
“1 John 1:8 If we say, We have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” But the devil presents verse 8 as if it applies to all including those in verse 7 who walk in holiness. Satan says that everybody will be sinning until death. This is a deliberate lie and a distortion of the truth.
The following verse still gives hope of holy living even to the hypocrites. “1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is a parallel verse to 7. Here, God forgives the sins which are committed and cleanses all unrighteousness, which causes sins, so that we may live without sins. Again another caution is given so that they should not forget the past life of sin and the mercy of God. “1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Here, sin was the past history, but not the present reality. The message continues to say the purpose of the letter. “1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not...” God writes his word since he wants his people not to commit sin.
His instructions continues further to purify ourselves as much as Jesus Christ is pure. “1 John 3:2 ... we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” As a result, victory is achieved in this verse. “1 John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” This verse is an universal statement with the condition in it. It is that those who abide in God will not commit sin. The abiding of God is the key for sinless living, but with our effort to abide in him.
If we look in the context we get the following. We are all born as sinners. But there are two groups of people in the churches. One group becomes holy as Jesus Christ, in verse 7. Second group lives in sin but denies it. They are the one which is rebuked in 1 John 1:8. But, ministers of Satan pull the verse out of its context and twist the meaning to say that we all will continue to sin until we die. They say that if we say we do not sin anymore, then we are liars even if we do not sin. This is cheap deception. If we go further, the same letter says that we not only do not sin but we even cannot sin, if we abide in God.
The practical experience of most Christians is that they tried to live without sin and failed time after time. They set themselves in the routine of committing sin and ask God for forgiveness, which goes on and on. Very soon this routine becomes a standard. Satan uses this opportunity to them that we cannot live without committing sin. He also says not to worry about it since God is so good that he will keep on forgiving sins as you are committing or as soon as you say sorry. Hearing this preaching, people tends to believe the workers of Satan more than the word of God, became complacent and lose their striving, which is destruction. So, please be careful about such distortion of the truth by the devil.
If we love God with reverential fear, we will obey God - We will stop sinning.
the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
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