Title: What will we do with Sin?
Text: 1 Jn 1:8-2:2

Jn 1:8-2:2 "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;  and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for {those of} the whole world." (NAS)

Recent events in the headlines have caused us to ask the question why? Why would a person make a bomb that would kill innocent men, women and children in a federal building in Oklahoma City? What would make a teenager or teenagers take a gun to school and shoot teachers and classmates? We discuss all kinds of issues, we talk about self-esteem, gun control, tolerance, acceptance, abuse every issue except one - human depravity or sin.

Why is it that we don't want to be honest about sin? David Hoke chaplain for the Philadelphia Eagles and a pastor says one reason could be that we are so committed to do it. We human beings like to sin! In fact, sin is even encouraged in our society. This is, in fact, a Satanic strategy. We have bought the half-truth that sin is fun and brings us fulfillment; half-truth because sin is fun, but it does not bring fulfillment. But we have bought the lie, and rather than deal with sin we chose to deny sin. Otherwise, he says, we would have to face the fact that there are very real consequences to sin, temporal and eternal consequences, and we don't like to think about that.

What do you do with Sin? John says there are two options available. We either deny it or deal with it. In verse 8 John wrote, "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Denial is the choice of preference. John uses the singular for sin in verse 8 referring to the principle of sin itself. Humans like to deny the existence of sin, the impact of sin and even the consequences of sin.

In 1973 Dr. Carl Menninger wrote a book I've mentioned before, Whatever Became of Sin? Almost 30 years ago he was writing about the shift taking place in our culture away from the idea of sin. Ironically he looks back even further in tracking the shift.

Congress in the early 50's voted to require the President to declare a National Day of Prayer. President Truman made the first proclamation in 1952. In 1953 President Eisenhower made his first proclamation and borrow the words from another Republican President Abraham Lincoln. He said, "It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon." Since 1953 no president had mentioned the word sin. They have referred to the problems of pride, self-righteousness and short comings, but not sin. (Whatever Happened to Sin, pp 14,15).

Most people, even if they don't completely understand what the word sin means, have an uncomfortable feeling about it. It suggests something bad, something wrong, something we should feel guilty about, so we refuse to use it especially about ourselves. Instead we have created other names for it. What the Bible calls sin, we call human weakness, or bad tendencies, hereditary deficiency, or short comings. The fancier the name, the more we like it, because it sounds so much better than the ugly, three-letter word, sin.

So we deny the reality of sin by giving it a different name. Dr. Ray Steadman uses this illustration. "It is just as if you went through your medicine cabinet, took out all the bottles of poison and re-labeled them -- perfume, hand lotion, etc. It doesn't change the character of the poison, but it does make it sound a lot better. And as long as we can find a nicer label we never will treat the thing like the poison it is." (From the sermon "The Man who Rationalizes Sin."

John says when we do that we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. What is it the song says there is none so blind as he who will not see. When we deny the principle of sin we in fact reject Jesus who came to save us from our sin. If you have no sin you have no need of a savior. If what the Bible calls sin is only a matter of circumstance or a mistake, then you simply change the circumstances or correct the mistake. If you deny sickness you don't need a doctor, but the problem is when you deny sickness you eventually die from it. When we deny sin we face not only temporal consequences, but eternal consequences, separation from God forever.

John has been talking generally about those who oppose the teaching of the apostles which was the teaching of Christ he told us in verse 5, specifically the group known as Gnostics. But, John was writing to believers, so how does denial of sin affect believers?

The other alternative in dealing with sin is to recognize it for what it is and deal with it. There are a number of groups or cults that fall under the umbrella name Christian that teach the concept sin does not really exist, it is merely in the mind. They teach truth exists and good exists, but sin doesn't have objective reality. Remember again the article about A Course in Miracles that sin is not something to be atoned for but a mistake to be corrected. Other groups, like the gnostics, teach that because Christians have been given a new nature they have no sin, or that sin is a matter of the flesh and cannot touch the spirit therefore there is no need to be concerned about moral actions. Many believers become involved in these kinds of cults everyday. When a believer falls into the error of denying the sin principle he or she begins walking in the darkness John spoke of in verse 6, John says the truth is not in them. Because they fail to recognize the principle behind the action they deny responsibility for the action and can't deal with it in the correct way, God's way which John wrote in verse 9 is to confess it.

The word confess doesn't mean to simply recite a list of things we have done wrong. What God wants us to do is to look at our sins as he does. Fess comes from a root which means "to say," and con means "with." "To say with" God what he says about this thing, that is confessing sin. It is to look at our lives in the light of His holiness, and see our actions as he sees them. To be honest in saying we fall short of His glory and dealing with it.

When we recognize the sin principle at work in the world, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, then we can recognize the actions which it causes and accept responsibility. The results of this kind of confession, agreeing with God about the sinfulness of our actions leads naturally to repentance which is genuine sorry for those actions and the acceptance of God's forgiveness.

When we see sin as God does and are in agreement with Him about those sins we don't have to ask for forgiveness because John says the result of such confession is His faithfulness in forgiveness. We simply accept it.

In verse 10 John again distinguishes between the sin principle and the resulting actions. If we deny the sin principle we are deceiving ourselves if we deny the deeds themselves, if we say we haven't sinned then we are calling God a liar.

It makes a mockery of the message of John that God is light and in Him is no darkness. It denies the message of redemption which is at the heart of both the Old and New Testament.

However, John writes, if anyone, in spite of your best intentions, through ignorance, lack of maturity, giving in to temptation, unwatchfulness whatever you fall into sin, don't despair, don't deceive yourselves, don't give up walking in the light, don't lose hope. The answer is not in denying it or covering up for it. The answer is confessing it and finding forgiveness in God's faithfulness.

John uses legal language here to make his point. If we sin, we have an advocate, a counsel, a lawyer, who stands before God on our behalf. That advocate John proclaims is Jesus Christ who is worthy to plead our case because He is perfectly righteous.

This advocate does not maintain our innocence, but confesses out guilt and becomes the propitiation for our sins. The word propitiation in the Greek expresses the idea of an offering made by a guilty person to appease the offended person or to satisfy the demand of justice.  Jesus Christ as our advocate made the perfect sacrifice on the cross to satisfy the wages of sin in our place.

John adds, "and not for ours only, but also for {those of} the whole world." (NAS) John is not implying that all the world will be saved, but that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is sufficient for all and is freely given to everyone who comes to Him and not just a select few.

John 10:9 "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (NAS)

Acts 2:21 'And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (NAS)

Rom 10:13 "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (NAS)

The propitiation of Christ is sufficient for whosoever will to come and be reconciled to God through Him.

What do you do with sin? Do you deny it cover it up, refuse to accept responsibility for it. John says the only way to rightly deal with sin is to confess it our advocate has dealt with it for us we must accept His forgiveness as we continue to live in the light and be drawn nearer to the Lord day by day.