1 John was written to Christians who likely lived in the area of Asia Minor. It was written near the end of the first century. The author made it very clear that he wrote from personal experience. He was an eye witness who physically associated with Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-4). His "right" to instruct these Christians came from his direct association with Jesus.

Likely John addressed some common problems among Christians concerning Jesus' nature. False teachers who claimed to represent God denied Jesus' humanity.

As John began his instruction, he affirmed the nature of the Christian's relationship with God (1 John 1:5-10). What he affirmed is insightful and encouraging to Christians of every age. When people become Christians, God does not abandon them to their own strength. The forgiveness that occurs when penitent believers are immersed into Christ is not a "one time occurrence." Forgiveness is a continuing process in a Christian's life, not a one time event. Jesus' atoning blood enables penitent believers to be forgiven of sins at immersion into Christ. After that immersion, John declared forgiveness to be an ongoing process in the lives of people who were in Christ.

In 1 John 1:5-10, John affirmed these facts:

1. Absolutely no evil exists in God--God is totally separated from evil (verse 5).

2. It is ridiculous for Christians to claim fellowship with God when they deliberately, by conscious decision and choice, maintain an evil lifestyle. When Christians' claims and lifestyles are in such fundamental contradiction, they are liars who do not practice truth (verse 6).

3. Christians live their lives as close to God as possible. Living close to God produces two results: (a) they maintain close involvement with each other and (b) Jesus' blood continually cleanses them from all sin (verse 7).

4. Christians who claimed to have no sin to be forgiven (they claimed not to need the continuing solution God provides through Jesus' atoning blood) are self-deceived and have no truth in them (verse 8).

5. If Christians confessed their sins [acknowledged sins (with regret) when their awareness of a sin occurs], God keeps His promise in two ways. (a) He forgives their acknowledged sins. (b) Additionally, God cleanses them from "all unrighteousness." God's forgiveness is complete: it forgives sins of which Christians are aware and sins that have not yet reached their awareness.

6. Christians who claim to have no sin make God a liar and do not have God's word in them.

   John did two things in this statement.

   1. He emphasized sin [evil] is a continuing problem in Christians. Christians have the goal to live as close as possible to the God who is totally separated from all evil. They seek to eliminate all evil from their lives, but that is not possible. When Christians claim to have no evil to be forgiven, they are self-deceived, void of truth, and make God a liar. All Christians need the continual cleansing of Jesus' atoning blood.

   2. He connected God's action of continual atonement to Christians' responsibility to resist sin in their lives. Christians cannot claim to live "evil free lives." That is not possible. However, this is possible: if they accept responsibility for their evil of which they are aware, God will cleanse them from all evil. We Christians accept responsibility for our evil by confessing the evil to God. As awareness of evil comes, confession to God is made. We do not try to justify or excuse our evil. Rather, we "own" our evil by acknowledging it to God.

When Christians are honest about admitting their evil [because they want to be as close to God as possible], God is faithful and righteous [He does exactly as He promised]. God forgives all sin and cleanses from all unrighteousness those Christians who (a) acknowledge their need for continuing forgiveness and (b) acknowledge their evil.

Jesus' atoning blood continually flows in the lives of Christians (a) who maintain an awareness of their need for forgiveness and (b) who accept responsibility for evil in their lives by confessing their evil to God.

As 1 John 2:1-6 declared, God is not encouraging Christians to sin. Rather, He provides Christians the perfect solution for the continuing problem of evil in their lives. The perfect solution exists because Christians have the perfect Advocate. Jesus Christ the Righteous constantly pleads to God on their behalf.

The Christian can be a child of the God in Whom there is no evil because of His perfect solution to evil. The perfect solution is Jesus' atoning death and the continuing forgiveness of Jesus' atoning blood in the lives of penitent Christians. It is not our perfection. It is His forgiveness.

Questions

1. Discuss God's total freedom from any form of evil. [Remember the problem we have as expressed by this question: How can a God who despises evil associate with people who have evil in them? In your discussion, use the "light" and "dark" analogy.]

2. Discuss this statement in verse 6: "we...do not practice the truth."

3. Is the foundation for Christian association with God His forgiveness or our human perfection? Explain your answer.

4. Does "walking in the light" (verse 7) means sinlessness? Use verses 7-10 to explain your answer.

5. What is the distinction in verse 9 between "forgive us our sins" and "cleanse us from all unrighteousness"?

6. Is confession in verse 9 merely a simple acknowledgment that sin has occurred? Explain your answer.

7. How can we as Christians declare God is a liar and demonstrate [prove] the truth is not in us?

8. Is John encouraging Christians to sin? Use 1 John 2:1-6 in your answer.

Link to Teacher's Guide Lesson 10

Copyright © 2002
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ

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