June 1, 2025 – The Lie We Tell Ourselves – 1 John 1:1-10
1 John 1:1-10 emphasizes the importance of walking in the light and confessing our sins to maintain fellowship with God.It highlights that God is light, and if we deny our sin or claim to be sinless, we are lying and deceiving ourselves. The key message is to recognize our sinfulness, confess it to God, and trust in Jesus’ blood to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Elaboration:
1 John 1:1-4:
The apostles declare what they have seen, heard, and touched regarding the Word of life, Jesus Christ, and they share this good news with others to unite them in fellowship with the Father and Son.
1 John 1:5:
God is light, and if we claim to have fellowship with him while walking in darkness (denying our sin), we lie and do not practice the truth.
1 John 1:6-7:
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This confession leads to a restored fellowship with God and with other believers.
1 John 1:8-9:
John further emphasizes that if we claim to be sinless, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Confessing our sins brings God’s forgiveness and cleansing.
1 John 1:10:
If we deny our sin and claim to be without sin, we make God a liar, and his word is not in us. This highlights the importance of acknowledging our sinfulness and seeking forgiveness through Christ.
1 John 1:1-10
New Living Translation
1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning,[a] whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.[b]
Living in the Light
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
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