The Test of Honesty
“THE TEST OF HONESTY!”
1 John: The Epistle of Confidence – Part 2
1 John 1:5-10
Pastor Robby Roberson
May 23, 2007
After his prologue (1:1-4), John makes an interesting shift. Although he has stated that his intent is to testify of the Lord Jesus (v. 3) he now discusses the very character of God. But, one’s view of God has a great deal to do with his conduct and whether or not fellowship can be experienced with other believers.
1. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DIVINE.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you; God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5-NIV).
“Right thinking about God (‘God is light’) is a necessary prerequisite for life in the Christian community…to deny the truth of John’s words is to step out of the light and break with fellowship among God’s people. We must resist sinfulness” (Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: Letters of John, pg. 63-64).
To say that God is light is to discuss Him physically (Ex. 3; the wilderness journey; the Temple/Tabernacle; Luke 9:28-36) and ethically. “Since God is light, Jesus in bringing God to us has likewise brought light, divine light…God stands in contrast to darkness, to evil, to error, to imperfection” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 66-67). “He is speaking physically of the glory of God. As you study the Bible you will notice that every time God comes upon the scene there is light…but also to say God is light represents, morally, the holiness of God” (Jerry Vines, Family Fellowship, pg. 37).
“What we are dealing with is a good God, one who can be trusted and loved…by moral purity we are referring to God’s absolute freedom from anything wicked or evil” (Milliard Erickson, Christian Theology, pg. 284). He is (see: Erickson, Ibid, pg. 284-297):
· Moral Purity (He is pure and cannot sin. He is absolutely free from anything wicked or evil):
“Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3-NIV).
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13a-NIV).
- Holiness…He is unable to tolerate the presence of evil. He is, as it were, allergic to sin and evil (Ex. 3; Isaiah 6:1-4; 1 Peter 1:15).
“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15-NIV).
- Righteousness…this is the holiness of God applied to his relationships to other beings (Gen. 18:25; Jer. 9:24).
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13-NIV).
- Justice…God Himself acts in conformity with his law. He also administers His kingdom in accordance with his law…and, He requires that other moral agents adhere to the standards as well (Psalm 73:17-20, 27; Amos 5:15, 24; James 2:9).
· Integrity (integrity relates to the matter of truth):
- Genuineness – being true…He is a real God (John 17:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 John 5:20; Rev. 3:7; 6:10).
- Veracity – telling the truth…He represents things as they really are (John 17:17, 19; Titus 1:2).
“A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2-NIV).
- Faithfulness – proving true…He keeps all His promises (1 Thess. 5:24; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 1:18-22; 2 Tim. 2:13; 1 Peter 4:19).
“If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Tim. 2:13-NIV).
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17-NIV).
· Love:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8-NIV).
- Benevolence…He has concern for the welfare of those whom He loves (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; Rom. 5:8; Luke 15).
- Grace…God deals with His people not on the basis f their merit or worthiness, what they deserve, but simply according to their need; in other words, He deals with them on the basis of His goodness and generosity. He supplies us with undeserved favors (Exodus 34:6; Eph. 1:5-8; 2:7-9; Titus 3:3-7).
- Mercy…This is His tenderhearted, loving compassion for His people. It is His tenderness of heart toward the needy (Ps. 103:13; Ex. 3:7; Mark 1:41; 6:34).
- Persistence…He is withholding judgment and continuing to offer salvation and grace over long periods of time (Ps. 86:15; Rom. 2:4; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9)
John is pointed about the lack of darkness in God’s character. In the Greek text he says, “not one bit” (oudemia). “In the Greek text it is actually a double negative. There is not no darkness in God. That is not very good English, but it is good theology! There is absolutely no imperfection in God whatsoever. There is no spot upon the character of God, no blemish upon the being of God. In fact, there is not one little shadow of suspicion upon the character of God” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 38).
“John appeals to historic revelation as the anchor of what he believes…his first response…is to train his followers that theology must be anchored objectively or else it will be shaped by any whim or inspiration” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 65). “Your concept of God will ultimately determine the kind of life you live” (Vines, Ibid).
What a God!
“…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16-NIV).
2. THE DECEPTION OF THE DECEIVED.
Now he is applying God’s character “ethically to Christian living” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 65). It is against the backdrop of God’s character that John now states the deception of the deceived.
He does so with three statements which each begin if we claim (or if we say). “Individuals in John’s church were claiming that they had an intimate walk with God, that their lives were unstained with sin, and that they had done no wrong…verse 6 hints that these (professing-mine) Christians were living a double life” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 68).
They may also have been claiming that “sin is unimportant – they were not of the world – and that God only looks on the inward condition of a man’s or a woman’s soul. John says that no such division is possible. A good God expects good people. A God of light expects lives that are permeated by such light. In verse 6 John describes this moral conduct as ‘walking’ (Gk. Peripateo) in darkness. This is a Semitic idiom akin to the Jewish term halakah. The religious life is not merely a matter of spiritual reflection or intellectual persuasion, rather, it is comprehensive. It is a habit of walking, a way of living. These opponents were not just in darkness, they were living lives of darkness (conveyed by the present tense of peripateo). They were persistent, dogged, and tenacious in the habits they had chosen. Smalley translates the verb ‘living habitually in darkness’ and says it ‘implies a determination to choose sin (darkness) rather than God (light) as one’s constant sphere of existence. This sort of spirituality is a lie” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 68). “It means to walk in disobedience” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 41).
This lie (or deception) is in three directions:
“If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John 1:6-NIV).
First, they are liars – THEY LIE TO OTHERS. They say one thing and do another! Their practice does not measure up to their profession! “Truth describes not only the reality of God’s existence shown to us in Christ (hence doctrinal truth) but also the genuineness of pure religion, true religion, true personal conduct that coheres with the essence of God’s character” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 69). This is not ignorance, it is a cover-up! “It is impossible to be in fellowship with God who is light and live a life which is in darkness at the same time” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 42).
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8-NIV).
Secondly, they not only lived in the darkness but they claimed to be without sin (present, active, indicative). THE LIE TO THEMSELVES (present, middle, indicative)! This even further proves something “of the character of the claimant: Not only do they fail to live by the truth, but now we learn that ‘the truth is not in them’” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 82). This is certainly a lost person! “People who do not have the truth ‘in them’ are lacking an essential characteristic of God’s presence within their inmost being” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 82).
“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (1 John 1:10-NIV).
Lastly, THEY MAKE GOD OUT TO BE A LIAR. This is the most explicit yet. “The verb employs a perfect tense verb, suggesting a reference to specific sins that spring from a preexisting condition of sinfulness” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 81). “Can someone claim that they have never committed any sins? Such a position impugns God’s character, making him a liar. It maligns the truthfulness of his word, which makes the universal sinfulness of humanity a basic a pivotal tenet” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 83). In both the Old and New Testaments God clearly says that there is something basically wrong at the very inner core of our being:
“Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5).
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“You are not a sinner because you do sinful things; you do sinful things because you are a sinner” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 58).
3. THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE DELIVERED.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7-NIV).
Here is the contrast of what one looks like who really does have fellowship with God. They walk in the light. “Gk. Ean de makes the contrast explicit. As in verse 6, this is a habitual, consistent response that should be characteristic of those who know God” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 69).
Two thing result: Genuine fellowship is possible and sins are forgiven. “John sees an intrinsic connection (vv. 3-4) between our relationship with each other and our relationship with God. One is not possible without the other” (Burge, Ibid).
Oh, the wonder of the blood of Jesus!
- It is precious blood.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- It is purchasing blood.
“…feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). He has purchased us from the slave market of sin.
- It is peace-giving blood.
“Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto himself: by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).
- It is purging blood.
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14)?
- It is prevailing blood.
“They overcame him by the blood of the lamb” (Revelation 12:11).
- It is present blood.
“He did not just say the blood cleansed (past tense), but the blood cleanseth (present tense). Present tense means that the blood goes on cleansing. There was an initial cleansing of our sins at the cross (Rev. 1:5)…but this passage speaks of a continual washing. The blood of Jesus…will never lose its power” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 47-the above bullets are from pg. 46).
“Charles Finney was preaching in a great revival in Detroit. After the service one night a man said, ‘I want you to go home with me, Mr. Finney.’ Some who knew the man said to Finney, do not go.’ But he went. When they came to the man’s house, the man walked in last, locked the door and pulled a revolver from his pocket. He said, ‘Do not be afraid, Mr. Finney, I am not going to shoot you. I heard you preach tonight about the Lord Jesus Christ. This revolver has killed four men. Is there any hope for a man like that?’
Mr. Finney replied, ‘The blood of jesus Christ His son cleaneth us from all sin.’
The man answered, ‘ah, but you do not understand, Mr. Finney. Down below this apartment where you are sitting there is a saloon. I have helped send men down the road to hell; I have helped men to rob their own babies of food and mile. Is there any hope for a man who would run a saloon?’
And Mr. Finney replied, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin!’
The man continued, ‘But you do not understand. I have been a gambler all of my life. I have spent my life taking money from people illegally. Is there any hope for a man like that?’
Mr. Finney said, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin.’
The man persisted, ‘Across the street from this establishment there is a little home where there is a wife I have abused; a little girl who is disfigured. One night in a drunken stupor, I came home from gambling and drinking. She ran to put her arms around me and in my drunkenness I pushed her away from me, she hit the heater and is hopelessly disfigured. Is there any hope for a man like that?’
Mr. Finney said, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanseth us from all sin!’
Mr. Finney soon thereafter left. The next morning the man stumbled across the street. He had not slept for he prayed all night. When he got into the house he stumbled up to his room. In a little while his wife said to the little girl, ‘tell your daddy it’s time for breakfast.’
She went upstairs and said, ‘Mama says it is time for breakfast.’
The man said, ‘Maggie, darling, I do not want any breakfast this morning.’
She ran back downstairs and said, ‘Mama, Daddy said he did not want any breakfast this morning and he called me darling!’
The mother said, ‘You mad a mistake; you heard him wrong. Go back up there an tell him it is time for breakfast.’
In a moment, however, the man came down, took that wife in his arms and his little girl upon his knee. ‘Oh Wife’ he wept, ‘I have sinned against you like few men have ever sinned against anyone, but last night I heard the preacher preach. I heard about Jesus and about the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all my sin. You have a new husband. Daughter, you have a new daddy’” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 47-49).
4. THE DECLARATION OF THE DEVOTED.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9-NIV).
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13).
“Sinfulness is inherent in our lives, and confession must be the Christian’s heartfelt reflex” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 82). Confession is simply agreeing with God about your sin.
“People pray, ‘If I have sinned’…a dear lady came forward in a service. The evangelist had preached the sermon and she came forward and said, ‘Oh, I know that I am not right and I know I need to get right with God. What must I do?’
‘Lady, the thing for you to do is to get down on your knees and confess your sins.’
‘Well, what sins? I do not know what my sins are.’
‘I will tell you what to do. You just get down on your knees and guess at them!’ And you know what he said? He said, ‘She guessed right the first time!’” (Vines, Ibid, pg. 65).
“Confession is successful (and this is critical to John’s argument) because of the character of God…God’s character is to be faithful and just…His faithfulness to us has prompted him to make a way for our purification and thereby satisfy his demand for righteousness” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 82-83). “Confession enjoys the good character of God and is empowered by it” (Burge, Ibid, pg. 83). So…there it is…do you pass the test of honesty about your life and your sin?