1, 2, and 3 John
Class Two

1 John chapter One

The Word of Life

1Jn 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 
1Jn 1:2  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 
1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 
1Jn 1:4  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Walking in the Light

1Jn 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. 
1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 
1Jn 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. 
1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

John opens up this section with the affirmation that the disciples not only knew about Jesus, but that they had seen Him, heard Him, and touched Him. They knew that in Him was eternal life, and that He came from the father.  There was no doubt in their minds at all that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the savour of mankind.  Furthermore, in verses 1-4 they declare (announce) that what they are about to report is exactly what they seen and heard.  There were many witnesses regarding the works, words, and deeds of Jesus while on Earth, and we would be a fool to disregard God's Words as untrustworthy.

Verses 5-10 breaks down this message.  First, the message is that God (Jesus Christ), is light, and in Him is no darkness.  This goes alone with what Jesus said many times, that HE Is the light of the World (see John 8:12 and John 9:5 to name a few).  Further, John goes on to say that if we claim to be a child of God, and walk in darkness (walk in sin), we are liar's, and the truth is not in us. But if we walk with God in light (truth), then we will have fellowship with each other.  Have you ever wondered why there is so many fights and arguments among so called Christians?  Well, here is the answer...  they are not all walking in God's truth (light).  They have changed God's Word.  They have denied God's Word, and replaced it with their own.  God's Word is not to be tampered with.  It was meant to change us, not us change it.

Verses 8 and 10 reminds us that even as Children of God, we still sin.  If we say we don't sin, we deceive ourselves.  So, what is the difference then between a lost person and a child of God, if both sin?  The answer to this is the intent of the heart.  A lost person will sin, and won't care.  They love their sin and have no desire to change.  Sin does not convict them.  A child of God who sins will fight and struggle over it.  They hate it and never want to do it again.  They feel remorse for their actions and desire God to remove it from them.  And, over time, God will cleans them of those sins.  

A child of God will not want to continue sinning.  A lost person will not care.

Verse 9 tells us that confession is the key to forgiveness as a Child of God.  This is NOT talking about confessing to a Priest or a “Father” within a church.  The word “confess” means literally to “acknowledge”.  It means to alien our thoughts with God's Word and agree that our actions is sin, and it is against God and His Word.  Once we come to an agreement with God, then and only then can the cleansing take place.  Our problem is that we like to compare our sins with other sins, or with other people....  “I'm not as bad as that person”.  “I know its wrong, but it's not that bad.”  “It was wrong once, but now it's legal.”  These are some of the thought processes that keep us from being cleansed of our sins.  We justify our sins, instead of crucifying them.