Christian Fellowship and Confession of Sin (1 John 1:8-10)

The apostle John continues explaining to his readers the true nature of Christian fellowship. So far in his letter he has stated that such fellowship requires two features: it is Christ-centred and it involves consecration and cleansing by the blood of Christ. The third essential element of true fellowship that he mentions is confession of sin.

The immediate target of John’s remarks were heretics who had infiltrated the church with false teaching that dismissed the reality of human sin. Their notions were connected to an estimation that was common in the Roman world and which stated that the body was irrelevant and any actions done by it were unimportant. In passing we can note that the Christian faith affirms the value of the human body and many Christians have been involved in bringing about political changes and medical discoveries that have resulted in better bodily health for millions of people.

No doubt the immediate opinion that John was correcting has disappeared and we are not likely to bump into one of its advocates when we walk along the road. Yet we have to realise that those false teachers were mainly passing on a notion that did not rise within their own minds initially. Instead they were spokespersons for an idea that was conceived in the kingdom of darkness. The devil has many ploys that he can use in one way or another, and one of these ploys is to downgrade the seriousness of sin in people’s estimations, and even get them to accept as legitimate practices that are sinful.

We see examples of such an attempt in our own society where practices are advocated that once were regarded as sinful. It is not only in society that we observe such changes. Even within the church we have extended the limits of what practices can be described as suitable for followers of Christ and today professing believers engage in activities that previous generations of Christians would not have done. It could be that their attitudes were too strict; on the other hand, the change of opinion may indicate that the devil has blinded us regarding what is sinful.

The obvious question we have to ask is, ‘What is sin?’ The term used by John means to fall short of a standard or mark, and the illustration that is often used is of an archer firing at a target. In a sense it does not matter if he falls short by twenty inches or by twenty yards, he has missed the target and does not get the prize. We may say that the one who got closer was stronger, but all he may be is more self-righteous that the person who was further away.

Discovering God’s standard

As a consequence, the question arises, ‘What is God’s standard that we have to meet?’ The target is perfection, without flaw or defect. There is more than one way of discovering the height and breadth of God’s requirements. One way is to observe the details found in the Ten Commandments and test ourselves against its dictates, not only in an outward sense but also by an inward application. There are many people who have not murdered or stolen or committed adultery outwardly, but as Jesus stated in the Sermon on the Mount we break these commandments inwardly whenever we have sinful thoughts about other people.

The other way to find out the demands of God is to consider the life of Jesus. Normally, in a biography, we only read what the subject wrote, said or did. It is very difficult for an author to get inside the character of a real person in the way a novelist can develop a non-existing person. Yet with regard to Jesus, we can explore his inner life because it is revealed to us in the Gospels. In those Bible books we read about the real Jesus, not merely the person that people saw, but the Saviour whose heart was full of love to God and humans. As we read about his inner and outer perfect life, we sense our failure to be remotely like him.

When a person realises that he himself is a sinner, he makes a great personal discovery. Sometimes we find an article that excites us but after a while we realise it is of little value and we forget about it. At other times, we find an item that does not seem very useful but soon we comprehend that it will be a great help. Conviction of sin is like the second option. Because it brings a sense of despondency and failure, we are prone to treat it almost like a necessary evil. Of course, if it is merely the accusations of a guilty conscience, then it is not of long-term value. But when the conviction is the outcome of the work of the Spirit, it becomes an experience of value because it leads us to repentance before God and faith in Jesus as our Saviour. Eventually we become grateful for conviction of sin.

Conviction of sin reveals fellowship is taking place (v. 8)

True conviction of sin is accompanied by confession of sin. To confess our sins means more than to admit them in the sense that we intellectually understand that we have done wrong. Nor is it merely a sense of shame, although shame is an important spiritual response to personal sin. Confession of sin includes an awareness of the God against who we have sinned. Sin is not only against the Lawgiver, but is also against our good Creator who meets our daily needs, as well as against the One who sent his own Son to be the Saviour. And Christians have another level when confessing their sins because they realise that they are sinning against their heavenly Father, against their personal Saviour, and against the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Confession of sin is important because it reveals what we are like inside. I don’t mean that it reveals we are sinners, but that it reveals we have the truth indwelling us. Remember that John is writing about fellowship, and the issue arises as to what he means by ‘truth indwelling us’. It is a person that can be described as living or dwelling in a location. The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian, but his presence within also means that in a way far beyond human explanation a believer has fellowship with the Father and the Son. And one evidence of ongoing fellowship is confession of sin.

Sometimes when we say a wrong word or think an inappropriate thought, a gentle voice within says to us, ‘You should not have said those words or thought in that manner.’ That gentle voice is the Holy Spirit pointing out our sins to us in order that our fellowship with the Father and the Son will continue. If we are wise, we will respond to that gentle voice and immediately confess our sins. One of the wise pieces of advice I was given at conversion was to keep short accounts with God. In other words, I was informed that I should not let unconfessed sins accumulate.

Confession of sin increases our understanding of God (v. 9)

John is referring to God the Father in this verse – the ‘he’ goes back to ‘his’ in the words ‘his Son’. Joh writes that we discover through confession of sin two important attributes of God and two significant actions by God. The attributes are his faithfulness and justice and the actions he performs are to forgive and to cleanse.

Probably John, in saying that God is faithful, is pointing his readers to God’s commitment to his promises. The promises concern pardon and purification of those who confess their sins. And there are many such promises in the Old Testament, which is likely that John had in mind. Here are some of these promises:

Isaiah 1:18: ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’

Isaiah 55:7: ‘let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’

Micah 7:18: ‘Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.’

There are many others, but the point to stress is that confession of sin leads to fellowship with God in which we discover afresh that he is faithful to his promises. In addition, at such times we discover that his justice is not compromised. We would be annoyed if the Prime Minister decided to pardon every criminal because we would sense that justice has not been done. Sometimes the gospel can be presented in a manner that gives the impression that justice does not matter. Yet the Lord will never commit an unjust act or make an unjust decision.

When we confess our sins, we discover that pardon and purification come our way because Jesus paid the penalty. Do we find our interest in the life and death of Jesus becoming dim? Are we losing the sense of thrill that we once had when we listened to descriptions of his perfect life and sacrificial death? If we are heading that way, we need a powerful encounter to turn us round. Often a suggestion such as getting a taste of God’s love through an overwhelming sense of peace will be the remedy. No doubt such an experience would be a great blessing. Yet there is a far easier and more suitable path for sinners to move along in order to obtain spiritual reinvigoration and that path is serious confession of sin. When we engage in it, we rediscover the wonder of a righteous God exercising his justice and pardoning us. Such a scenario is impossible in human situations – human pardon is always an expression or mercy and a refusal to implement justice. But the heavenly Father, when he pardons his penitent people, is simultaneously merciful and just. Therefore we have that insight when, in confessing or sins, we have fellowship with God.

The divine actions we discover as we share fellowship with the Father when we confess our sins is complete pardon and purification from defilement. We need both in order to have ongoing fellowship. Sin not only makes a person guilty in God’s sight, it also makes the individual dirty. God’s pardon deals with the guilt and his purification deals with the defilement. The great news is that those two benefits come the way of every Christian when he or she confesses their sins to God.

Failure to confess denies the God of truth (v. 10)

John returns to those who do not acknowledge their sins and says that their outlook is the equivalent of calling God a liar. Failure to confess is more than a blip in a person’s life. Instead it is a human accusation against the truthfulness of God. We cannot literally turn God into a liar, but if we refuse to confess our sins we are virtually saying that God does not tell the truth about our sinful nature or about the necessity of confession of sin as the pathway of receiving forgiveness and cleansing. The fact is, there is no other way of being pardoned and purified.

We might find it difficult to believe that someone connected to the church of Christ would make such a claim. Yet we are aware that there is the idea held in some circles of sinless perfection, that it is possible for a person to become so sanctified that he no longer sins. How can a person become convinced of such an absurd notion?

Perhaps we would reply that such a person has been deceived by the devil or that he has been taught a wrong understanding of what sin is. Maybe he only focuses on outward behaviour and I suppose it is possible for a person not to say or do wrong things. The reason that John gives for developing such a wrong outlook is that the word of God is not living within the person.

There are different ways of regarding the Bible and one of them is to view it as a torch that shines brightly into the depths of our heart.