This Is The Message

1 John 1: 5-9 (ESV) This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Have you ever heard someone ask a law enforcement official how many miles an hour over the speed limit they can drive without having to worry about a ticket? My favorite answer given to that question is “Zero, that’s why it’s a limit, not a guide.”

What is a sin? This seems like a simple question with an equally simple answer. But all to often the answer is not one which people want to hear. The question is often phrased in the form of “I am not sinning very much by doing (fill in the blank.) Or better yet, society does not think it is wrong, so how can that be a sin? With those two examples we have the collective effort to justify sinning in most of the world. Think about it. Those are the two biggest cop-outs. 1) It’s not a big sin, and 2) others think it is okay. The difficulty rests in how the standards of man for what constitutes sin compare with the standards God has set. They are definitely not the same.  It really boils down to who is in charge of your life? Are you in charge, or is God in charge. If God is in charge, we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  And conversely, If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

In the final analysis, we need to consider and act on what verses 8 &9 of 1 John 1 tells us. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Do you know someone, or are you the sinner that tries to minimize or justify sinful behavior. Confession is good for the soul. It reminds us that we are forgiven, and that God is in charge, not us. Let’s use the words from the Lutheran Worship Service to confess our sins.

PRAYER: Almighty God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your Holy name. Amen.