CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS.
- Dec. 19. -I JOHN 1:5-2:6.
“If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” -I
John 1:9.
THE Apostle’s address
is not to unbelievers, unjustified persons, “sinners” in the ordinary sense of
the word; on the contrary, he is addressing the justified and sanctified in
Christ Jesus, and he classes himself with these, using the plural pronoun
“we.” The frequent mistake of applying this and similar passages to sinners in
general has been injurious in two particulars:
(1) It has been injurious to the unregenerate, in that it has given
some the impression that there is no difference between the Church and the
world; and that all alike have access to God in prayer and for the forgiveness
of daily trespasses. It has thus hindered some from realizing the necessity of
faith in the atonement, and from definitely entering into covenant relationship
with the Lord under the terms of the New Covenant. On the contrary all should
be clearly informed of the fact that repentance and a particular, positive
acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior are absolutely necessary, before
they can “be accepted in the Beloved,” and be treated as “sons of God,” and
enjoy the privileges of this relationship,-prayer, fellowship with God, divine
care or providential oversight of their affairs and interests, and the favor of
forgiveness of daily trespasses through the merit of the great High Priest.
(2) This oversight has had an injurious effect upon some Christians
who have gone to the extreme of claiming that they can never commit sin, after
their past sins have been graciously forgiven by the Lord, and after they have
entered into the New Covenant relationship. Hence, we have the very wrong
views and teachings of so-called “perfectionists” who claim, not merely that
they are reckonedly perfect now, but that they are actually perfect
in all their thoughts, words and deeds,-deceiving themselves and laying
themselves liable to many grievous errors, as the Apostle declares in this
connection.-Verses 8, 10.
The object of the Apostle John in writing this epistle he clearly states,
saying, “These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” It is a
noteworthy fact that the vast majority of Christians never experience the
fullness of joy and peace and blessing that they might possess. Too many
are content with simply diluted first principles of the doctrine of Christ;
and, as the Apostle Paul declares, such are merely “babes in Christ.” They
have a blessing of course in any relationship to the Lord, but they have not
the fullness of joy which would be theirs if they progressed in grace and in
knowledge “to the full stature of a man in Christ.” The object of the
Apostle’s writing them was to stir up the pure minds of believers to an
appreciation and enjoyment of their privileges, that thereby they might grow
and develop.
The Apostle follows the example of our Lord Jesus in symbolizing truth and
righteousness as Light, and sin and every evil way as so much of opposing
Darkness. God himself thus considered would be the very perfection of
light,-“in him is no darkness,” no sin, no imperfection. With this thought
before the mind, the Apostle points out that any growth of fellowship with God which
we may aspire to, must be along the lines of truth, goodness, purity; and he
points out that it would be sin for us to say to others or to imagine in our
own hearts that we are walking with God and having fellowship with him, if our
course of life is a dark, a sinful one. Such are merely deceiving themselves
and others: they are not deceiving God, and they are not getting the blessings
of those who do “walk in the light.”
Moreover, to the extent that we walk in the light and in harmony and fellowship
with God, we will find ourselves in fellowship with all others who are
like-minded. So then, if we do not “love the brethren, whom we have seen,” so
as to be able to have fellowship and spiritual pleasure with them, that would
be an indication that we are not wholly in harmony and fellowship with God.
But who are the “brethren?” Our Lord tells us that not all who profess his name
are true brethren; he says, “Not everyone that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven [be recognized as his brethren and joint-heirs], but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” We thus see that it
is by our deeds and not merely by our professions that we are accepted of the
Lord who again says, “Who are my brethren? . . . Verily, I say unto you he that
doeth the will of my Father the same is my brother.”-Matt. 7:21; 12:50.
So then, we are not to anticipate “fellowship” with all who name the name of
Christ as a proof of fellowship with the Father, and that we are in the light:
we are merely to anticipate this true fellowship with those who are
earnestly seeking to do the Father’s will, to serve his cause and exemplify the
instructions of his Word, in their deeds as well as in their professions.
Between all such there must be, whether hidden or open, a bond of fellowship
and union-that bond is the one faith and one baptism into the one Lord.
But while this fellowship between us and the Lord and all who have his spirit
is based upon our walking in the light, our following in his footsteps to the
extent of our ability, nevertheless it does not imply absolute freedom from the
imperfection of sin; although under the New Covenant arrangement nothing is
charged up to us as sin except in proportion as it has been willfully done.
Nevertheless, because of the manifold temptations, and the weakness of our
flesh, the result of inherited predisposition toward sin, it is impossible for
us to avoid “short-comings” and faults. These may be properly termed sins as
in this lesson, because “sin is a transgression of the law,” however
unintentional. But the divine arrangement under the New Covenant, on behalf of
the Lord’s people, is that these unintentional faults and short-comings
need not be charged up against us as sins; but instead may be cleansed away
upon our application to the Great High Priest, through the merit of the
precious blood. Thus it is that the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord cleanseth
us from all sin-keeps us clean from sin, if realizing our imperfections we
continually make application for forgiveness.
The Apostle uses the word “sin” in a different sense than the above, further on
in this epistle, saying (3:6-9), “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not:
whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor [even] known him. . . . He that
committeth sin is of the devil . . . Whosoever is begotten of God doth not
commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin because he is
begotten of God.” Again he says (5:18), “We know that whosoever is begotten of
God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and the wicked
one toucheth him not.”
In these passages the Apostle uses the word “sin” in its full or
absolute sense, meaning willful sin, deliberate sin, intentional sin; sins that
are not merely shortcomings and faults, due largely or wholly to the
imperfections of the flesh, inherited from our ancestors. No one, the Apostle
assures us, who has been begotten of the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of
holiness and truth, could have any sympathy with sin so as to willfully,
knowingly and intentionally engage therein. All who so love sin and willfully
do it and approve it after they have a knowledge of the truth, are children of
darkness who love darkness and who thus show that they have the spirit or
disposition of Satan.
But let us return to the consideration of the other use of the word “sin” as
found in this lesson, applying the term to the faults and imperfections which
God’s people are zealously striving against, and seeking to stamp out of their
mortal bodies, and against which they are continually fighting a good fight and
coming off conquerors, and more than conquerors, through him who loved us and
bought us with his precious blood. The Apostle intimates that there is danger
that some will go to the extreme of denying that they have any faults, and thus
deceive themselves and get into a snare of the adversary. It may be asked,
What difference can it make if they are seeking to live godly, whether they
claim to live perfectly, or admit that they are imperfect and apply continually
for cleansing through the precious blood. We reply that it makes a great
difference: only as we confess our sins can they be forgiven, consequently
those who deny that they have any sins, faults, imperfections, have a great
load of them uncancelled, unforgiven, charged up against them; and because of
this they would be accounted unworthy to be taken further along in the path of
light, under the lead of the holy spirit, into the heights and depths and
lengths and breadths of the love and wisdom of God, as revealed in his Word as
meat in due season for the household of faith. Thus we see that there is but
the one proper course of faith and conduct, in which we may have a complete
fellowship with the Lord: those who take any other course are making God a
liar, and he would not fellowship with them, but he will leave them to the
darkness of their own way. Can we wonder then that so many are in darkness and
lack evidences of fellowship with God, when we see how few confess their faults
and seek to overcome them and to be cleansed in the only way of divine
appointment?
These things are written not to cultivate in us the thought that we may sin
with impunity, and be overtaken with faults through carelessness and
inattention to the divine Word, and then go to the Lord for forgiveness. Quite
to the contrary, these assurances of divine favor and willingness to forgive
are designed to have upon our hearts a mellowing influence which will make us
all the more careful to avoid sin, and to maintain fellowship with him who is the
perfection of light and holiness. “These things are written that we sin not;”
that we become not boastful of self, self-righteous, self justified, and thus
abominable in the Lord’s sight: but that, fleeing from our weaknesses and
imperfections, we lay hold upon the grace of God in Christ for their
forgiveness, and for grace and strength increasingly to fight a good fight
against sin.
“If any man [in Christ] sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous.” Here again, “any man” does not refer to those who are
out of Christ, but to those who are under the terms and conditions of the New
Covenant. Such alone are addressed in this Epistle. The world has no Advocate
with the Father, because it has not accepted Christ, and he is the Advocate
only for those who have accepted him and who are striving to overcome sin.
Our Advocate is more than an advocate, more than a representative at the bar of
divine justice, interested in our welfare and forgiveness: he is in addition
the one who gave himself for us, who at Calvary finished the work of making a
propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins. This is the reason why we may
come “with boldness to the throne of grace,” not only realizing that God is for
us, and that our Lord Jesus sympathizes with and is our Advocate, but also and
specially realizing the merit of the sacrifice which he has already paid to
Justice, and which he has made fully applicable on behalf of all who love and
obey him, on application.
But, says the Apostle, he is the propitiation not merely for our sins (the
Church’s sins), but “also for the sins of the whole world.” What does
this mean? Is he the Advocate for the whole world? No; not yet. The world
has not yet been called and drawn to holiness and truth. During the present
age “no man can come unto Christ except the Father draw him.” And this
drawing influence of the truth is at present extended only to “him that hath
an ear to hear.” A great mass of mankind have never heard in any sense of
the word of the grace of God, and of the propitiation and forgiveness, provided
for all in Christ. Indeed, it is a remarkably small number who “have tasted
that the Lord is gracious.”
Yet so surely as the propitiation was made “for the sins of the whole
world,” just so surely shall every member of mankind be brought to a knowledge
of the fact, and to an opportunity to avail himself of the provided blessing.
It is to this end that the great Millennial age has been promised and is being
prepared for: and it is concerning that age of blessing to “all the families of
the earth” that the Lord declares through the prophet “In that day the blind
eyes shall be opened and the deaf ears shall be unstopped.” It is of that time
that our Lord Jesus also declared, “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all
men unto me.” It is by virtue of his having been lifted up as the
propitiation, the sin offering, “for the sins of the whole world,” that
our glorified Lord will eventually be privileged to be the Judge of the world
and to grant forgiveness and reconciliation and restitution to all who will
heartily obey him; while “whosoever will not obey that Prophet will be cut off
from amongst the people,”-in the second death.-Acts 3:23.
As the drawing now, by the Father, is not a compulsion, but merely a constraining
by the truth, through a knowledge of it, so the drawing of the Millennial age
upon the world of mankind will not be a compulsion, but merely the influence of
righteousness and truth constraining toward love for righteousness and thus to
the reward of righteousness-eternal life.
The Apostle seems to intimate in our lesson that quite a good number may claim
an intimate knowledge of God falsely, and hence with great plainness of speech
he informs us that, “He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” It is thus very evident that the
Apostle does not mean merely a knowledge about God but an intimate
knowledge of God; implying fellowship and communion with him: he then gives us
a test by which we may judge accordingly whether or not we are new creatures in
the Lord and have the love of God developed in us to any extent. The test is obedience. In proportion as we keep the
Lord’s Word, in like proportion the love of God is perfected in us; for if we
have received the mind of Christ, the holy spirit, the spirit of God, the
effect will be to cause us to both will and do his good pleasure-to the extent
of our ability. And this ability should be continually on the increase year by
year. And although we may not hope to be perfected until we shall be “changed”
and be granted our new resurrection bodies, nevertheless all the while we may
keep so closely in touch with the Lord in the spirit of our minds that we may
have continual fellowship with him: and by confessing our faults and
seeking his forgiveness we may continue to the end of our journey clean from
sin, even though we must still acknowledge the imperfections of the flesh,-that
in our flesh dwelleth no perfection.