Lesson 608

(Lesson 608)(04-17-13) 1 John Chapter 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; (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;) 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. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 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. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 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. If we say that 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. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Today's lesson not only confirms Jesus, the Son of God, and all He stood for as, witnessed by John and all else who were near Him, as He prepared, then gave, Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. It also encourages us to live our lives in the "light",in God as the Father would have us do.
John makes it very clear that salvation does not make an individual perfect in the flesh (sinless), "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.". However, if we "confess" our sins Jesus is always faithful to forgive us. (The term "we" is collective of all Christianity, as it is applied in this statement.)

Does this mean we must keep track of every little thing we do and vocalize a prayer every time we so much as wear a frown? NO!! It means that we are to live our lives in a state of repentance, constantly on guard to avoid an offense toward others, knowing that because of our acceptance of Jesus as savior, our sins are "justified" and not judged against our eternal souls.

That security, through faith, is what truly separates the saved from the lost. If one lives in fear of eternal judgment for every thing one does, that one is relying on oneself and does NOT have the assurance and security that comes with having our sins "justified", Romans 5:1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:".

Blessed assurance! ~