Misconception 1:man Can Fellowship With God And Still Walk In Sin Series

Series: The Three Misconceptions of Man (1John 1:6-2:2)

Misconception One: Man Can Fellowship With God and Still Walk in Sin (1John 1:6-7)

Introduction: The Son of God has come to earth. This is the great testimony of John the Apostle. He came to earth so that man can have fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ.

“But wait,” man shouts. “We already have fellowship with God. We do not need someone else to show us how to become acceptable to God. We can reach God on our own; we can secure His approval by ourselves. We don’t need someone telling us how to approach and worship God.”

This is the subject of this particular section(John 1:6-2:2). Man objects to the idea that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He is truly God’s very own son. Man objects to the idea that – the way he worships is wrong

- that he has no merit with God

- that he is unacceptable to God

This is the reason why many men reject John’s declaration: “The Son of God has come to earth.” Jesus Christ came so that man can have true fellowship with God but, man objects to the idea that he needs help in reaching God. Man feels sufficient within himself. He rejects the idea that he cannot reach God on his own. This passage strikes these objections and exposes their fallacies. There are basically three misconceptions of man.

1. Man can fellowship with God and still walk in sin.

2. Man is not totally sinful and depraved.

3. Man can become righteous and sinless on his own.

The first misconception is the subject of the present passage. The other two misconceptions will be discussed in the next two studies. Note that the first misconception strikes at the belief that is held by most people on earth. Most people believe that they can fellowship with God even when they walk in darkness and sin. The belief that we can fellowship with God and walk in darkness is a lie. Verse six tells us, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” The truth is that we must walk in the light. Verse seven goes on to say, “But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” So when we walk in the light…then we have fellowship. Then we are cleansed from sin!

*****(1:6)Why does man object to the deity of Jesus Christ? Why does man object the Son of God coming to earth? That it was necessary for Him to come? They believe that man can fellowship with God and walk in darkness at the same time. What does it mean to walk in darkness?

- It means that the world is in the dark about God. Man cannot see God nor talk face to face with God. Man cannot hear God nor touch God. How then can man know that God really exsists?

Note four significant facts;

1. Man can not see nor talk with God. He can’t even be absolutely sure God exists. Why? Because man’s physical senses and flesh (sinful nature) can know only the things of the physical and material world. If there is a God, if there is a spiritual world, man has absolutely no way to penetrate it. Man can take all his technology and science, all his intellectual and creative reasoning, and he will never be able to penetrate the spiritual world, not with his physical and material nature. The physical and material world will never be able to cross over into the spiritual world. Man and his world are completely in the dark about God. No matter what any person claims or how religious and spiritual the person may be, no person from the physical world can cross over and enter into the spiritual world to find out if God exists, much less fellowship with God.

2. Second, how then can man ever know God and fellowship with Him? There is only one way. God has to leave the spiritual world and enter the physical world. God has to come to earth and reveal Himself to us. This is the only conceivable way that man could ever fellowship with God. This is the glorious gospel, this is exactly what John declares; the Son of God has come to earth. He came to reveal God to us.

3. Third, note the foolishness of man. Man declares, “We can have fellowship with God yet walk in darkness!”

- Man declares that he can find God on his own, that he can relate to God and be good enough to fellowship with God and secure God’s approval by himself.