The Three Misconceptions Of Man - 1John 1:6-2:2
Misconception 3 – 1John 1:10-2:2-Can Man Become Sinless and Righteous on His Own
Intro- Sin is a terrible thing. We see it in the headlines of the news every single day. Murder, kidnapping, assault, fraud, cheating, lying, deceit, adultery, fighting, and wars. Sin is so common that we see and hear about it every day. Sin is so much a part of human life that we pay attention to it unless it’s some major crime or if it affects our own lives or families lives. It is everywhere. You cannot get away from it. No matter where you turn you see people criticizing and gossiping. We see people verbally tearing other people down. We see husbands beating their wives. We see all kinds of selfishness in children and co-workers. We see all kinds of sexual immorality. We see all kinds of promiscuity and rapes. The list of sins and shortcomings in life could fill a book.
What is the point, you may ask: The point is that people say that they have not sinned. Despite all the sin in the world, all of the sin that engulfs human lives and society, some people say that they can become righteous on their own. They think they can become o righteous that God will approve of their behavior. That God will accept them because of their own righteousness and being sinless. They say that they do not need a savior. They think they are able to save themselves. They see no reason for the Son of God to come to the earth and die for our sins because they think they can become so righteous and sinless on their own that they will be acceptable to God.
This is the subject on the current passage. There are those who object to the idea that Jesus Christ had to die for the sins of man. There are Christians that object to the preaching of sin, the idea that they are sinners, and the idea that they need Christ’s blood to cleanse them of their sin. They object and say that Man Can Become Righteous and Sinless on His Own.
(1:10) Self righteous/Self sufficient: The misconception is forcefully stated, “we have not sinned.” How could any person claim this? Who would claim such a thing in light of all the sin that engulfs our lives. The answer is there are many people who say this. There are many who object to being called sinners. They believe that they are righteous and sinless enough that God would never reject them. They accept Jesus to be a great moral teacher, a prophet, and even as the founder of Christianity. They claim to be Christians. They follow the teachings of Jesus Christ yet they reject His Deity and the fact that He is the Son of God and had to die for the sins of the world. They look at the death of Jesus Christ as another Christian martyr, a great man who shows us that we should be willing to pay the price for what we believe, even death. Who would make such a claim? Who would say, “we have not sinned”?
Who is it that objects to being called a sinner?
- There is a religious perfectionist: This is a person who actually believes that he can achieve a state of sinlessness. Often they believe in Christ, but they believe that once they are saved, he can live so righteous and pure a life that they can achieve a sinless and righteous state before God. They believe that the Holy Spirit will help them walk perfectly before God.
- There is the social perfectionist: This is a person who is a social Christian. They accept Jesus Christ as a great teacher, but reject Him as the Savior of sin. They object to being called a sinner. They believe that they are righteous and sinless enough that God would never reject them. They believe that they are too good for God to reject. They do not accept the fact that they are sinful enough for God to condemn them.
Note what the problem is with both of these two objectors. They just do not have a clear view of what sin is. To them sin is the violation of law and morality, the things that our society looks upon as sins: fraud, murder, abuse. The things that would grab a neighbor’s attention and cause gossip. They fail to see what sin is to God. God is perfect. Therefore, to God
- Sin is any imperfection
- Sin is falling short of God’s glory
- Sin is missing the mark of God’s perfection
This is the reason that no person can ever live with God. God is perfect. Therefore, only perfection can live in His presence. Man is imperfect and short of God’s glory. Therefore, man can never live in God’s presence. This is what the objector needs to see. To God man is a sinner.
A person who
- Fails to use his mind to the fullest degree and who focuses on evil.
- Sometimes think impure and wrong thought or commits adultery.
- Sometimes acts unloving and mean to people.
- Sometimes acts impatiently and abuses others.
- Sometimes acts selfishly and steals.
- Sometimes owns too much and banks and hoards instead of living sacrificially to meet the desperate needs of the world.
ALL men are short of the glory of God. We are short in worshipping God like we should. We are short in praying, fellowshipping, and communing with God. No person obeys God perfectly all the time. All men come short of loving others like they should. We are short in witnessing and sharing Christ, and in sacrificing and reaching out to help everyone we could. No person is perfect. We are sinners who need a savior, the very Son of God Himself, to save us from our sins.
Take a look at what v.10 says again, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”
God’s word plainly tells us that we are sinners. If we deny sin, we make out God to be a liar. In addition, we show that God’s word is not in us. So, we are unacceptable to God.
- “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom 3:23
- “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:17
- “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1John 1:8
- “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” Eccl. 7:20
- “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isa.53:6
(2:1) Spiritual struggle: The truth is that we are sinful, but we should not sin. John writes, “My dear children.” They are very dear to him. He was their pastor and their spiritual father and they were his spiritual children, the ones under his care. He loved them with the love of a strong caring father. Therefore, he must exhort them. He must exhort them in areas where they need strength. Where was that….In sinning.
Note exactly what John says, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.”
“I write this” refers to what John just wrote prior, to the fact that all have sinned and all do sin. Because of nature, the very fact that he lives within a corruptible world, he cannot keep from sinning.
Note the strong exhortation: “I write this to you so that you will not sin.” The believer lives in a corruptible world, an we are housed in a body of flesh that is so easily aroused and attracted to take more, have more, be more, and receive more. But the believer is to struggle and fight against sin. He is not to give into sin. He is to cast down imaginations, demolish arguments, and struggle to captivate every thought for Christ (2 Cor.10:5). He is to do all he can do to become more like Christ and to be a stronger and stronger witness for righteousness in the world. He will never achieve perfection and he will never be sinless as long as he is in the flesh and in this corruptible world. Although, we are to struggle to be as good as we can. The believer is to be more and more like Christ as long as he is on earth.
Here is a thought… Believers must prove they are sincere when they come to Christ for forgiveness of sins. Christ has no patience for hypocrisy and no place for half-hearted commitment. He can look at our lives and tell whether we love Him or not and whether we are sincere or not. He can watch our struggle against sin and tell if we really want to follow Him or not. The genuine believer struggles against sin. He struggles, fights, wrestles, and wars against sin with every ounce of energy he has. He does all he can to please God and to receive His approval.
- “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight! Stop doing wrong…” Isa. 1:16
- “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Rom. 6:12
- “Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God…” 1Cor. 15:34
- “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” 1Pet. 2:11
- “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires.” Eph. 4:22
(2:1-1) Jesus Christ, Death: The believer is not to sin, but if he sins he has the most wonderful provision – that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself. Two things are said about Jesus Christ that shows the wonderful provision that God has made for us.
1. Jesus Christ is our “Advocate,” the one who speaks to the father in our defense. The word “advocate or defender” (parakleton) means someone who is called in to stand by the side of another. The purpose is to help in any way possible.
- There is a picture of a friend called in to help a person who is troubled or distressed or confused.
- There is a picture of a commander called in to help a discouraged and dispirited army.
- There is a picture of a lawyer, an advocate called in to help a defendant who needs his case pleaded.
There is no one word that best describes paracletos. The word that probably comes the closest is “helper”. Sin causes the believer to be distressed and confused, discouraged and dispirited. Sin separates the believer from God and makes him guilty of transgression and worthy of condemnation and punishment. Jesus Christ is the believer’s Advocate. Jesus Christ stands before God and pleads the case of the believer. Note two significant points:
- What is it that gives Jesus Christ the right to plead the case of a believer? Note exactly what the verse says, “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” He is the Son of God who came to earth and lived a sinless life as man. He is the One who secured the perfect and ideal righteousness for man. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the only Person who as the right to stand before God. Why? Because He is perfect, and only a perfect person can stand in God’s presence. This is the reason why man must approach God through Jesus Christ: He alone is perfect and righteous. He alone has the right to stand in God’s court as the Advocate or Attorney to represent man.
- This means a most wonderful thing. God will never turn down a person who has Jesus Christ as his Advocate. The person who has Jesus Christ to approach God for him will never be turned down.
What does Jesus Christ not plead?
- He does not plead the reputation of the believer.
- He does not plead the good works of the believer.
- He does not plead “not guilty,” that the believer did not commit sin.
- He does not plead that the believer has been as good as he can be,
What is it that Jesus Christ pleads? Again, note the verse…
- “We have One who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the righteous One.”
- He pleads His own righteousness. How can He do this? This is the discussion of the next point.
- “Therefore, since we have a great high Priest who has gone through the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.” Heb. 4:14-15
2. Jesus Christ is the propitiaton, the atoning sacrifice for our sins. “Atoning sacrifice” (hilasmos) means to be a sacrifice, a covering, a satisfaction, a payment, an appeasement for sin. It means to turn away anger or to make reconciliation between God and man. Remember: God is Holy and Just. He is perfect Love, but He is also perfect Holiness and justice. Therefore, He must execute judgment on the sinner. He must judge and condemn sin. His justice must be perfectly satisfied. There is only one way God’s justice can be perfectly satisfied; His justice has to be cast against the perfect sacrifice.
This is the glorious Gospel, the wonderful love and provision of God. Jesus Christ is the Ideal and Perfect Man. Therefore, He sacrificed His life for man and His sacrifice covered all men. As the Ideal Man, Jesus Christ accepted the guilt and punishment of sin for all men. He died for all men. When He died, He died as the perfect sacrifice for sins. Therefore, God accepts His death as
- The covering for our sins.
- The sacrifice for our sins.
- The satisfaction for our sins.
- The payment and penalty for our sins.
- The appeasement of His wrath against sin.
When Jesus Christ carries a man’s case before God, He pleads His own righteousness and death, and God accepts His righteousness and death for man. It is by this and only this that we become acceptable to God.
Note on other point: Jesus Christ is the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He is the Eternal Son of God, the Ideal an Perfect Man. Therefore, all that He ever did covers Eternity. Jesus Christ paid the sin for all believers of all generations. He died for all people no matter who they are or what they’ve done.
But note a critical fact: A person has to come to Jesus Christ and trust Him to be his Advocate before God.
- “For this reason He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high Priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.” Heb. 2:17
- “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1John 4:10
Four things need to be said about propitiation:
1. God s the One who has to be appeased, satisfied, and propitiated. The Bible is not speaking of reconciliation. The Bible never says that God has to be reconciled to man. God is already the friend of man; He loves man. It is man who needs to be reconciled to god. Man is the one who holds enmity, who ignores, neglects, and rejects God. Thus, God is the One who needs to be appeased or propitiated. (Lk.18:13) There is another thought here as well. God is righteous and holy, and His righteousness and holiness have to be satisfied. He can only accept a person who is perfectly righteous and holy. It might be said that anything less than perfection would contaminate the atmosphere around God. The presence of God would no longer be utopia which God has prepared for the believer and for which man dreams.
2. Jesus Christ is the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice, the satisfaction for sins. Christ was completely righteous and holy. Therefore, He was the Perfect and Ideal Man. This means that His death was the perfect and ideal sacrifice. God was able to satisfy His justice against sins by casting it against Christ. The perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ completely satisfied and appeased the righteousness of God. (1John 4:9-10)
3. Propitiation means coverage. Christ covers our sins so that God no longer can see them. (Rom.3:25; Heb.2:17; 1John2:2)
4. Propitiation finds its place in the mercy seat, that is, in the lid of the ark(Heb.9:5). God has said that man was to approach Him through sacrifice of an animal, through the shedding of blood. The lid or covering of the ark was sprinkled once a year with the blood of a perfect animal. This signified that the life of the people was being offered to God in the blood of a victim. God was thereby appeased and satisfied. (Lk.18:13; Rom.3:25; Heb.2:17; 1John 2:2; 4:10)
