JESUS, THE AUTHOR OF FORGIVENESS
1 John 1:1-2:5
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR TESTIMONY
V:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
John the Apostle is focused on Jesus. He speaks first of Jesus’ eternal existence. God never tells
us what the time frame of the beginning is. The beginning has many reference points
depending on the circumstances.
In Genesis, the Word speaks of the beginning of creation. We have the beginning of Jesus\’
ministry on earth. We have the beginning of the Apostleship. We have the beginning of
our birth and the beginning of our relationship with Jesus.
In verse 1, John may be speaking of the beginning of Jesus\’s ministry when He called
the 12 disciples to Himself. We know, John is not speaking of the beginning of Jesus
since He has no beginning and no end.
Psalms 90:2-3
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Revelation 21:6
He said to me: \”It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
John and the other apostles were eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. For three and
a half years they heard the Words of Jesus. For three and a half years they witness the
miracles of Jesus. They experienced the power of Jesus. Jesus sent the apostles out
two by two to cast out demons and heal the sick.
They witness His death and His resurrection. They witness Jesus ascending back into
heaven. Who better to listen to than the eyewitnesses of Jesus\’ ministry on earth?
Not only that but John and the other apostles took charge of proclaiming the good
news about Jesus and growing the Church.
John and the apostles came to know the joy of eternal life in Jesus. They
knew life on earth ends in death but begins eternally with faith In Jesus.
In Jesus, the apostles saw the Father. Jesus and the Father are one. The
Word is Jesus Christ. Therefore the Father is being revealed to us through
our faith in the Word.
After Jesus assented back into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us
and teach us the Word. Therefore, we are witnesses to Jesus\’ Word.
The power of Jesus and the eternal life of Jesus.
Through our faith in the Word, we fellowship with Jesus and all of the Church.
It is our fellowship that brings us joy.
PROCLAIMING THE WORD OF TRUTH
V:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declared to you: God is light; in him, there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin.
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It is our job as Christians, to study the Word, meditate on the Word and believe the Word
as it is written. All truth is in the Word. There is no truth outside the Word.
We were born blind. Through faith in Jesus, we receive our sight. God is light.
Light is only found in the Word. Outside of Jesus is only darkness.
To fellowship with Jesus, we have to believe the Word. Fellowship is not only
believing the Word but also living according to the Word. Obedience to God’s Word is
the link to fellowship.
We cannot have fellowship with God in disobedience to His commands. When we are
disobedient to God’s Word, we are ignoring the light and walking in darkness.
We deceive ourselves when we continue in sin and claim fellowship with God.
We are able to lie to those around us, but we cannot lie to God.
The blessing of fellowship with Jesus is forgiveness of our sins. The The Blood
Jesus shed on the cross and atoned for our sins. It is His blood that covers our sins.
It is in the blood of Jesus that we are purified and made righteous before the Father.
In ourselves, there is no purification or righteousness because sin is present. It only
through the atoning blood of Jesus that righteousness is bestowed upon us.
ALL HAVE SINS
V:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
We were born in sin. Sin is in our DNA. All our life before Jesus we learn how to sin.
We are accustomed to being influenced by the TV, the internet, and social media. All of these
sources strive in darkness and rarely speak the truth. Our study of the Bible is colored by
what influences us the most. In the world sin is normalized. If we bring our normalized
thinking into Bible Study, we will ignore the Word that does not fit our way of
righteousness and therefore continues in sin.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end, it leads to death.
Therefore, we must believe that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Knowing this we must confess our sins committed knowingly and sin committed
unknowingly. It is the confession of sins that initiates God\’s forgiveness
It is only a proud person or a person ignorant of the Word, who claims he has no sin.
After Adam sinned all mankind was born in sin. We are under the influence
of the greatest liar who is Satan. The only way to fight Satan is to be under
the influence of Jesus. Without confession of our sins, we are under the influence
of Satan and will continue to lie.
The only way to have continued fellowship with Jesus is to continually confess your
sins. It must be a daily routine. Jesus is faithful to forgive and restore fellowship.
THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN
V.2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Apostle John was in his old age when he wrote 1 John. Some say between 100 to 120 years
old when this book was written. As we mature we should consider the younger Christian
generation our children. The older generation should share their faith and experiences
with the younger generation. The wisdom of God from older Christians should be welcomed
because their testimony of what God has done for them, provides encouragement.
When you understand the Word you have a job of proclaiming the Word. Many Christians
carry the guilt of their past sin as if they are unworthy of forgiveness. The truth is
no one deserves God’s forgiveness, but it is free to all who confess their sins. We have
an advocate in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who sits at the right hand of the Father
making intercessions for us. With His death on the cross, Jesus paid the price for all our
sins past, present and future.
THE EVIDENCE OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD
V:3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, \”I know him,\” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God\’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
Knowledge of Christ is through His Word. Living the life of Christ is through obedience,
We know we love Him and have fellowship when we strive to be obedient. We become liars
and deceivers when we willfully disobey His commands.
The fruits of the love of God are evidenced in our obedience. Life is a journey with Jesus
that requires corrections and encouragement. For Jesus to order our steps we must study His
Word continually.
THANK GOD FOR THE FELLOWSHIP
Rev. M. Mitchell
