5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
This passage from I John 1: 5-10
I see a lot of "if we say" passages.
If we say we have fellowship BUT walk in darkness .. we lie.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.... no truth in us.
If we say we have not sinned, we call GOD a liar.. his word is not in us.
John calls it as it is.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. If we say one thing... that we have fellowship with God.. and yet we do the things that are not what one in fellowship with God should be doing, then we are lying. Perhaps we lie not really understanding, but then we shouldn't be saying we're doing something that we aren't.
But look at this promise
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 cleanses us from all sin.
If we walk in the light, just as GOD is in the light, we will have fellowship with each other. Pretty cool eh? If we walk what we talk, then it's all good. No lies and we are cleaned from our sin. Neat isn't it?
Now imagine we say this:If we say we have no sin. Is it no surprise then that are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us? Of course not! God's word tells us that all we like sheep have gone astray, we have each turned to our own way. We have ALL sinned. Sin is doing that which is against the will of God, and it's something that everyone struggles with.
But see this promise:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Do you see it? That admission of guilt... leads to cleansing from ALL unrighteousness. Don't you want to live that way? Cleansed, free, knowing you've done what is right by God? Don't you want to live in a way that shows God for who he is? Don't you want God's word to live inside of you? Don't you want to show the truth of who God is?
Don't be (and I speak to myself here) a person who makes God out to be liar.
Admit your failings.
Confess them to God.
Let others see who God is through your honesty with God.
God gets it you know. He gets our struggles with sin.
He forgives us, freely and clearly when we confess them.
He does indeed!
Show God for who is he. Walk in the light this day!