We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others...

This week we have been looking at a section of this letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible, called the book of John. In 1 John 1:8-10, we see John  make three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God. First, in verse 8, John proclaimed that we deceive ourselves when we proclaim that we are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God.

Then in verse 9, John revealed that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God actively chooses not to remember our selfishness and rebellion and removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion. In addition, John explained that when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God will cleanse and purify in a moral and spiritual sense from our selfishness and rebellion that causes us to not be right with God.

In verse 10, John explained that we cannot claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus and deny that we are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in our life.  After making these three if/then statements surrounding the connection between our response to our selfishness and rebellion and our connection with God, John then reveals the reason behind these statements, and his letter in 1 John 2:1-2. Let’s look at it together:

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ² and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Now when John uses the phrase “little children” this was a term of endearment that John used to describe the members of the church at Ephesus. You see, John cared deeply for the members of the church and desired their spiritual good and growth. And because of that reality, John explained to the members of the church at Ephesus that he was writing the letter to them so that they may not sin. In other words, John’s goal behind his letter was that the church at Ephesus would live their lives in such a way that they did not engage in acts of omission and commission against God and others that flow from a selfish love that placed one above God and others in a way that rebelled against God and others.

However, if anyone was guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that they should not do, or not doing things that they should do that hurt God and others, John wanted the readers of his letter throughout history to clearly understand that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. When John uses the word advocate here, this word was used to refer to one who appears on another’s behalf. And that advocate, John explained, is Jesus Christ, the righteous. In other words, Jesus Christ, who is totally just and totally right, appears on our behalf before God the Father to advocate for us when we act in selfishness and rebellion against God and others.

John wanted to readers of his letter to clearly understand that when we selfishly and rebelliously do things that they should not do, or not do things that they should do that hurt God and others, that Jesus would speak up on our behalf as their advocate who alone can be the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God.

John then reveals the reason why Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf as our One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God in verse 2: “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” Now when John uses the word propitiation here, this is a church mumbo jumbo talk words that refers to satisfying God’s right response to selfishness and rebellion in a way that removes the selfishness and rebellion. The word propitiation simply means that God’s right and just response to our selfish rebellion and sin was satisfied through Jesus death on the cross.

In addition, Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion removes the guilt that comes as a result of our selfishness and rebellion. You see, Jesus death on the cross provides us salvation because Jesus death alone satisfies God’s justice and removes humanities guilt that results from selfishness, sin, and rebellion.

And as John points out, Jesus death on the cross was not only to satisfy God’s right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion of those who choose to believe, trust, and follow Jesus as Lord and Leader. Jesus death on the cross was sufficient to satisfy God’s right and just response to the selfishness and rebellion of all humanity throughout all human history. You see, Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion provides the opportunity for all humanity to be forgiven of their selfishness and rebellion and experience the relationship with God that they were created for.

And because of that reality, Jesus and Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf before God the Father as the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God. And it is here, in this opening section of this letter, that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to connecting in true community. And that timeless truth is this: We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others.  

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because we deceive ourselves when we proclaim that we are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others.  We deceive ourselves because humanity throughout history has been prone to self deception when it comes to our selfishness and rebellion.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because when we say we have no sin in our life, we reveal that reality that that the truth of God is not in our life. We reveal the reality that the truth of God is not in our life because Jesus and the message and teaching of Jesus contained in the letters that make up the Bible make it abundantly clear that we have committed sin in our life.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because when we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others, God actively chooses not to remember our selfishness and rebellion and removes the spiritual and moral consequences of our selfishness and rebellion. When we admit and proclaim that truth about our selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others God removes the residue of our rebellion that causes us to not be right with God and that breaks our connection with God so that we can experience a growing and deepening connection with God.

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because the person who claims that they are not guilty of selfishly and rebelliously doing things that we should not do, or not doing things that we should do that hurt God and others makes God a liar. We cannot claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus and deny that we are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in our life. 

We experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others because Jesus Christ, who is totally just and totally right, appears on our behalf before God the Father to advocate for us when we act in selfishness and rebellion against God and others. Jesus death on the cross, in our place, for our selfishness and rebellion provides the opportunity for all humanity to be forgiven of their selfishness and rebellion and experience the relationship with God that they were created for. And because of that reality, Jesus and Jesus alone can speak up on our behalf before God the Father as the One True Advocate for the selfishness and rebellion that separates us from God.

So here is a question to consider: Are you deceiving yourself into thinking and believing that you are not guilty of selfishly rebelling against God and others? Are you attempting to claim to be walking in close connection with Jesus but denying that you are guilty of selfishness and rebellion in your life? Is the residue of your selfishness and rebellion against God and others damaging the connection and community you are experiencing with Jesus and others?

Or are you admitting and proclaiming the truth about your selfishness and rebellion against God and others to God and others who have been impacted by your selfishness and rebellion? Are you admitting and proclaiming the truth about your selfishness and rebellion against God and others so that Jesus can speak up on our behalf before God the Father in a way that draws you into true community with God and others? 

Because, as we have discovered, we experience true community with God and others as we confess our selfishness and rebellion to God and others…