“If
we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have no sinned, we make
Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10
To
say that our Lord forgives all sin when we come into His covenant is an
understatement. To say that all sin forevermore is automatically forgiven
without our effort to repent – OR – that it is impossible to sin once our Lord
is received into our lives is deceptive, to say the least.
St.
John is not trying to make his charges feel guilty. Rather he is
reminding followers of Christ that their task in spiritual growth is far from
over. We think we are “already saved” as if we are done? St. John
says we are just getting started! But being aware of the sin in our lives
is being aware of our need for our Savior in our lives. Being aware of
sin in our lives in being painfully aware that though we have been cleansed
through justification, we are still being sanctified as we continue the Journey
together. Our justification before the Lord is His reminder that we have
hope in Him, but we must not turn our backs on Him and choose again the old
path that was leading us to death. Justification is a whole new journey,
a whole new path, a whole new life; but the path, the “Way” is Christ’s Way,
not ours.
Blessings,
Michael
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