The purpose of this lesson: To stress the incredible things God does for Christians in providing the forgiveness that sustains our salvation.
This lesson is intended to challenge you to think. It is not intended to seek agreement with all it presents. You are asked to study the scripture and think. You are not asked to defend past concepts or to refute the concepts presented. You are asked to think to seek understanding. The essence of your faith is founded upon your understanding. For the sake of a living faith in Jesus Christ, think rather than react.
Emphasize these facts (a) we learn when we reflect on challenging thoughts; (b) those thoughts make us study to learn because such thoughts open us to consider concepts that are "new" to us; (c) such reflection and study produce understanding; (d) understanding results in a deeper faith in Christ.
There are several deeply complex studies/searches in scripture. One is a study of what scripture frequently refers to as the Law, and one is a study of human redemption. Neither the space for this lesson nor your time together will allow an in-depth study of either. For that reason, you are asked to consider some basic concepts.
Things that are true are often complex. Such concepts are not easily understood.
Concept one: The problems associated with the Law were not flaws in the law (Exodus 20:1-18). The Law was from God through Moses to Israel. There was no evil in the source. God is not the author of evil. There was no misrepresentation of God's will in Moses. Moses represented God well. No one had the relationship with God that Moses had (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 34:10). The problem was in the people of Israel--and would be in us! The defects or flaws were in those who received the Law! The Law came from the perfect God. Imperfect people could not represent themselves to the perfect God on the basis of their own behavior! Perfect obedience could not be produced by imperfect people.
Stress that the Law of itself was good and came from the source of absolute goodness. (We often assume because of what we have heard that anything in the Old Testament is of little or no value. A serious study of Deuteronomy would prove insightful and mind changing.)
The result is found in concept two. God had to do for people what they could not do for themselves. Since human behavior could not be the basis of salvation, divine behavior had to be the basis of salvation. That is the reason Jesus came to be Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Salvation is not "fair" and never has been. God did both parts for us to be saved. He did both parts in Jesus. He sent Jesus who had/has a relationship with the Father no one else had/has. Jesus, as a fleshly human, did what none of us could do--he did the will of the Father perfectly (see such passages as John 1:1-5; 1:14; 1:17, 18; 3:16-21; 3:34; 5:19; 5:30; 6:38; 8:28; 12:49, 50; 14:10). He used his blood to atone for our sins (Romans 3:21-26). All of us are redeemed from sin and given to God for service because Jesus died for us! Divine forgiveness replaced perfect human behavior. Divine forgiveness made it possible for humans to begin again, new and fresh, repeatedly.
Revealing godlike behavior was not enough. Humans proved themselves incapable of being perfectly obedient with motives focused on God's priorities. Thus, in Christ, God presents humans a way to belong to Him when humans continue to be flawed. This means of belonging is based on divine forgiveness rather than perfect human behavior. This focus does not remove obedience--it focuses on the reason for one's obedience.
Just as Jesus' death atoned for our evil, Jesus' resurrection provides Christians the certainty of hope (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 and note verses 57, 58). This hope is not the uncertain expectation of human wishes, but the certain expectation resting in the promises of God who cannot lie (see Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:13-20, noting verse 18).
God's solution to our sinfulness focuses on the double-pronged approach of atonement and hope (understand that hope is not human wishing but the certainty of a divine promise).
Concept three is the perfect means of our salvation. This concept is affirmed by John in today's text. (1) God is the source of light (sinlessness) Who is absolutely free from any form of evil. (2) Those who claim fellowship with God while deliberately (intentionally) living a godless life are liars who do not practice the truth (revealed in Jesus). (3) There are two evidences that a person has oriented himself toward a lifestyle of light instead of darkness. (a) He/she has fellowship with Christians and (b) exists in the cleansing of Jesus' blood (he/she trusts that cleansing is an act of God, not their own achievement). (4) If we declare we have no need of God's cleansing (we have no sin), we are self-deceived and void of God's truth. (5) However, if any Christian confesses his/her sins, God will (a) forgive the confessed sin and (b) cleanse the person from all unrighteousness. (God will forgive us of sins we are and are not aware of). (6) If we persist in declaring we do not need God's solution, we make God a liar and God's truth is not in us (to say we do not need what God says we need declares God is lying).
John affirmed that God's approach through Christ to our sinfulness is a real solution to a real problem. Instead of ignoring the continuing problem of human sinfulness, it provides for it. It provides by God doing what we cannot do through His forgiveness, and we doing what we can do by being honest with ourselves and God. The key is that the Christian trusts God to honor his promise to forgive. Even having confidence in forgiveness is a matter of placing faith in God.
Several things are called to your attention. (1) This scripture does not say if Christians are perfect in their behavior they will be forgiven. Perfect Christians do not need forgiveness. This whole scripture was written to Christians who knew they needed forgiveness. To deny sinfulness was to exclude oneself from God's forgiveness.
Stress God's solution is not about "perfect" people who need no forgiveness, but sinful people in Christ who need forgiveness.
(2) It is a serious offense against God to withhold the fellowship of Christians with Christians. Only in extreme situations where Christians were reverting to a godless lifestyle from a Christian lifestyle was this to occur (1 Corinthians 6). In the first century, local Christians formed a community that enabled believers in Christ to belong and receive care.
Fellowship has not received the positive significance the writers of the New Testament give it. It was primarily an encouragement to be righteous through helping those who placed confidence in God through Christ.
(3) Twice John wrote God would forgive a Christian of all sin if, as a penitent person in Christ, he/she would acknowledge (confess) the sin as he/she became aware of the sin. God in His forgiveness would do no less for the Christian than He does for the believing sinner who is baptized. For the Christian with a penitent heart who willingly confesses mistakes when he/she is aware of them, divine forgiveness is an ongoing reality in daily life. He/she lives in divine forgiveness. Certainly, he/she can exit a divinely forgiven lifestyle (2 Peter 2:20-22). However, he/she can live in that lifestyle by maintaining a penitent heart that confesses.
No one knows all the sinfulness he/she is guilty of. A perfect knowledge of all evil within a person would eliminate every person from salvation. If a Christian is honest with himself/herself upon a discovery of personal sin and honest with God through confession (accepting responsibility) for the evil, God forgives him/her of all unrighteousness in his/her life.
(4) This is a workable solution to human sinfulness! Humans can repent, confess, and trust God! Their commitment in Christ requires honesty with God, not perfect behavior! Any believing person honestly committed to Christ can live daily in divine forgiveness.
In this solution, people are capable of doing what is required of them--being honest with self and God.
What an affirmation of God's caring for humans! God cares about us so much that He produced a workable situation that assured salvation for all who will trust His accomplishments in Jesus Christ. Salvation in Jesus Christ is "doable" for any person anywhere who places confidence in God's achievements in Jesus Christ.
God's solution to our need is a constant, continuing evidence of the fact that He cares for us.
For Thought and Discussion:
This lesson is intended to challenge you to think. The result will be an understanding that produces a living faith.
The two in this lesson are the Law and human redemption.
Concept one: The flaws were not in the Law, but in people.
Concept two: God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We were incapable of "perfect" human behavior. He forgave.
Concept three: The solution to continuing Christian sinfulness was (is) perfect. Because God forgives, all He requires of Christians is honesty with self and Him about sinfulness.
This text is not about perfect human behavior.
It is a serious matter to withhold fellowship from other Christians.
Twice John said God forgave all unrighteous/sinfulness if the Christian was penitent.
This is a workable solution to human sinfulness.
The fact that God provided a continuing solution for a continuing human problem is evidence of the depth of God's caring for us.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 2