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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Spiritual Forces of the Last Days, #3
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that 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 us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:7-9)
If we claim that a true Christian would not sin we are removing almost all (if not all) believers from the Church!
Notice the above passage:
It is held today that this passage refers to the need for the unsaved to receive Christ. As soon as they do, they are in the light and their sins are gone. The concept is that salvation is a one-time experience resulting in an eternal, unconditional amnesty. The conclusion drawn from this misunderstanding is that there never is a need for a Christian to repent, because his sins no longer are an issue—regardless of his behavior.
Here is a frightful error in theology. It has destroyed the morality of the Christian churches (and as a result of the civil governments that look to the churches for moral guidelines), and has given rise to several distortions.
The truth is, the above passage does not apply to the unsaved but to the saved. A casual examination of First John will reveal that the entire letter is addressed to the saints.
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. (I John 2:14)
If the letter is written to the saints, then the "we" in "If we confess our sins," is speaking to Christians, not to those outside the churches.
The true saint walks in continual repentance. As the Spirit of God points out to him the sins of his personality, he confesses them and repents of them. When he does, his sins are forgiven and he is cleansed. Thus his fellowship with God is maintained.
There is no genuine Christian experience apart from a continuing confession of sin and repentance.
Because of the erroneous belief that "accepting Christ" results in an eternal, unconditional amnesty, the Christians of today do not know how to respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If God should pour out a Spirit of revival, beginning with a conviction of sin, the churches would be unable to respond. They would perceive the convicting Presence of the Holy Spirit as being an accusation of Satan, since they are convinced that being in Christ means they have no sin.
To be continued.