It's All in the Context

Hello, Everyone! Sorry for being late in posting this but I have been uber sick this week. So finally I am feeling better and my head is clear enough to think so I am sitting down to write this week's blog.

This morning I was reading from 1 John chapter 1. The writings of John have always intrigued me. I don't know if it's because he tended to focus on the deeper more spiritual side of things or because he wrote the book of Revelation or if it's simply because he was the only one of the twelve disciples to die a natural death. Whatever it is, I have spent a significant amount of time in my Christian life reading the writings of John.

So when I get to verses 8-10, I find their familiar exhortations familiar and comforting but then the context struck me, and I realized that I have been missing out on the big picture.

I think just about every Christian out their has heard 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us out sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is an awesome and powerful verse. Plus confession in the life of a Christian is VERY important to maintaining an open and growing relationship with Christ.

What you miss by not reading it in context is the reason WHY we should confess our sins. Why is it so important? Why not pretend that we never sin or mess up? Why not just go on with life because our salvation is secure in Christ? Why confess? We find that out in verses 8 & 10...

1 John 1:8 says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." If we try to deny that we sin or we pretend that we are the perfect Christians we are lying to ourselves--we are liars because the truth is not in us. We must confess our sins to keep us from being deceived and to keep ourselves honest.

1 John 1:10 says, "If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." If we lie about the sins we struggle with and the sins we commit then we make Christ a liar. The whole reason that God sent Jesus to die on the cross is because we are sinners, because we struggle with sin, and because we are imperfect. If we say that we are now perfect then we make God and Jesus liars. Plus God's Word is not being allowed to live and thrive in us.

It's all in the context.

All verses quoted today were in the English Standard Version (ESV).

Resources on 1 John
  

Living Without the Truth

“Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.’” Jeremiah 7:28

Everyday we have the opportunity to bend the truth, make excuses for our actions, and take actions that we believe no one will ever know about. We live in a world that ignores the fact that right and wrong is a black and white issue because that wouldn’t be politically correct. Instead they preach shades of gray, white lies, and compromise until they are blue in the face. Don’t offend people. Don’t tell them they are wrong. Don’t rock the boat. There are no absolute truths. What kind of message is this sending?

The Gray Problem

Jimmy and I work as a youth ministry at Villebrook Baptist Church in Hazelwood, Missouri. The issue of daily compromise and no absolute truth confronts us everyday as we work with these teenagers. I call this the “Gray Problem”. In the world where these teens are growing up, truth is relative not cut and dry, black or white. It’s all shades of gray. So how do you teach them that Christians are supposed to be “of this world” (John 17:14-16) and that we are not to “be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2)?

Teach the Truth

The first thing you can do to combat the lack of moral absolutes is teach the truth. Well you may be thinking “I don’t teach so how does this apply to me?” If you aren’t a teacher, leader, or preacher this still applies to you! You must teach yourself the truth daily through reading the Bible. If you don’t take the time to teach yourself the truths of the Bible then you are going into the battle without a battle plan. Your moral compass is pointing in whatever direction feels right instead of pointing to God’s truth.

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:25

Live the Truth

You have probably heard the saying, “You are the only Jesus most people will ever see.” It’s true. Most people who aren’t Christians will never open a Bible or step through the doors of a church. They know all about God, religion and hypocrites. Why do they need to go to church? If you aren’t living the truth in your daily life then you are missing an opportunity to show people who Christ really is. However, you can’t live a life of truth if you don’t know what the truth is (see “Teach the Truth”). You also can’t live a life of truth if you say that you believe one thing but your actions are telling people a different story—that’s hypocrisy!

"The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Lyrics from “Jesus Freak” by D.C. Talk

Prayer for Today

God, please help me to learn your truth by reading your Word daily, and help me to live in that truth daily so others can see a true picture of You through my actions as well as my words. Amen.