Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction:

One of the “Our Daily Bread” had a snippet that read: A man who walked from New York City to San Francisco totally by foot was asked what his biggest hurdle was.

He said that the toughest part of the trip wasn’t traversing the steep slopes of the mountains or crossing hot, barren stretches of desert.

He said, “The thing that came the closest to defeating me was the sand in my shoes.”

The Daily Bread then likened this to life and sin.

They said:

It is not usually what we think of as big sins that defeat us.

Most Christians fall to sins that they do not think are very big—the sand in their souls.

Transition:

It is interesting how over the years, when I’ve talk to people about sin, it is pretty easy for them to agree how abundant sin is in this world; however, whenever I’ve steered the conversation to their own sins, they were quick to steer it away.

According to most people in the world that I talk to, it turns out they never sin! It’s just a problem that everybody else has!

As wonderful as it is that I seem to meet everybody who doesn’t sin, I want to now meet the words of the Apostle John--as to what he has to say about this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

Scripture Reading:

Wow!

I wonder what all my coworkers in past times think of this!

Transition:

John continues his hypothetical hype that started in verse 6 and extends to chapter 2. Verses 6-7 involve a sunny stroll into fellowship and now in these verses this morning, hamartiological happenings are made manifest—in other words, after an admonition to walk in the light, we get a concise lesson in sin’s relationship to fellowship.

So, after the interesting revelation: “God is Light” (v.

5), and its application to ourselves (verses 6 & 7), we are now told what walking in the light involves a keen awareness of our sin and even more: it involves confession of personal sin.

I.

The Bad News (v.8)

Sin is the bad news!

but the really bad news here is that when we claim to have no sin, we are trapped by the very thing we denied.

Who is the we? unbelievers?

or believers?

“If we say that we have no sin” The present tense verb “we have” (ἔχομεν) once again uses the first person plural to include himself along with the readers, and possibly even the other apostles as was the case with the introductory verses.

This verb could again be translated “we are having.”

If so, this then shows the readers the daily trip ups and falls of those who are walking in the light, it cannot be the sins committed in the days of darkness before conversion.

This agrees with other scriptures and even with Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer--that we must daily ask forgiveness.

Okay, What sin then? is this our sins we commit or is this the sin nature we are born with?

well we get a hint of what is being referred to here by the fact that he uses the singular “we have no sin” not “we have no sins” this gives us the idea that he’s talking about sin in general--the sin nature we are all born with— what the theologians like to call The Doctrine of Original Sin.

This is the sin that is passed onto us through Adam’s first sin

“We deceive ourselves...” or lead ourselves astray from the truth” and have no right estimate of the gulf between our impurity and God’s holiness, if we deny this habitual frailty.

In the sunlight even flame throws a shadow; and that man is in darkness who denies his sin.

The truth may be near him; but it has not found a home with him—it is not in him.

Πλανᾆν is specially frequent in the Revelation, and always of arch-deceivers—Satan, the beast, antichrist, false teachers; it seems to imply fundamental error (comp.

ch.

2:26).

As in ver.

7, we have the opposite hypothesis stated, and the thought advanced a stage.

Not the exact opposite, “if we confess that we have sin;” but, if we confess our sins.”

It is easy to say, “I am a sinner;” but if confession is to have value it must state the definite acts of sin.

The context (“deceive ourselves … he is faithful”) shows that confession at the bar of the conscience and of God is meant.

Circumstances must decide whether confession to man is required also, and this St.

John neither forbids nor enjoins.

The recognition of what is impure and false in us ought to lead us to confess our sins.

II.

The Good News (v.9)

“If we confess our sins.”

This is the answer to our problems with fellowship!

John changes “if we say” (εἴπωμεν) of verses 8 and 10 to here:“if we confess” (ὁμολογῶμεν).

Positioned purposely between two false claims of verses 8 & 10 is an honest admission of guilt.

Another third-class condition: confession may or may not occur—if confession does occur, two things follow that would be true are not true if confession does not occur.

One may admit to having sinned in the past or even to having a sin nature, but still deny any need to confess sin in the present.

But notice here that John says we must confess, literally, “the sins” (plural) as opposed to sin in a generic sense.

This is not a confession where we say, “I am a sinner.”

Rather, it is the confession involving naming particular sins.

This confession involves admitting to specific sins.

John’s choice of this term “confess” over repeating “say” indicates his desire to draw a striking contrast between the attitudes addressed.

Also, as opposed to the self-serving claims in verses 8 and 10, this term indicates a humble as well as honest assessment by the one confessing.

All believers must acknowledge their sin before YHWH in order to experience Jesus’ cleansing work.

The idea behind “confess” is that this is an admission to the truthfulness of something, often of one’s guilt before a judge.

The popular adage that confession means “saying the same thing” as God says about sin is also contained in the basic meaning of this verb, though it implies more than just agreement with God.

Moody Monthly hits it right on the nail for the attitude we can have toward sins:

Man calls it an accident; God calls it an abomination.

Man calls it a blunder; God calls it blindness.

Man calls it a defect; God calls it a disease.

Man calls it a chance; God calls it a choice.

Man calls it an error; God calls it an enmity.

Man calls it a fascination; God calls it a fatality.

Man calls it an infirmity; God calls it an iniquity.

Man calls it a luxury; God calls it a leprosy.

Man calls it a liberty; God calls it lawlessness.

Man calls it a trifle; God calls it a tragedy.

Man calls it a mistake; God calls it a madness.

Man calls it a weakness; God calls it willfulness.

—Moody Monthly

ὁμολογῶμεν indicates here taking responsibility for those sins as well.

Thus, instead of denying guilt (1:8) or disagreeing with God about the presence of sin (1:10), or instead of asking for forgiveness in a broad, generic sense (or just because we were commanded to), the person goes to YHWH and says, “I am guilty before You because I have sinned as expressed by my willful acts.”

Those willful acts are then recounted to YHWH through the confession and wiped away with repentance.

Genuine confession include a broken heart and a sensitive conscience.

So, is this confession private or public?

Since the passage does not indicate public worship is in view, but rather daily living, it seems best to see this confession as personal.

As we’ll see months later in chapter 5:16–17, where John addresses praying for others’ sins and the issue of the “sin unto death,” private prayer is more in view than public prayer or confession.

Nowhere else in the epistle is the issue of public worship an issue.

Similarly, James’ call for confession (Jas 5:16) has the elders who have come to minister to the sick member in view rather than the church as a whole.

Thus, here it seems best to see this form of confession as private rather than within the public assembly.

This construction of the article with the plural “sins” is repeated for emphasis.

John’s point is that we are to confess known sins.

We admit to God that we have transgressed specific commands.

Again, this can occur only when someone has an honest assessment and sees himself or herself in the light of God’s moral purity.

“Okay, okay, I got it, I need to confess, but Is John indirectly saying that our unconfessed sins go unforgiven?”

NO!

Our sins were judicially dealt with at the cross (1 Pet.

2:24) which results in eternal life,

but unconfessed and unforsaken sin in the believer brings the loss of fellowship with God and chastisement.

(1 Cor.

11:31–33) Confession of sin would not bring fellowship with God, unless the sinner had accepted the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Notice here also that John didn’t say “every sin” here.

This lack of the adjective “every” likely indicates that we are called to confess known sins, not every possible sin—in other words, in our confession we ought not be anxious about if we confess every single sin we might have done.

“He is faithful and just.”