June 2001 chaplain's corner

The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.

Chaplain's Corner - June 2001

Rev. Rich Hines

For this month's Chaplain's Corner I want you to look at 1 John 1:5 - 2:2. In considering this well known passage, two things become immediately apparent.

First, it's a passage to help discern and understand true spirituality in it's most basic form. The fundamental truth is that true spirituality does not begin until true conversion and salvation has been wrought in a man by God. This passage shows the difference between true saints, true saved people Christians, and those still lost in the darkness of their sin.

Second, it's a passage that teaches a true Christian needs to come back to over and over again to understand how he is to walk, or live daily - and what he is to do when a sin overtakes him.

Who and what is the true God? Who is a true child of God? What has Jesus Christ done and what is He now doing for the believer? What was the nature of the atonement wrought by Christ at Calvary? What is true confession and what are the marks of the false professors to salvation. All these things and more are answered in this section of God's word. Here, with simple profundity the Apostle states the content of THE faith, refutes the false teachers and reassures the true "born ones" of God.

He writes, beginning in 1 Jn. 1:5 -

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him

is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of

Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an

Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (One).

2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

In examining nine commentaries and listening to some preachers speak on this passage I have discovered that there are two approaches to it. The first sees the whole passage applying to Christians. It sees the "if we say" clauses in 1:6,8,10 as some designation of Christians who are not dealing with their sin properly. The second view (the one I hold to) is that John is showing the difference between the true children of God and the children of darkness, the unsaved. I believe the "if we sayers" of 1:6,8,10 are not truly saved. This view better fits the whole tone of the Epistle.

Note 1 John 3:8-10 -

8 He who sins (habitually) is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

9 Whoever has been born of God does not (practice) sin, for His (God's) seed remains in him; and he cannot sin (habitually), because he has been born of God.

10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

This approach, that there is a distinction between the saved and the lost in these verses also agrees with other inspired New Testament writers. For instance: Paul in 2 Cor. 5:17, 13:5 or Col. 1:20-23 or the writer to the Hebrews, in Heb.6:4-10.

Those that argue for the first view, for an application to the true children of God often use the argument that John used the word "We." But, it is possible to use the word "we" and not actually be including yourself in it. It can be a rhetorical device, such as saying "We in America have not repented of our sin," even though the speaker personally has repented.

Holy Spirit inspired writers did this in the past. For example: Ezra included himself in describing the sin of his people in Ezra 9:5-15, as did Nehemiah, in Nehemiah 1:4-11. The clinching argument for the view I take, which I call the discriminating view, because John is telling his readers how to tell the difference between the true saints and the false professors, - is the immediate context. I am talking about verse 5.

After a startling introduction in verses 1-4, in which John states that he himself has heard, seen and touched the Eternal Life which was manifested. John says in effect, "This is the message which He gave us to constantly give to you - first of all that God in His basic nature is total absolute Light. There is no way whatsoever that any darkness could ever be tolerated by Him. Because there is absolutely no darkness in Him at all." The literal rendering of the end of verse 5 is "Darkness there is not in Him, no, not in any way."

This, like Hebrews 13:5 is a double-negative, which in the ancient language was the strongest way to say something in the negative. Because of this strong emphasis, I believe we see John setting up his discourse in 1:6 - 2:2 by stating his basic premise in 1:5

In outline form then, John's Holy Spirit inspired words here (1:5 - 2:2) mean:

1. The main point is that God is totally holy and sinless. Verse 5

Then three sub-points

A. Men respond differently in their lifestyle to this God -

Some claim fellowship with Him but tolerate sin - verse 6

Others in true fellowship with Him, order their life according to His true nature - verse 7

B. Men respond differently in their view of sin -

Some deny it - verse 8

Others (true Christians) constantly confess it - verse 9

C. Men respond differently in their view of God

Some defame God and His nature - verse 10

Others look to God and His provision in Christ for their sin - Chapter 2 verses 1,2

1Cor. 6:17 says: "He that is joined to the Lord (salvation) is one spirit (meaning with the Lord) "

If God is total Light, and no darkness and if the believer is joined to the Light and becomes a partaker of the nature of the holiness of God, which 1 Thess. 5:4,5 and 1 Peter 2:9,10 confirm, we are "children of light," we've "come out of darkness into His marvelous light," how then could a saved man, a true believer, live a habitual lifestyle of darkness and sin? He couldn't!

Who then is the "If we sayer" of 1 John 1:6,8,10? He is the false teacher who seeks to creep into the fellowship of the saints as1 John 2:26 warns against.

So this a passage to evangelize those still in the darkness of a sin controlled life, yet assume as 1:6 indicates, they have fellowship with God. It applies everywhere you, a New Testament Minister of the Gospel might be, and especially in correctional/rescue chaplaincy.

Moving into the passage, the "We" of 1:5 does apply to the Apostles and first century eyewitness messengers of Jesus Christ. The word "declare" in verse 5, is in the present tense, so this means they were constantly and continually announcing the basic nature of the One with whom fellowship should be sought (God). In true spirituality, or Christ-likeness, we need to be faced with the true and perfect nature of the One we want to walk closer with.

In our time many spiritual life teachers stress to us that God is so man-centered, all He wants and is concerned about is man's comfort and self-centered happiness. Hence, the name it - claim it crowd.

The truth is the word of God puts the stress on something else. God doesn't save sinners to make them happy, He saves them to make them holy. Once true holiness begins to grow in His blood-bought children, then they will experience the ultimate in true happiness. Compare the thoughts in 1 John 3:1-3.

In restating the sum of all Christ had taught, that the basic nature of God is untainted perfect light, the Apostle is distilling the heart of the message of the Bible. Not only does the figure of light portray the holy nature of the Godhead, it also speaks of His work and un-frustrated ultimate will.

Most commentators center their comments on two aspects of the biblical use of the figure of light.

The intellectual and the moral. Intellectually light is truth, and darkness is error. Morally, light is holiness and darkness is sin and evil.

Since the person of God is called "Light" we are reminded that He is the thrice-holy ultimate reality. But light goes even further as a figure. It is an apt description of God's work. God as "light" points to His physical nature as the "Radiant glory." It also stresses that God is "self-revealing." As light's nature is to diffuse itself and prove there is nothing secretive or hidden about its nature, so God shines. He is always revealing Himself. He did this most profoundly in Jesus Christ, the "Light of the World"( John 8:12) and "a light shining in a dark place" (2 Peter 1:19). The light shines and banishes the darkness. That's what salvation does.

Also, think how light guides, which could speak of God's work in sanctifying believers. Light exposes flaws and imperfections and God is also a God of convicting us of our sin. On the other hand, darkness not only also represents ignorance and sin, but also unfruitfulness, lovelessness, lack of life, hostility to God (who is light) and empty disorderliness.

A serious meditation on verse 5 alone will cause the Christian to turn further from darkness and press on to know the Light, God, in a deeper more intimate way. It may also be used to cause the unsaved person to truly seek the Light, who alone through Christ, can forever banish his darkness.

The reactions of men to the God described as Light in verse 5, are seen first as three levels of darkness and unbelieving lostness in the lives of the "If we sayers" in 1:6,8,10.

The make-believers, or false professors to salvation and fellowship with God in 1:6 assume a relationship with God where there isn't one. They admit to sinning, but take it lightly because they think God tolerates some darkness. They admit their sin but their sin doesn't seem to interrupt or interfere with their supposed fellowship with God. Their claim was that they knew God but the truth was and is that they don't know Him because if they did they would "walk in the light as He is in the light"(1:7) and do the truth.

So many people today think God only wants us to intellectually know the truth, but the Spirit inspired Apostle says truth has a moral side as well. Truth is something to be done as well as believed. Having "intellectual eminence" and at the same time "moral failure" is not doing or "walking according to truth." (3 John 4).

The next group of lost men go even further in 1:8, and deny any present sin in their life. They argue that their sin actually is not moral wrongdoing. This is the secular psychiatrist's trick. This is mainstream America in 2001 calling good, evil - and evil, good putting light for darkness and darkness for light (see Isaiah 5:20-24). Such a delusion is only strong self-deception in the final stages.

The last group of "If we sayers" (1:10) goes the farthest, and are in total contradiction to God's word - they claim to have never sinned. In doing so they defame God. They who are in utter darkness have the audacity to ascribe darkness to the One who is total light! God says He is light and they say He is a liar. God's word says "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom.3:23) and "there is no one who does not sin" (1 Kings 8:46), they say they never sinned.

In contrast and distinction, the true Christian takes his individual acts of sin very, very seriously (1:7,9 and 2:1,2). Every day he is aware of the need of cleansing (1:7). John MacArthur points out the "fellowship" of verse 7 is fellowship with God, not between believers. He stresses that the word "another" must refer in verse 7, to God - because it is the blood of the "Another's" Son that cleanses from sin. The verb "cleanses" in verse 7 is in the present tense, and indicates continuous action. So daily and moment by moment, the serious Christian is aware of his need of cleansing.

The true Christian in drastic contrast to the sin-denying children of darkness (1:8) is in 1:9 constantly confessing his sin ( the verb confess in verse 9 is again present tense). He is constantly agreeing with God about the total ugliness and awfulness of his sin and Christ's total cleansing of each and every sin.

The exciting climax to all these thoughts on the Christian's view of sin and it's solution comes in 2:1,2. When the Christian commits an act of sin (here in 2:1 the verb sin is aorist, pointing to a singular act at a particular point in time as opposed to ongoing continuous action) he has an Advocate - One called alongside to help, an Attorney for his defense, who is both the Propitiator and the propitiation for his sin.

Some teachers and Bible translators don't like the idea of propitiation, which literally is the idea of a holy God being angry over sin to the point of requiring an appeasement of His wrath. That is what propitiation means.

The truth is the Father listens to our Advocate, "Jesus Christ the Righteous One," not out of sympathy and soft-heartedness towards us, but according to true righteousness, according to moral self-consistency - because Christ knew no sin, yet became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and satisfies God's moral law.

There is a connection between God's holy nature in 1:5, the continual cleansing with and by the once shed blood of Christ in 1:7, our confession in 1:9, and His propitiatory work in 2:2. Harry Ironside said: "By nature we do not want to come into the presence of God, but when the Holy Spirit has done His convicting work in our souls, we cannot stay away any longer, and we run toward the light, making our way into the very presence of the One we have been dreading. We then find the light is shining from the blood sprinkled mercy-seat."

This points to the fact that in the Old Testament imagery of the true throne of God in heaven (Hebrews 9:24-26) the place from which the uncreated light, the Shekinah glory (God's presence) shines, is the place that was sprinkled with the propitiatory blood of the Sacrifice (Christ). Ironside said: "If you come into His presence now you will find that though the light shows all the corruption and iniquity and wickedness, the blood is in the very same place from which the light comes!"

Since the blood in God the Father's view remains eternally on the mercy-seat, the place of propitiation, God who is light no longer sees one sin resting upon the soul that trusts that precious blood of Christ. Oh, what precious, positional truth.

By way of application in the life of the true Christian, I see a great aide here in resisting temptation. John says "My little children, these things I am writing to you so that you will not commit a specific act of sin" (1 John 2:1 - my own humble translation).

Somehow, in realizing how perfectly holy the Father is, and how costly the propitiation and cleansing for my NEXT SIN is, I don't want to commit it. Considering the cost to Christ and my need to in a sense, ask the Father to punish Him for my crime against His law (it's already happened 2,000 years ago at the cross), helps me to want more than ever to quit breaking heaven's holy law.

At the same time, when I know that I have sinned, oh what a comfort to know that the precious blood of Christ keeps on cleansing me from each and every sin. May you be personally blessed by this Chaplain, and may you teach these truths to inmates and staff at the correctional facility.

Rich Hines - Minister To Chaplains