Jesus – Page 18 – Michelle Lesley

Am I Really Saved? A First John Check Up
Lesson 4: Truth and Righteousness
Please Read: 1 John 2:18-29

Previous Lessons: 1, 2, 3

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
2 Corinthians 13:5

1 John 2:18-20

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 6: Do I want to be faithful to a doctrinally sound church?

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.

Let’s start off by looking at a few words in verses 18 and 19: “children,” “antichrist,” “antichristS,” and “they”.

It’s always helpful to keep in mind who the audience of a passage of Scripture is. “Children,” as I mentioned last week, reminds us that John is addressing the church, his “children” in the faith (which, by extension, includes Christians today). Apparently, the church had already been taught that Christ would be coming back and that the antichrist would be making his appearance before the Lord’s return. This antichrist is the one-world leader who will fight against and attempt to overthrow Jesus at the end of time.

But just as John has children in the faith, the antichrist (Satan) also has children, and these are the “many antichristS” to whom John refers. These were people, who at one time had been meeting with the church and seemed to be Christians, but who had left the church and become (or joined with) false teachers (see lesson 1 for more info.). This is who “they” in verse 19 is referring to.

John is making clear to the church that those who leave the fellowship of biblical Christianity to follow false teachers and teachings do so because they were never truly saved (“not of us”) in the first place. This is one way we can tell (“that it might become plain”) who is a believer and who is not. Those who are saved desire to stay in fellowship and assembly with a doctrinally sound body of true believers.

Have you left sound biblical doctrine behind to follow after false teachers (for example: Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, Beth Moore, Paula White, Benny Hinn, etc.)? Do you argue with biblically knowledgeable Christian friends who show you from Scripture that you’re following a false teacher?

Have you stopped going to (a doctrinally sound) church because…

…you’re not sure you believe in God, the truth of Scripture, or that Jesus is the only way of salvation any more?

…what your professors are teaching, what your friends believe, or the tenets of a group you’ve joined seem to make more sense than the Bible?

…you’re just not interested in church any more and have better things to do?

…you’re tired of feeling guilty for participating in your favorite sin?

Do you love fellowshipping, worshiping, and studying God’s word with other believers? Do you faithfully attend (a doctrinally sound) church because your heart craves it? Would you rather hear sound teaching in which God’s word steps on your toes than false teaching that tickles your ears?

1 John 2:21-28

Again, John uses two polarizing words (as he did with “light” and “darkness” in chapter 1) several times in this passage to draw a sharp distinction between those who are saved and those who are not. What are the two words John uses? (v. 21, 22, 27)

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 7: Do I believe in the Jesus of Scripture?

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

Here, John continues to explain to the church what constitutes an antichrist and why antichrists are not believers. Notice what he says in verse 21, “no lie is of the truth.” It seems like such an obvious statement, but have you ever said, when told that a teacher you’re following teaches things that are unbiblical, “Oh I just chew up the meat and spit out the bones”? John is saying that if the teacher you were following were biblical, there wouldn’t be any bones to spit out. Doctrinally sound preachers, teachers, and authors might make a mistake and repent of it from time to time, but they don’t persist in teaching lies. No lie is of a true teacher.

Another thing to take note of in this passage, again, is that John is talking to believers. When he uses words like “Jesus,” “Christ,” “Father,” and “Son,” they, and we, understand that he means Jesus, Christ, Father, and Son as defined in Scripture alone. Even as early as John’s day there were false teachers who led people to believe in a Jesus who was a mere man, others who taught he was only God at certain times, and others who completely twisted the biblical definition of who God and Jesus are.

It’s the same today. Mormons are one good example. They say the believe in Jesus, but they aren’t using the biblical definition of who Jesus is. They’re using the Mormon definition of Jesus, the spirit brother of Lucifer, born of a sexual relationship between God and Mary. John is saying that if you deny the Jesus of the Bible, you are not a Christian.

Mormons may be a clear cut example of people who deny the biblical Christ, but are you sure you believe in the Jesus of Scripture? Have you ever said anything like:

The God I believe in would never send people to hell.

Jesus was just a good moral teacher.

God is love. He forgives everybody.

Jesus just wants people to be happy. He would be fine with me divorcing my husband/being a homosexual/living with my boyfriend/not attending church/etc.

What is “what you heard from the beginning” in v. 24, and what does it mean for “what you heard from the beginning” to “abide” in you? How does this phrase/concept help John pivot from talking about what an unbeliver is to what a believer is?

What is the “if/then” statement John makes in verse 24? What does God promise in verse 25 to the “then” people?

John uses the word “abide” several times in verses 26-28. Examine his meaning in each use of the word. What does verse 28 say the ultimate result of abiding in Christ will be?

1 John 2:29

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 8: Do I practice righteousness?

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Last week we were careful not to get the cart before the horse in that it is not good or righteous behavior that turns someone into a Christian. It’s the opposite. Genuine, visible righteousness springs from a heart that has truly been born again.

John also makes sure we know he’s talking about habitually being righteous like Christ was righteous. Remember, the Pharisees acted righteous, and Jesus saw right through them and gave them a piece of His mind.

Describe what it means that Jesus is “righteous”. What are some Scriptures that show how Jesus’ righteousness manifested itself during His earthly ministry?

Is Christlike righteousness a habit that springs from your heart because you love Jesus? What are some ways you see the righteousness of Christ working itself out in your daily life?

Do you ever find yourself having to “put on” outward righteous behavior in front of others to keep up the appearance that you’re a Christian?

This week we’ve looked at three more “Am I Really Saved?” checkpoints:

Do I want to be faithful to a doctrinally sound church?

Do I believe in the Jesus of Scripture?

Do I practice righteousness?

A saved person will be able to honestly answer “yes” to all of these questions. While none of us are perfect at it, we trend towards a desire for righteousness of both heart and behavior. We love the Jesus of Scripture and the churches, pastors, and teachers who dare to teach Him in all of His glorious truth and splendor.

An unsaved person might be able to put on righteous behaviors, but has no righteousness of heart, because she is still dead in her trespasses and sins. She may believe in a “Jesus” who conforms to her own opinions and worldly standards, but not the true Jesus of Scripture. And she certainly has no desire to attend a doctrinally sound church where her self-made label of “Christian” or “good person” will be challenged by a call to repentance and faith in the true Christ of the Bible.

Additional Resources:

1 John 2– Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Are You Really a Christian? by Todd Friel

True or False? A Study in 1 John– at Naomi’s Table (lessons 10-11)

Church

Persecution in the Pew

August 7, 2015January 21, 2026 Michelle Lesley

Beheadings of Christians by ISIS. Crosses forcibly torn off churches by the Chinese government. Pastors imprisoned. Believers tortured for leaving Islam or sharing the gospel.

The treatment our brothers and sisters across the globe receive at the hands of pagans is nearly unfathomable. They are made to suffer – simply for claiming the name of Christ – by those who openly hate God and want nothing more than to stamp out Christianity.

This is how we, as the American church, have come to define persecution. Outsiders, non-Christians, and the government, all on the attack against the Bible, our faith, our practices, and other beliefs we have long held dear. It’s a correct definition, but it’s not a complete definition.

While we already see a “light” form of this type of persecution in the U.S. – mainly over the issue of homosexuality – there’s another kind of Christian persecution that is mushrooming right under our noses, which most church members either seem oblivious to, or are actually participating in. It’s the persecution in the pew.

If you’re a Christian who has ever dared to vocally take a stand on the truth of God’s word against the false teaching so prevalent in today’s pop Christianity, you’ve almost certainly experienced this type of persecution at the hands of people who call themselves “Christians.”

Don’t believe me?

Try posting a Facebook status that says the Bible prohibits women from being pastors or teaching men.

Demonstrate from Scripture to a Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, or Joel Osteen groupie that she’s following a false teacher.

Talk to a church member who supports Planned Parenthood “because they provide health care”.

Explain why Christians ought not attend same sex weddings.

Discuss the Bible’s account of Creation with someone from your church who has embraced Darwinian evolution.

Certainly, there are new and immature Christians who simply don’t know these things are unbiblical and are still struggling to embrace God’s Word in these areas. And there are those who know what God’s Word says, but rebel against it in these areas, who silently ignore Christians who espouse biblical truth, or can politely discuss why their “Christian” views differ from Scripture. However, the willfully biblically ignorant, “screaming banshee” contingent is growing, both in volume and in number.

Surprised? Me too. I’ve been on the receiving end of verbal abuse (and I do mean abuse – name calling, swearing, mocking, the questioning of my salvation, and any number of other nasty and condescending remarks) from “Christians” defending these and other unbiblical views numerous times and I still can’t get over my shock every time it happens.

Call me crazy, I guess I just expect people who call themselves “Christians” to love, obey, and uphold Scripture, not attack those who actually do.
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But this kind of thing really shouldn’t be cause for wonder and amazement. We should expect it. Persecution of God’s people by those who claim to be God’s people has been happening since the Old Testament.

Jeremiah:
Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. Jeremiah 20:1-2

Amos:
Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words… And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Amos 7:10, 12-13

Isaiah:
For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 30:9-11

Perhaps Jesus had in mind some of these instances of Israel’s persecution of the prophets when He said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:10-12

The balance of the New Testament is rife with examples of Christians, and even Jesus Himself, being persecuted by those who claim to be God’s people:

Stephen was martyred by “the people and the elders and the scribes,” while Paul, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;” who went on to be a zealous “persecutor of the church” held their coats.

It was the “high priest, the senate of the people of Israel, and the Pharisees” who imprisoned and flogged the apostles and “charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus” in Acts 5:17-42.

Peter and John were arrested by “the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees” and threatened by “Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.”

Even Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” He was nearly stoned twice by Jewish leaders. And, even though it was the Romans who actually carried out the crucifixion, it was only because it was illegal, under current Roman law, for the temple authorities to execute their own criminals.

It was one of Jesus’ own followers who betrayed him to the chief priests. It was the “chief priests and the elders” who arrested Jesus. It was “the high priest…scribes and the elders” who presided over the kangaroo court that condemned Jesus to death. And it was “all the chief priests and the elders of the people” who finally handed Jesus over to Rome.

We may think of these people as Jews, scribes, and Pharisees, but they were the “church people” of their day. It was these “church people” – as much, if not, at times, more so than pagans – who were the ones shouting down, threatening, persecuting, and murdering Jesus and Christians who upheld the truth of His Word.

Jesus knew this would happen. In John 16:2-4 He warned the disciples:

They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

And so it goes today. Deceived, self-proclaimed “Christians”, those inside the church who are often just as unsaved as the pagans outside the church, those who prove that they don’t belong to Christ by fighting against His Word instead of loving and obeying it, these “church people” are the ones viciously attacking Christians who dare to stand on and for the truth of Scripture. And they think they’re doing God a favor by acting this way.

Continue to cling to Christ and His Word and you’ll be one of their victims. It’s inevitable. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” But keep your eyes on Jesus, not on your circumstances, and remember He also said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted…theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When you’re persecuted, even by “Christians” you can “rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven!”

1 John Bible Study

Am I Really Saved?: A First John Check Up ~ Lesson 3: Love and Hate

August 5, 2015April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

Am I Really Saved? A First John Check Up
Lesson 3: Love and Hate
Please Read: 1 John 2:1-17

Previous Lessons: 1, 2

(Helpful Hint: Using the cross-references {footnotes to related verses} provided in your Bible or in the Bible Gateway links I’ve provided will be very helpful as you study.)

1 John 1:8-2:2

The closing verses of chapter 1, as we saw in last week’s lesson, deal with whether or not a person walks in unrepentant sin. Lost people deny that they are sinners and continue, unrepentantly, in their sin. (1:8, 10) Saved people confess their sin and are forgiven through Christ. (1:9)

John continues his line of thought in the opening verses of chapter 2 (Remember, when he wrote this, there were no chapters and verses. It was just a letter like you might write today.). He’s not writing just to point out sin and how lost and saved people deal with sin differently. He’s writing so that people will not sin. (2:1)

But when Christians (“my little children” refers to John’s “children” in the faith), do sin, John reminds us, Christ has already paid the penalty for our sin. Verses 1-2 of chapter 2 encourage us to remember this, repent, and be forgiven.

And that’s not all. Look at those great little words at the end of verse 2: “but also for the sins of the whole world.” That means that if you examined yourself according to 1 John 1 and found that you are indeed a liar who walks in the darkness while claiming to belong to Christ (1:6), or someone who denies that she’s a sinner, or claims she’s not sinning when she does things the Bible clearly labels as sin (1:8, 10), and you’re grieved over that and want to repent, there is hope.

The perfectly sinless son of God, Jesus Christ, stepped between you and God (“advocate,” 2:1) and propitiated God’s wrath against you for your sin so that you could be reconciled to God. He offers this precious gift of salvation to anyone who will turn from her sin and place her faith in Christ. (2:2)

What did you discover last week when you examined yourself according to 1 John 1? Do you walk in the darkness or in the light? Do you agree with the Bible’s definition of sin and confess your sins, or argue against the Bible and continue in sin?

Has there ever been a time in your life when you came before God, confessed and admitted that He is right about your sin and you are wrong, asked His forgiveness, and placed your faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as payment for your sin? If not, I urge you to do so now.

If you are saved, this passage is also an encouragement to remember, when you sin – and you will – that Christ has already paid the penalty for your sin. Remember the hope you have in Christ. Repent and be forgiven.

1 John 2:3-6

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 3: Do I keep God’s commands?

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

With this passage, we have to make sure we don’t get the cart before the horse. John is not, I repeat, not saying that you become a Christian by being a good person and obeying all of God’s rules. The Bible is exceedingly clear that salvation does not come from our good works but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

John is saying that people who have genuinely been born again keep God’s word out of a heart of love for Him. Apple trees just naturally grow apples because they’re apple trees. You could buy a bag of apples at the store and tie them to an oak tree, but that would not make it an apple tree. It would just be an oak tree with fake fruit hanging from it. See?

Examine your heart- do you desire to keep God’s commandments? Why? What is your motive for obedience to God’s word? Are you an apple tree growing apples or an oak tree trying to pass yourself off, with fake fruit, as an apple tree?

Verse 4 is very similar to 1:6. Do you claim to be a Christian while actively disobeying Scripture, justifying your sin, or giving no consideration to keeping God’s commands? What do 1:6 and 2:4 call people who do this? Is this the description of a saved person or an unsaved person?

What does it mean to “walk in the same way in which [Jesus] walked”? Are there any areas of your life that don’t match up with the way Jesus lived?

1 John 2:7-14:

What is the “new commandment” John refers to in verses 7-8?

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 4: Do I hate others? (9-11)

9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

This passage talks about living a lifestyle of hate. Do you have an ongoing pattern of hate in your life? Do you hate a certain person? People who behave a certain way? A a certain racial group or class of people?

Compare this passage to 1:5-7. Which two words does John again use to draw a sharp contrast between sin and holiness? What does 2:9 say about people who claim to be Christians, yet whose lives are characterized by hate? What does 2:10 say about the one who loves his brother? Which characterizes the life of the Christian, love or hate?

Which three groups of people does John address in verses 12-14? What are the reasons he gives for writing to them?

1 John 2:15-17:

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 5: Do I love worldliness?

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

What does verse 15 mean when it says not to love “the things in the world”? How does verse 16 define this phrase? Can you give some real life examples of “the desires of the flesh”? “The desires of the eyes”? “The pride of life”? Why does verse 16 say these things are “not from the Father”?

What does verse 15 say about people who love the things of the world? If “the love of the Father is not in” a person, is that person a Christian? Instead of loving the world, what characterizes a Christian, according to verse 17? Which is temporary, the world, or the one who does the will of God? Which is eternal? (17)

This week, we are examining our salvation with three questions:

1. Do I keep God’s commands?

2. Do I hate others?

3. Do I love worldliness?

Christians, out of love for God, desire to obey Him, love others, and reject worldliness. Lost people may behave outwardly in a way that looks like obedience to God’s commands, but, because they have not been born again, there is no love for Him leading to true obedience and love for others. The lost person’s true love is the things of this temporal world.

Where do you stand in light of 1 John 2:1-17? Do you love the right things, such as God’s word, others, and the things of God? Do you hate the right things, like sin and worldliness? Prayerfully examine your heart, comparing your motives and actions to these Scriptures. Surrender your life to Christ if you find that you are not truly saved. If you are saved, repent of any sin God reveals to you and ask Him to help you “walk in the same way in which [Jesus] walked.”

Additional Resources:

1 John 2– Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Propitiation: How the Cross Affected God by Steve Lawson

True or False? A Study in 1 John– at Naomi’s Table (lessons 7-9)

Evangelism, Missions

Missions Monday: Buy a Book ~ Be a Missionary

August 3, 2015August 2, 2015 Michelle Lesley

I’m just going to come right out and say it:

I want you to buy my book. I want you and your church and any other Christian organization you’re a member of to buy as many copies of my book as you possibly can.

Why?

Well, it’s certainly not because I want to become rich and famous and have a monopoly on Bible study sales at your local Christian bookstore. I really couldn’t care less about that.

And it’s not because I want to make a lot of money for my publishing house, or feed my ego, or prove myself to people, or score some sort of brownie points with God.

I want to be a missionary. And I want you to come with me.

How can buying my book turn you into a missionary?

Be a missionary to yourself:
If you’ve never turned from your sin and trusted in Christ’s death on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, you’ll find out all about that in my book (and FYI– you do NOT have to buy the book for that. E-mail me at michellelesley1@yahoo.com, and we’ll chat, or click on the video “Good News!” on the side bar.) YOU are your first mission field.

If you have been born again, buy this book and use it to study God’s word so that He can build you up into an even mightier woman of God than you already are. Let Him turn you into a praying, studying, praising, worshiping, Gospel-sharing machine!

Be a missionary to those closest to you:
Give Jacob as a gift to someone who needs to know Jesus as Savior–a friend, your child’s teacher, your beautician… Give it to a Christian friend or loved one to help her grow in her faith. Give copies to your local battered women’s shelter. Start a lunchtime ladies’ Bible study at work. Invite the women of your neighborhood to study Jacob in a small group in your home.

Be a missionary to those far away:
All of my profits from the sale of this book–ALL of them- I am personally not making a penny from book sales– are going to the International Mission Board to reach an Unreached People Group in the Middle East with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are people who have never heard the name of Jesus or that He is the only way they can be forgiven of their sin and escape an eternity in hell. (Find out more by clicking the UPG tab at the top of this page.)

You can also buy copies to send with missions teams from your church to distribute to the people they’ll be ministering to, or ship them to an overseas church that your church supports.

And all you have to do is buy a book.

1 John Bible Study

Am I Really Saved?: A First John Check Up ~ Lesson 2: Dealing with Sin

July 29, 2015April 5, 2019 Michelle Lesley

Am I Really Saved? A First John Check Up
Lesson 2: Dealing With Sin
Please Read: 1 John 1

Previous Lessons: 1

(Helpful Hint: Using the cross-references {footnotes to related verses} provided in your Bible or in the Bible Gateway links I’ve provided will be very helpful as you study.)

1 John 1:1-4

As we saw in our introductory lesson last week, in the opening verses of chapter 1, John places a great deal of emphasis on the fact that he was an eyewitness to the ministry and teaching of Christ.

What are some key words and phrases in verses 1-4 that show John was tangibly present with Jesus during His ministry?

Why would this eyewitness testimony have been important in terms of John’s credibility? As you read the rest of 1 John, do you believe John has the right and the credentials to make the claims he makes (in addition to being inspired by the Holy Spirit)?

1 John 1:5-10

If you’ve never studied 1 John before, one thing you might find interesting is that John, generally speaking, is a pretty black and white kind of guy. He sometimes uses words that draw a sharp contrast between one end of a spectrum and the other as he does here in the last half of the chapter.

What are the two contrasting words John repeatedly uses in the first half of this section?

What/Whom does “light” represent? “Darkness”?

What is the key word for the second half of this section?

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 1: Do I walk in the light or the darkness? (6-7)

6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin.

What does it mean to “have fellowship” with God? What are some words we use, labels we claim, behaviors we display, or activities we participate in that “say we have fellowship with him”?

What does it mean to “walk in darkness”? Do you think you might be walking in darkness while claiming to be a Christian?

What label does John use for people who live a lifestyle of walking in darkness while they simultaneously claim to be Christians? Are they really born again?

What does it mean to “walk in the light as He is in the light”? Does this mean we will never sin? How does the end of verse 7 answer this question?

Verse 7 tells us two results of walking in the light as He is in the light. What are those results? How does it impact the church when its members walk in the light? When they walk in darkness?

Am I Really Saved? Checkpoint 2: Do I confess or deny my sin?

8 If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Most of us wouldn’t boldly stand up and say we’ve never sinned, but what about justifying our sin or denying that something is a sin when the Bible clearly says it is? Have you ever heard (or said) things like:

“I’m gay because God made me this way.”

“It’s just a little white lie.”

“It’s OK if we live together because we love each other and we’re married in God’s eyes.”

“God called me (a woman) to be a preacher.”

“I’ll respect my husband when he starts acting respectable.”

“She started it.”

Aren’t statements and actions like these saying “we have no sin”?

Verse 8 gives us two results of saying we have no sin. What are those two results? Verse 10 gives us two more results of saying we have not sinned. What are those two results?

What does it mean to “make him a liar”? (10) What do our actions say to others about God? What is another way to say “the truth is not in us” (8) and “his word is not in us” (10)? What implications do those phrases have for our lives?

Verse 9 gives us two results of confessing out sins. What are thse two results? How, and to whom should we confess our sins?

This week, we are examining our salvation with regard to the way we deal with sin in our lives. A person who is genuinely born again will still sin, but she will agree with the Bible about what constitutes sin. She will be grieved over her sin, confess it to God (and others when appropriate), ask forgiveness and cleansing, and will want to avoid that sin. Her greatest desire will be to walk in holiness and to be conformed to the image of Christ out of her love for Him.

An unsaved person cares nothing about holiness beyond her appearance to others. She might do and say “churchy” things, but her heart isn’t truly in it, because, not having been born again, she has no love for Christ. She will unrepentantly persist in her sin, even arguing that the Bible is wrong, outdated, or doesn’t apply to her when confronted with her sin.

Do you walk in repentance or persist in sin? Do you desire real, inward holiness or just the outward appearance of being a good person? Prayerfully examine your heart, asking God to make clear to you the way you regard your sin, and repenting of any sin He reveals. Thank Him for the foriveness He promises through the blood of Christ.