I. Fellowship With God

A. The Nature Of God V. 5

1. God is light- John speaks metaphorically of the nature of God.
2. Light-purity, holiness. (metaphor) One can’t have fellowship w/physical light
3. No darkness- none at all.

a. James 1 :17 Every good gift & every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
b. No inconsistency with God. Perfectly constant in His perfect holiness.

4. We must not judge God incorrectly based upon experience/faulty understanding

B. False Profession Of Fellowship With God V. 6

1. Fellowship- shared life, having all things in common, and oneness.
2. Wuest- This person claims to have things in common with God, common likes and dislikes, (and) a common nature, i.e. the Spirit of Christ within them.

a. Sadly, some who make this claim make it falsely. False profession.

3. Walk in darkness- habitual action. A lifestyle dominated by habitual darkness.

a. This person is sinning habitually, continuously, which shows that he is an unsaved person or a severely backslidden person. No fellowship w/God.
b. “Where” they walk is in darkness. That is the realm of their existence.
c. They do not dwell in light, where God is. They lie, not walking in truth.

C. True Fellowship With God V. 7

1. Walk- Habitual action. One whose actions are, as a lifestyle, directed in the realm of light. This one walks where God dwells. This is possible for us.
2. Fellowship- A shared life with God is experienced by this one who walks in light
3. With one another- The believer & God have fellowship. Opposite of verse 6

a. The experience is reciprocal. We have fellowship w/God, & Him w/us.
b. Think of Him enjoying the righteous things you do, as you do them.
c. Our fellowship with God is reciprocal.
d. Eric Liddel /Chariots Of Fire- “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” (400 meters)

i. Gold medal in the 1924 Olympics in the 400 meter run.
ii. Liddel refused to run the 100 meters, b/c it was on Sunday.
iii. On race day, he received a note: 1 Samuel 2:30- “Those who honor me I will honor.” Liddel unexpectedly won & set a world record.

4. Fellowship w/God brings cleansing from sin.

a. Cleanses- present and continuous.
b. John 13:10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…”. Katharos (from which we get catharsis)
c. Ephesians 5:26 “…that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word…” Katharizo
d. Our minds are washed, purified. Our attitudes & desires are cleansed.
e. That is what biblical counseling, prayer, worship, meditation does for us.

II. Sin

A. The Truth About Our Sin Nature V. 8

1. Verse 8- This speaks of the heresy of what is called “Perfectionism”.
2. Some were claiming that they no longer had a sin nature.
3. Some say,“I’m only human”, “I make mistakes”. They never say, “I am a sinner”.
4. They deceive themselves. The truth is not in them.
5. It may be an unsaved man or a misinformed Christian that says this.
6. Paul refutes this strongly in Romans 3:10-25a. Man is inherently sinful.

B. The Truth About Our Sins V. 10

1. This person ignores their own conscience, and justifies their sinful actions.
2. They (try to) make God a liar, who is the One who determines what sin is.
3. They prove that God’s word is not in them, or else they would feel convicted.

C. Forgiveness Of Sin V. 9

1. Confess- The sinner is to believe, the saint is to confess. “To agree with another.”

a. We need to say the same thing about our sins as God says.
b. That it is wrong, to be avoided, and isn’t good or right.
c. Literally- “If we are confessing…”. Continuous action & attitude
d. It speaks of a point of view re. sin. A view that agrees with God.

2. He is faithful- God is true to His own nature and promises.

a. He does not promise to cleanse, and then capriciously change His mind.
b. He doesn’t get so frustrated that He withholds forgiveness
c. If God was inconsistent, we would be in & out of fellowship w/Him

3. And just– absolute rightness. It is a just thing God does to forgive the penitent

a. The Father sent the Son into the world to die for the sins of mankind.
b. All who have accepted Christ are pardoned from their sins.
c. When the Christian confesses a sin, the Father is right and just to forgive that person, having already arranged for pardon through Christ.
d. The Father is not unjust, in that he randomly forgives people apart from the cross of Christ.
e. The perfect requirements of God’s Laws were fulfilled in the man Christ Jesus. When a person receives Jesus, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to that person by faith.

4. Forgive- to send away, dismiss. God’s forgiveness of the Christian’s sin is not to establish union, but to reestablish communion.

a. Union was established when we accepted God’s pardon through Jesus
b. Communion is reestablished when we confess sins that Christ died for
c. God is light, and if the Christian, for a season, walks habitually darkness, communion is hindered and interrupted.

5. John writes to encourage them to not sin, and to also remind them that if they do sin, forgiveness is readily available because of the death of Jesus for our sins.
6. Read 1 John 2:1, 2