I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      In spite of the doctrines of men to the contrary, man does not have to sin.

                                                             1.      John Calvin’s doctrine of “total depravity” essentially teaches that man is “made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil” (Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter VI, Article IV).  This doctrine is a product of misapplied Scriptures and false preconceptions.

                                                             2.      The Catholic doctrine of “original sin,” which is the root of Calvin’s doctrine, is also unscriptural.  The Bible does not teach that man inherits the guilt of Adam’s sin so as to be separated from God and condemned at birth.

                                                             3.      Rather, the Bible teaches that sin is a product of one’s own poor choices or spiritual ignorance.  Each soul carries his own guilt and not the guilt of others – “The soul who sins will die” (see Ezek. 18:1-4).

                                                             4.      The truth is that man does not have to sin, for God always provides a way to escape the sin during the process of temptation (Jas. 1:12-15; 1Cor. 10:13).

B.      Yet all of us sin occasionally, including Christians.

                                                             1.      Regarding all people of all nations, Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

                                                             2.      John addressed Christians specifically when he wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1John 1:8).

C.      In this lesson, let us consider the Lord’s commandments for Christians regarding sin in 1John 2:1-2.

II.      “THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN”

A.      At the time of John’s writing, there were false teachers who taught Christians that they might sin with impunity.

                                                             1.      These false teachers taught Gnosticism, which was a philosophy of beliefs based upon supposed superior knowledge.

a.       By this false superior knowledge, the Gnostics believed that all matter was inherently evil.

b.       Because of this, they believed that Christ did not actually come to earth in the flesh but was an apparition, a teaching that John strongly denied (1John 1:1-2; 4:1-3).

                                                             2.      The Gnostics taught that sins committed in the physical body would not be imparted to the spirit.  Therefore, they believed Christians could indulge the flesh without any spiritual penalty.

B.      John corrected these false teachings by stating that a Christian’s first obligation regarding sin is to abstain from it.

                                                             1.      He wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin” (1John 2:1).

                                                             2.      Rather than embracing the permissive teachings of the Gnostics, John encouraged Christians to avoid sin (see 1John 3:6-9).

III.   “WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE”

A.      Although John urged Christians not to sin, he also recognized that we do sin from time to time.

                                                             1.      As noted above, 1John 1:8 says that we deceive ourselves about our own spiritual conditions if we say that we have no sin.

                                                             2.      Moreover, John wrote that to deny our own sin is to make God a liar (1John 1:10), for God has said in His word that we have sinned.  If we deny His word, then we deny His truthfulness.

B.      Because Christians do commit sins, and because God loved us, He has given Jesus to be our Advocate.

                                                             1.      The word “advocate” comes from the Greek word parakletos, which means “called alongside.”

a.       This word was used in a court of law to denote a counsel, an advocate, and one who pleads another’s cause.

b.       Jesus applied this same word to the Holy Spirit in John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 (Helper, Comforter).

                                                             2.      If Christians sin, Jesus is our Advocate, which means that He comes to provide help.

a.       As our Advocate, Jesus intercedes for us and pleads our case before the Father.

b.       Jesus is uniquely qualified to do this because He has lived as both man and God (see Heb. 2:16-18; 4:14-16).  He represents God to man and man to God.

                                                             3.      Jesus advocates for us not on the basis of our merits, but on the basis of His merits.

a.       Notice 1John 2:2 – “…and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”

b.       By offering Himself as a sacrifice to be the propitiation for our sins, Christ gives satisfaction and atonement for the offenses that we have committed.

                                                             4.      The propitiation of Jesus is sufficient for the whole world, but He advocates only for those who are in fellowship with God.

a.       Jesus died for everyone (John 3:16), but His sacrifice becomes effective for those who are in fellowship with God and walk in the light (faithful Christians).

b.       One cannot willfully continue in the darkness of sin and honestly expect that the sacrifice of Jesus will atone for his sin or that He will advocate our case to the Father.  Notice 1John 1:6-7 – “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

IV.    TO BE CLEANSED FROM SIN

A.      One condition given by John for cleansing and forgiveness from sin is that we must be in fellowship with God.

                                                             1.      To be in fellowship with God, we must “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light.” (1John 1:7)

                                                             2.      Notice that simply saying that we walk in the light is insufficient.  We must give true service to God, not just lip service.

B.      Another condition required for Christians to be forgiven and cleansed from sin is that we must make confession to God (1John 1:8).

                                                             1.      To confess our sins is to recognize and acknowledge to God that we have sinned against Him.  Consider David’s confession in Psalm 51:4 – “Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Thy sight, so that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, and blameless when Thou dost judge.”

                                                             2.      Until a Christian confesses his sin, Christ will not advocate for him.  Without Christ as an Advocate, one has no access to the Father and no basis to make an appeal for forgiveness.

C.      Let us also understand that repentance is also required for forgiveness of sins.

                                                             1.      To repent is to change the mind or turn the mind away from sin and towards righteousness.

                                                             2.      This change is implied when John says that we are to walk in the light rather than walking in darkness.  See also 1John 3:4-9; Acts 8:18-24.

V.      WHAT IF I SIN AGAIN?

A.      One may ask, “If I sin again, will God forgive me?”

                                                             1.      Christ assures us that God will forgive us as often as we forgive others.

a.       “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matt. 6:12, 14-15)

b.       “Then Peter came and said to Him, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” (Matt. 18:21-22)

c.        If the Lord expects us to forgive one another with liberality and patience, then He will surely extend the same measure to us.

                                                             2.      Let us understand that this is not a “blank check” to sin.  Forgiveness by God is conditional as shown by John.

VI.    CONCLUSION

A.      Our first priority regarding sin is to avoid it altogether – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.”

B.      Yet if we sin, we have a Helper in Christ – “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”