Welcome back to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. Get a new lesson every other week on Monday at 12:00 PM Eastern.
We are now on Lesson 19 and we are going to study 1 John 1:10.
But first, let’s review what we learned from 1 John 1:9 in Lesson 18.
We learned that our faithful and just God will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness when we recognize how we are sinning and confess our sins to God. Since we all have a sin nature and are not perfect, there will be a lot of opportunities to confess our sins to Him. Confessing your sins to God will deepen your relationship with Him. Study God’s commands, meditate on them, and memorize them. Pray to God about His commands and ask Him to show you where you fall short and to give you the strength to obey His commands. When you do this, He will purify you and will help you grow spiritually. Over time, you will become more and more like Jesus.
In Lesson 19 we’re going to learn about the consequences of saying we have not sinned.
Let’s read our verse.
1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.
Let's focus on the first part of the verse, "If we say we have not sinned.”
The word "if" is a conditional clause. This means provided you do this, then the following will happen.
"We have not sinned" means we have not missed the target of keeping God's commands.
In 1 John 1:9 we learned about the importance of confessing our sins. To confess means to say the same thing God says about sin and to acknowledge that we have missed the target of keeping God's commands.
1 John 1:10 is in contrast to 1 John 1:9, because instead of confessing our sins, we are saying we have not sinned.
In Luke 18:10-14 we read a parable from Jesus about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying. During his prayer, the Pharisee thanked God that He wasn't like other men--swindlers, evildoers, and adulterers.
He wasn’t acknowledging his sins, but rather being prideful about how he kept the law by fasting and tithing.
The tax collector humbled himself before God, called himself a sinner, and asked God for mercy.
Listen to what Jesus has to say about these two men.
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
We can be quick to say that we would never be like the Pharisee, but in reality it can be hard to confess our sins.
That’s because our sinful nature is constantly pushing us to ignore, discount, and even blame others for our sins.
We have to be careful because we can be easily deceived by our heart and by our adversary the devil.
In Jeremiah 17:9 we read that the heart is deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
In 1 Peter 5:8 we read that our enemy the devil is always prowling around looking for someone to devour. He wants us to challenge God and question Him, just like he had Adam and Eve do in the Garden of Eden.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Instead of being deceived and saying we have not sinned, we need to humble ourselves, like the tax collector in the parable, and confess our sins to God.
Now let's focus on the next part of the verse, "we make Him out to be a liar."
"To make" means to produce, construct, form, fashion, or assert that one is.
The word “Liar” means a deceiver, a falsifier, or one who misrepresents.
When we say that we have not sinned, we are asserting that the God of the Bible is deceiver.
We are saying that what God commands is not true.
We are denying or rejecting what He says about sin.
Making God out to be a liar is blasphemy. Blasphemy is speaking evil against God or ascribing qualities to him that do not belong to Him.
The Bible teaches us that God does not lie, all His words are true, and that He is the truth.
In 1 Samuel 15:29 we read that God is not a man and He does not lie or change His mind.
1 Samuel 15:29 Moreover, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, for He is not a man, that He should change His mind.”
In Psalm 119:160 we read that all of God's words are true.
Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
In John 14:6 we read that Jesus, who is God, is the truth.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Instead of denying our sins and making God out to be a liar, we need to confess our sins and make God out to be the one who is the truth.
Now let's focus on the final part of the verse, "and His word is not in us."
“His Word” means statements, messages, decrees, declarations, mandates, or commands from God.
“Not in us” means that His word does not have any place in us, is not operating inside of us, or is not abiding in us.
When we deny that we have committed sins, we are not allowing what God says about sin to be a part of us or to be inside of us.
We are rejecting His word. By not accepting His message, we are not in fellowship with Him.
If we don't believe that we have sinned, then we won’t believe that we need a savior.
In John 5:35-38 we read Jesus' response to the Jews after they started persecuting Him because He healed a man on the Sabbath that had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
They did not believe the testimony John the Baptist and God the Father gave about Jesus. Jesus told them His word does not abide in them.
The Jews didn’t believe in the One that sent Jesus. Because of this, Jesus told them that God's word did not abide in them.
Let’s listen to the words of Jesus.
John 5:35-38 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light. 36 But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me. 37 And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, 38 nor does His word abide in you, because you do not believe the One He sent.
In conclusion, when we say we have not broken any of God’s commands, the consequence is that we are making God out to be a liar, we are rejecting His word, we are not in fellowship with God, and His word does not live inside of us. We have to be careful because we can be easily deceived by our sinful nature and by our adversary, the devil, who is trying to devour us. We need to humble ourselves, regularly confess our sins to God, declare that God is the truth, and believe in the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
Let’s read the verse for today’s lesson one more time.
1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.
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Thank you and God bless you,
Jeff M Newman
(Photo by Tj Kolesnik on Unsplash. Berean Study Bible.)
Lesson 19 - 1 John 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.