Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Perfectionism (1:10-2:2)

Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Perfectionism

If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.(1 John 1:10-2:2 ESV)

Here is the third wrong response people make to God’s searching and exposing light:

Unbelievers will claim they are sinless — This is the most hardened response to God’s light.  PERFECTIONISM is a theological sleight of hand that seeks to remove a person from all exposure to the truth about the darkness inside them.  It makes God a liar because He tells us we all need a redeemer from the guilt of sin.  God’s word is not in this person.  They have completely denied the gospel.

The believer acknowledges his need of a Savior from sin — Though it is John’s desire that believers not sin (and that is the only standard we can rightly allow), nevertheless he knows we will sin and that is why we still have as our advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous one.  As the only sinless person he was able to be a propitiation for our sins.  This means he was able to satisfy the just demands of God for punishment of sin and so turn His wrath away from us.  And he did this not only for a select number who alone need redemption from sin, but for all, because all are sinners.  Instead of invoking perfectionism we invoke PROPITIATION.

Believers sin and our darkness must be exposed continuously by God who is light so that we can be cleansed and made whole.  We must invite the exposure (a la king David’s prayer in Psalm 139:23,24), confess our sins and never think we have reached a place where we do not need the propitiation provided by Jesus.

If we want to have fellowship with the apostles, those whose gospel is the standard against knockoffs, we must acknowledge our sin and seek to root it out rather than hide it.  Jesus’ whole purpose in coming was to be our propitiation, to make us holy before the God who is perfect light.  False gospels will inevitably fail in this test, advocating some form of self-established righteousness that encourages hiding just how sinful and hopeless we are before an absolutely righteous God.