1 John 1:10-2:2 “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

If we deny that we still sin today, we aren’t being honest with ourselves. We are only deceiving ourselves. Living in such self-deception is dangerous to our faith and gets in the way of our spiritual growth.

Regarding our past sins, the apostle John points out what we are saying about God: we are calling him a liar, because he says we have sinned. If we insist on taking this stand–I don’t sin and I haven’t sinned in the past–then we have clear evidence God’s word is not working in our lives.

It’s not that John somehow wants us to keep sinning. “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin.” He is just trying to get us to be honest. Until we come to grips with the disease, we won’t receive the right medicine.

Here is the medicine, one last time, and in further detail. “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense–Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Have you ever dealt with the child who won’t own up to his naughty behavior because he is afraid? All he sees coming if he confesses is the consequences–a spanking, or a tongue lashing, or a grounding, or a time out. A criminal runs from the law for the same reason–fines, prison, or hours of community service are outcomes he hopes to avoid.

But what if we had the confidence that someone had already taken our whipping and did our time? Isn’t that what John says about Jesus here? At the cross, Jesus paid the whole debt. And we don’t need to worry that maybe, somehow, my sin-debt wasn’t included, because there are no exceptions. Everyone and every sin was included. He is the atoning sacrifice “for the sins of the whole world.” Why deny our sins, past or present, when Jesus has removed them?