If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 john 1:8
Perhaps you have come out of the darkness. You may have been at one time like the prodigal son, but you have renounced works of darkness. You have forsaken evil ways. You have returned to the Father, and you have no interest in going back.
Perhaps you are seeking to walk with the Lord in the light of His Word. Your great desire is to enjoy fellowship with God and with other believers, and to be cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus.
People who walk in the light will never say that sin doesn’t matter. We know God is light. We know that in Him there is no darkness at all. We know that sin matters greatly.
The danger is for us to say, “Sin is what’s going on out there in this evil world where reckless and self-indulgent people are defying God. But sin isn’t in here in me.” The danger is to feel that in our pursuit of holiness, we have moved beyond the realm of sin.
But John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1:8). Whatever progress you may have made in sanctification, however closely you may be walking with the Lord, however disciplined you may be in your pursuit of a holy life, it will never go so well with you that you are wholly free from sin.
Are you becoming an expert in detecting the wickedness of others, while ignoring, minimising, or excusing your own capacity for evil?
