Senior Class Notes – September 5, 2021

Fall 2021 Unit 1 Session 1 – Sure of Forgiveness – 1 John 1:5 – 2:2 PSG p. 14 – 23

September 5, 2021

The Point: We are forgiven when we confess our sin and walk with Christ.

Inspirational verses: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13).

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. This is a description of one of God’s qualities – completely sinless. It is also the introduction of the imagery of light and darkness – important images in John’s theology (KJVCRSB). Light represents what is good, true and holy, while darkness represents what is evil and false (see John 3:19-21) (NIV). Jewish people used “light” as a symbol at times for holy persons, for Israel, and for God. The Dead Sea Scrolls also divided the world morally into those who follow God’s light and those who belong to darkness. Various Jewish sources (especially the Dead Sea Scrolls) contrasted the followers of light (righteousness) with those of darkness (sin); they recognized from Scripture that God is wholly righteous “To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” (Ps. 92:15) (NIVCBSB). God is light: This is God’s nature, in His essential being, just as He is Spirit “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) and Love “He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:8). Light refers to God’s moral character. No darkness at all. God is holy, untouched by any evil or sin. Because God is light, those who desire fellowship with Him must also be pure (KJVFSB). God is light, which means He is absolutely glorious, completely true and morally pure. Because we are limited and he is infinite, we can only imagine his perfect holiness to a certain degree, but we can know that there is nothing about Him that is tainted in any way. The Lord is absolutely free from all sin at all times – no matter what the situation or the condition. He has separated Himself from all evil, untruth, guile and darkness (CFSLPB). Again, John implies his eyewitness status, having heard of him, that is, Jesus. John passes on to the church teaching he first received from Jesus. Light and darkness here have ethical overtones. John is saying that God is perfect and good; there is thus no sin or evil in Him. This will have implications for followers of this God in the following verses. God is light: To walk in this light, which is to live free from bondage to sin (cf. Rom. 6:18), is to make true communion between believers possible (KJSB). John had divine guidance in the message he related. As an apostle he actually lived alongside the Son of God. Darkness had crept in among the readers whom John addressed. To dispel it John testified to Him who is light. God sent the light of the world, Jesus “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12) (KJV). Another powerful theme that 1 John shares with the Gospel of John is the image of Jesus as the light (John 1:4; 8:12). Walking in His light means that we live with integrity, with no fear of public exposure of even the most intimate details of our lives (KJVTSB).

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not (live by) the truth: John may have been paraphrasing false views that needed to be exposed and corrected. To walk in darkness is to persist in sin. Since God is light (v. 5), His people are called and enabled to live by the light of His wisdom, truth, and love (KJV). To walk in darkness, suggests the danger of stumbling (2:10-11). Scripture warned against confusing light and darkness, right and wrong (Isa. 5:20) (NIVCBSB). We: John and his readers {today, that would include us}. To have fellowship with him means to be in living, spiritual union with God (NIV). To walk in darkness means to live contrary to the moral character of God, to live a sinful life. To claim fellowship with God without living a moral life or practicing the truth is to live a lie, since God cannot compromise His holiness to accommodate sin (KJVFSB). God allows no darkness in His presence. But there is hope (v.7) for the one struggling with sin (and this includes every believer) (KJVTSB). Whenever there is light, the darkness scatters. Likewise, when we have a relationship with the Lord, sin cannot continue in our lives (Isa. 6:5-7). We are reconciled to him by the cleansing blood of Jesus, and we continue in our fellowship with Him when we acknowledge our transgressions, turn from our sin and follow Him in righteousness (Gal 5) (CFSLPB). It is obvious that if there are false teachers or any others who claim to have fellowship (Greek koinonia) with God (having something in common with God), and at the same time continue to live according to the standards of darkness only, there is no way around the conclusion that they are lying! (KJBC). John may have had in mind people who claimed to be enjoying a close relationship with God, but whose lives were clearly characterized by sin. Such a state of affairs, John says boldly, is impossible; such persons are lying (KJSB).

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. This verse introduces the counterclaim to verse 6 – if we actually do walk in the truth, we will be assured of fellowship with God. In this context, fellowship is something shared between believers as a result of a righteous lifestyle (KJVCRSB). To walk in the light is to live consistent with God’s commandments and character. Fellowship, the shared knowledge of God’s light and love, is one of life’s deepest satisfactions. John identified the focal point of Christ’s saving work as the cross (KJV). Jesus’ violent death on the cross, which is what the blood signifies, is the initial antidote for and ultimate defense against sin’s presence and power (KJSB). Blood: from the Greek haima (from which we get hematology, a medical science that deals with the blood and blood-forming organs) – This is a technical word for the blood of animals or of people, but in the New Testament it is used to refer to the atoning blood of Christ. Blood was known even in the ancient world to be the seat of life – similar to what is communicated by our word lifeblood. Scripture draws a distinction between “flesh and blood” – the physical being – and the spirit (Matt. 16:17; 1 Cor. 15:50). The most important use of this word is to describe the work of Christ on the Cross whereby we are saved. This is the “new testament in his blood” (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 12:24), for “by the law almost all things are purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22) (KJVWSB). We must never lose sight of the fact that our sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5) (KJVTSB). Sin is a key word in 1 John, occurring 27 times in the Greek (NIV). Although water, not blood, cleanses in a physical sense, blood also purified in an Old Testament ritual sense. Sacrificial blood set apart what was sacred for God, purifying from sin by making atonement (Lev. 15:30) (NIVCBSB).

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. In both Scripture and church history, people have excused their wrongful deeds by claiming to be right with God (KJV). Others seem to have been claiming that they had no sin. Jesus had taught that those who owned up to their sin could find forgiveness, while those who were blind to their sin would be left mired in it (cf. John 9:41) (KJSB). It is unlikely that John was dealing with a hypothetical situation here. There apparently were false teachers claiming to have no sin in their spirits because they possessed mysterious, spiritual wisdom. Their special wisdom, they maintain, allowed them to live on a higher plane than that of normal human beings. Therefore, they could satisfy the lusts of their bodies without affecting their spiritual perfection (KJVTSB). Sin must be dealt with; it is a fact. The correct way of dealing with sin is not to deny it, but to acknowledge it and allow God to cleanse it (KJBC).

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. KEY WORD: Confess – To confess means “to say the same thing,” “to agree.” In this verse, to confess specifically means to agree with God about our sin (PSG p. 18). This is a restatement of verse 7. We ought not to deny our sins, but rather to confess them before God. This opens the door for His forgiving and cleansing light to purify our hearts. Unrighteousness is another way of saying “sin” (KJSB). The confession John writes about is an ongoing lifestyle of confession, not just a onetime confession at conversion (as this verse is often applied), John’s readers have already experienced conversion (KJVCRSB). He is faithful and just. Here the phrase is virtually a single concept (faithful-and-just). It indicates that God’s response toward those who confess their sins will be in accordance with His nature and His gracious commitment to His people (see Psalms 143:1; Zechariah 8:8) (NIV). Confessing our sins does not mean a shallow reciting of misdeeds. It means owning up to wrongdoing and bringing our lives into line with God’s goodness and commandments. God can forgive and cleanse us from terrible transgressions (KJV). John offered another key to how Christians can overcome sin problems: we must confess our sins, acknowledging our sinfulness and our helplessness (KJVTSB). To confess is to agree with God, to admit that we are sinners in need of His mercy. If a believer confesses his or her specific sins to God, He will cleanse all unrighteousness from that person. Forgiveness and cleansing are guaranteed because God is faithful to His promises. Those promises are legitimated because God is just. God can maintain His perfect character and yet forgive us because of the perfect and righteous sacrifice of Jesus, His own Son (2:2) (KJVFSB). When you pour out your heart in genuine confession and repentance, how does God respond to you? He says that you are completely forgiven and reminds you of how Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty for all of your transgressions – all unrighteousness. You have been declared justified – no longer guilty in His eyes. The Lord understands your struggles, and He wants you to find victory in them – not continue to feel shame because of them (Heb. 2:14-18). He is merciful and loving, which is why once you confess and repent, you are absolutely forgiven (CFSLPB).

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Since God is light and there is no darkness in Him (v. 5), to claim to be without sin is to claim to be on par with God, but God says there is no one like Him “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else” (Isa. 45:18). We have not sinned: Gnostics denied that their immoral actions were sinful (NIV). If His word is not in us, the saving message of Christ has not taken root. There may be surface knowledge of Christian religion, but the heart has not been transformed (KJV). A person who denies committing sinful acts does not have the Word of God changing his or her life (KJVFSB). If we deny our sinfulness, we are calling God a liar. We are saying that we don’t need a Savior and that God didn’t need to send Jesus to die for our sins (KJVTSB). To deny one’s sinfulness (v. 8) or sins is not just to deceive oneself; it is to make God a liar by denying His Word. Both Old and New Testaments stress the universality of man’s sin (e.g., Job 4:17; Ps. 14:3; Is. 53:6; Rom. 3:10-18, 23) (KJSB).

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: KEY WORD: Advocate – An advocate is a person who “helps,” who “provides aid.” Jesus is a legal counsel to defend Christians, particularly from His position in heaven (PSG p. 20). My little children, indicates John’s deep concern for his readers. In preceding verses, he had been concerned with erroneous notions that some may have held and advocated; now he turns directly to his addressees. Advocate is a legal term for “one who intercedes for another” (KJSB). Advocate: from the Greek paraklētos which is derived from the preposition para, “beside,” and the verb kaleo, “call”; hence it originally meant in a passive sense one who is called beside (to offer support). This passive sense was gradually replaced by the more active meaning of mediator, intercessor. Here in 1 John 2:1 Christ takes the role of an intercessor for the sinner. In John 14:16, 17 the Holy Spirit is called the paraklētos, there meaning Helper (KJVWSB). Jesus’ death was not the end of His ministry but the move to a new phase. Now He serves as our advocate or helper and mediator at the Father’s right hand (KJV). All human beings are sinners. But that is not an excuse for a lifestyle of sinning. The answer is to allow Jesus to be our advocate (our defense attorney) in God’s court of justice (KJVTSB). This is the picture of someone coming alongside to represent us, like a mediator (KJVCRSB). When we rely on the indwelling Spirit, we have everything we need to avoid sin (Gal. 5:16). Yet when we do occasionally sin, the Lord Jesus forgives us and helps us get back on track (CFSLPB). John’s statements about sin (1:8-10) were designed to make believers aware of sin’s ever-present danger and to put them on guard against it. According to Greek grammar, the if before any man sin carries the added sense of “and it is assumed that we all do.” This statement is not an encouragement to sin but a warning to all Christians to be on guard against sinful tendencies (KJVFSB). Righteous: In God’s court the defender must be, and is, sinless (NIV).

1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. KEY WORD: Propitiation – The word means that God has provided His grace through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross so that people can be accepted by God (PSG p. 20). Propitiation: from the Greek hilasmos. Used only here and in 1 John 4:10. In the New Testament, the Greek word hilasmos means propitiation, expiation, and perhaps (indirectly) sin offering. The basic idea (though some interpreters disagree) is to appease wrath for an offense by means of sacrificial atonement. Thus, Jesus satisfied the requirements of God’s justice, His wrath, by giving Himself for our sins. The related word hilasterion means “that which expiates or propitiates” (Rom. 3:25), as well as “the place of expiation or propitiation,” in other words, the mercy seat (Heb. 9:5) (KJVWSB). God’s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin. God, therefore, out of love (4:10; John 3:16), sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin. In this way the Father’s wrath is propitiated (satisfied, appeased); His wrath against the Christian’s sin has been turned away and directed toward Christ. For the sins of the whole world. Forgiveness through Christ’s atoning sacrifice is not limited to one particular group only; It has worldwide application (see John 1:29). It must, however, be received by faith (John 3:16). Thus this verse does not teach universalism (that all people ultimately will be saved), but that God is an impartial God (NIV). Jesus’ perfect obedience and sacrificial death satisfied God’s just demand for sin to be punished (propitiation) (KJV). This act brings about the merciful removal of guilt through divine forgiveness. In the Greek Old Testament, the Greek term for propitiation was used for the sacrificial mercy seat on which the high priest placed the blood of the Israelites (Ex. 25:17-22). This practice indicates that God’s righteous wrath had to be appeased somehow. God sent His son and satisfied His own wrath with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, Our sins made it necessary for Jesus to suffer the agonies of the crucifixion; but God demonstrated His love and justice by providing His own Son (KJVFSB). Jesus knows that we have sinned. But He does more than defend us. He is the propitiation – He paid the penalty for our sin! (KJVTSB). The word John uses to describe the work of Jesus – translated propitiation – involves the idea of a sacrifice for sins that turns away the divine wrath. Jesus does not turn away God’s wrath by ignoring one’s sin but by offering His own punishment in one’s stead – His life (KJVCRSB). Jesus bore in His body the punishment due us for our sin; in so doing He propitiated God, satisfied God’s just demand that sin be punished. Thus, Jesus is both the advocate for sinners and the sacrifice for their sins (KJSB). The phrase for the sins of the whole world does not mean the salvation of all people. It does mean that, in keeping with God’s promise to bless all the nations through Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:3), Jesus’ saving death extends the offer of salvation to all nations (KJV).

References: Fall 2021

(CWB) – Commentary on the Whole Bible by Matthew Henry – Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd. Copyright © 1960. Copyright 1961 by Zondervan Publishing House – Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(ESVSB) – The English Standard Version Study Bible, Personal size. Copyright © 2008 by Crossway. Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway.
(ETB) – Explore The Book by J Sidlow Baxter. Copyright © 1960 by J. Sidlow Baxter. Published 1960 by Zondervan Publishing House – Grand Rapids, Michigan.
(IMO) – On occasion, with the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit, I will make comments of my own, based on my understanding of the events. I will indicate such times with – In My O
(KJSB #2) – The King James Study Bible, (previously published as The Liberty Annotated Study Bible and as The Annotated Study Bible, King James Version) © 1988 by Liberty University.
(NIDNTT) – The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Copyright © 1967, 1969, 1971 by Theologisher Verlag Rolf Brockhaus, Wuppertal. English Language edition Volume 1 Copyright © 1975, 1986, The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A. and The Paternoster Press, Ltd. Exeter, Devon, U.K.
(NIVBTSB) – The New International Version Biblical Theology Study Bible Copyright © 2018 by The Zondervan Corporation. Text from the Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. previously published as The New International Version Zondervan Study Bible.
(NIVCBSB) – The New International Version Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Copyright © 2016 by The Zondervan Corporation text from the Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. published by the Zondervan Corporation.
(NIVJSB) – The New International Version Jeremiah Study Bible, Copyright © 2016 by David Jeremiah, Inc. Using the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan.
(NIVMEB) – The New International Version Ministry Essentials Bible, Copyright © 2014 by Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC. Based on The Holy Bible, New International Version NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
(NIVSB) – The New International Version Study Bible Copyright © 1985 by the Zondervan Corporation text from the Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the New York International Bible Society.
(NIVZSB) – The New International Version Zondervan Study Bible Copyright © 2015 by the Zondervan Corporation. Text from The Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
(NCBD) – The Nelson’s Compact Bible Dictionary Copyright © 2004 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. with Scripture Quotations from the New King James Version of the Bible Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1990 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(NKJVSB) – Holman Study Bible, New King James Version Edition Copyright © 2013 by Holman Bible Publishers Nashville, Tn. Text from the New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
(PSG) – Bible Studies For life – King James Version Adults Personal Study Guide Fall 2021 Vol. 9, No. 1
(QNBD) – Quick Notes Bible Dictionary based on text from the King James Version of the Bible and cross referenced with the NIV and NRSV Bibles. Copyright © 1998 by George W. Knight and Rayburn W. Ray.
(SEC) – Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Dictionaries of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament words. Copyright © 1890 by James Strong. Based on the King James Version of the Bible.
(TDNT) – Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
(THBC) – Today’s Handbook of Bible Characters Copyright © 1979 by E.M. Blaiklock, published by Bethany House Publishers.
(TZPEB) – The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, copyright © 1975, 1976 by the Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan