This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 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 1:5-2:2).
Taken from the sermon “You Are Forgiven” by Mark Vroegop. Read article 1 and article 2 of the series.
John concludes this section of Scripture by calling believers to live differently. In 2:1 he wants them to know that his purpose in writing to them is so that they can avoid sin. He’s not inviting them to more sinful activity. What we see here should serve as a motivator for righteousness. John’s aim is to produce godliness. But notice that his emphasis on personal godliness does not rest on us.
Jesus Pays It All
The hope of forgiveness is not our perfection. Our only assurance is in the faithfulness of Christ as our advocate. Our hope of forgiveness comes from the righteousness of Christ, not our own.
He is our advocate. He stands between the just demands of the law and our failures. He makes the case for our forgiveness. He comes to our defense. Jesus is the one who takes our penalty and our guilt. His righteousness is applied to our account.
That is what the Bible means when it says that he is our propitiation. It means that Jesus is personally the one who pays for our sin debt. Jesus is the one who provides the forgiveness that we so desperately need. Jesus makes it possible for sinners to be made righteous.
John seeks to remind us that these things are true. This is important because doubts can plague us. We may wonder if we feel certain or if we really do believe. We may still feel guilty. We may still feel ashamed. But the hope is simple and powerful—Jesus is the propitiation for our sin. And we must preach this truth to our hearts over and over. We must hold our doubts at bay by preaching the truth of the gospel to our hearts.
Believe and Run to Jesus
We must believe what the Bible says about God—he’s perfect. We must believe the truth about ourselves—we are not perfect. And we must run to Christ. Our hope for forgiveness comes from our confidence in Jesus.
And this is not just the hope for those who already know this to be true. This hope of forgiveness is available to anyone who would put their faith in Jesus today. It’s available to you.
No matter what you’ve done and no matter how long you’ve been doing it. No matter how weak you feel. No matter how hypocritical you’ve been. No matter how much you doubt. The Bible says if you confess your sins, God is faithful and just to forgive you.
The most glorious and important word as it relates to the Christian faith is something we desperately need but can never earn: forgiveness.
And the glorious news is that it comes to those who acknowledge their need of rescue. How do you know you are forgiven? You know that you are forgiven because you’ve come to believe the promise of God’s Word.
And what could be more hopeful than for a holy, righteous, perfect, and sovereign God to say, “I forgive you.”
Listen to the full sermon “You Are Forgiven” from the series Be Sure.
