This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:6-10 NIV)
Have you ever had the experience of feeling that you had been terribly wronged by someone and thought that the best thing to do was to talk about it with them? Maybe you thought it were best to bring everything to the light so that you might be reconciled to one another? Yet, it did not happen. The one whom you wanted to be reconciled to decided that they wanted to keep everything in the dark. They wanted to keep on telling everyone else about their problem with you and how they thought they could fix you. But, they refused to meet with you. They refused to talk about the issues that might be causing a break between them and you. They refuse because they may have to acknowledge that they may have sinned.
As a pastor, I have run into too many people who prefer to hide in the dark than admit that they could have done anything wrong. People just refuse to admit that they may have done something most inappropriate and damaging to others. Adults in most "Christian" circles do not like their sins addressed. Many prefer to run away or hide in darkness from the issues that have brought hurt and division to themselves and the people around them. They do not like to be called on the carpet for things that they have said or done to cause rifts with their families, friends, neighbors, or churches. I confess that I have heard more confessions from people under the age of twenty then those that are over twenty. Is it because once we put a few years under our belts we do not sin? I think not.
St. John wrote that if we claim to be without sin, the truth is not in us. And; remember, Jesus is the truth! (John 14:6) Our sins do not need to be made public; but, there are definitely times to heal wounds and to be reconciled to one another; one must confess so that they might be forgiven and be made whole.
Live in the truth! Live in the light! Live life abiding in Jesus the Christ, our Savior and Lord!
God's Peace - Pr. J
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