IV : SIN, CONFESSION AND SALVATION
I John 2:1-14
What is Sin?
“Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”
(Westminster Shorter Catechism)
There are no exceptions. Sin is anything that breaks the law of God, and a sinner, therefore, in the simplest and plainest words, is a lawbreaker. The Bible never lets us lose sight of sin and always emphasizes our own individual responsibility for what we do wrong. Its teaching is that we are all lawbreakers and that in word, thought, and deed, we daily break the holy law of God. To break the law of God is not merely to violate His commandments, but to fail to live up to the requirements of the law. John sums up the teaching of Scripture concerning this matter when he says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”[1] The responsibility for our sins is ours because sin is a matter of the will. We all make our own choices – to keep or to break the law of God.
What is the Law of God?
To a young man who came to Him asking how he might gain eternal life, Jesus said, “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”[2] Later, when a lawyer asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”[3] Every thought and all action can be tested by these words. Do you worship God half-heartedly? That is sin. Do you disobey His commandments? That is sin. Will the fulfillment of your desires make another unhappy? That is sin. Do you think of yourself before others? That is sin. Do you fail to do what you know is right? That is sin.
Confession
Just as surely as we are responsible for our sins, so surely it is impossible for us to turn from them in our own strength. And so we turn to God, our Heavenly Father, conscious of our need of Him. This is the first step toward salvation – a sincere acknowledgement of our need. With this turning to God in sorrow over our sin, which is called repentance, there must necessarily follow confession. John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive…”[4]
Salvation
Even as the Bible warns against sin, it also offers a way of salvation from the penalty of sin. “For the wages of sin is death,” writes Paul, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[5] “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved,”[6]is as true today as it was two thousand years ago.
When we say that you must believe in Jesus, we do not mean merely that you must believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, that He loves the world, and that He died for the sins of the world. What we mean is that you must be able to say that Christ died on the cross for you, that you are so sure of this that you put your whole trust in Him, believing that Christ alone is able to save you from the consequences of your sin. Believing in Jesus Christ is to be able to say with assurance, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”[7] Keep your hope fixed on Christ; He is the only way to be freed from the power and the penalty of sin.
It is always faith that saves. If you never put your foot on the bridge you will never cross the stream. If you never put your hand to the plow you will never reap a harvest. If you never put your faith in Jesus Christ you will never find salvation. Trust Him; put your hand in His; walk with Him. This is salvation.
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