John had a distinct purpose in writing his first letter: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin (1 John 2.1). Throughout this letter he demonstrated that the believer in Jesus Christ should despise sin and seek to walk in righteousness. Sin is awful; sin is despicable; sin separates from fellowship with the Lord; sin is against everything which is intrinsically holy in God; sin is contrary to the will of God; sin never pleases God; sin is selfish; sin elevates our authority and wisdom over God’s; sin always costs and has horrible consequences; sin is never in secret; sin is never in isolation; sin always negatively impacts others; sin results in judgment. Because of our sinfulness, Christ came to live upon the earth, was willingly mocked and rejected by the man He made; willingly hung and died upon the cross; willingly shed His blood that we might be forgiven of all our sin; willingly paid the penalty of sin in our place; willingly suffered that we might be free from sin, from the bondage of sin, from the horror of sin, from the judgment of sin.
We do not have to walk in sin. Our goal should be to not sin, to avoid all sin, to run from sin, and to have no desire to sin; to do nothing which would detract from the righteousness and the glory of God, that would bring shame to the cross of Christ. However, as long as we live in the flesh, we will battle 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 (2.1-2). This is our hope, though it should never give license to sin. Rather we should be humbled, knowing that when we do sin, Christ is our advocate, standing before the Father on our behalf, claiming us as having been washed clean in His blood, claiming He has fully satisfied the penalty of all our sin. May we be filled with thankfulness, having a clear resolve for purity in every area of life.
Great God! From thee there’s nought concealed,
Thou seest my inward frame;
To thee I always stand revealed
Exactly as I am!
Since I can hardly, therefore, bear
What in myself I see;
How vile and black must I appear,
Most holy God, to thee!
But since my Savior stands between,
In garments dyed in blood,
‘Tis he, instead of me, is seen,
When I approach to God.
Thus, though a sinner, I am safe;
He pleads, before the throne,
His life and death in my behalf,
And calls my sins his own.
What wondrous love, what mysteries,
In this appointment shine!
My breaches of the law are his,
And his obedience mine.
– Isaac Watts
Forgiven – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 