Big sins start from small sins and errors or mistakes that we usually ignore. It starts like small weeds which eventually grows into big weeds that tries to take over the lawn. God wants us to get rid of the small weeds - the small sins in our lives - so that it wont grow into big sins. We are in the Light, and we should shine a light into those sins, identify them, and confess them to the LORD. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). Lord, help me to identify the sins that have taken root and need to be weeded out of my life. Loving Father, please uproot the sins from my life so I can grow closer to You and others. Thank you LORD for your mercy and forgiveness.
.jpg)
Text: 1 John 1:5-2:2 New International Version
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.
7 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[a] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
[From Our Daily Bread] When I noticed a sprig weed budding next to the garden hose by our porch, I ignored the seemingly harmless eyesore. How could a little weed possibly hurt our lawn? But as the weeks passed, that nuisance grew to be the size of a small bush and began taking over our yard. Its stray stalks arched over a portion of our walkway and sprouted up in other areas. Admitting its destructive existence, I asked my husband to help me dig out the wild weeds by the roots and then protect our yard with weed killer.
When we ignore or deny its presence, sin can invade our lives like unwanted overgrowth and darken our personal space. Our sinless God has no darkness in Him . . . at all. As His children, we’re equipped and charged to face sins head-on so we can “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Through confession and repentance, we experience forgiveness and freedom from sin (vv. 8–10) because we have a great advocate—Jesus (2:1). He willingly paid the ultimate price for our sins—His lifeblood—and “not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (v. 2).
When our sin is brought to our attention by God, we can choose denial, avoidance, or deflection of responsibility. But when we confess and repent, He weeds out sins that harm our relationships with Him and others. By Xochitl Dixon
[From Commentary] The apostle John reminds us that “God is light” (1 John 1:5) and encourages us to walk in fellowship with Him (vv. 6–7). Elsewhere, Paul reminds us that we “are not in darkness” but are “children of the light” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–5). In 1 John, the apostle challenges us to “not sin” (2:1). But because we’re still not perfected, we do continue to sin (1:8). John assures us that when we confess and repent, God will “forgive us our sins” (v. 9). Our “advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (2:1), “through the shedding of his blood” (Romans 3:25), is “the atoning sacrifice [propitiation] for our sins” (1 John 2:2; see 4:10). The NIV Zondervan Study Bible describes “atoning sacrifice” as what Jesus did on the cross in “removing guilt and purifying sinners (expiation) and appeasing God’s anger toward sinners (propitiation).” K. T. Sim
[From me] Big sins start from small sins and errors or mistakes that we usually ignore. It starts like small weeds that eventually grows into big weeds that tries to take over the lawn. God wants us to get rid of the small weeds - the small sins - so that it wont grow into big sins. We are in the Light, and we should shine a light into those sins, identify them, and confess them to the LORD. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us our sins and purify us from our unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). Lord, help me to identify the sins that have taken root and need to be weeded out of my life. Loving Father, please uproot the sins from my life so I can grow closer to You and others. Thank you LORD for your mercy and forgiveness.
Posted April 13, 2023
