The
Two Cleansings
The context of cleansing in 1 John
1:1-2:2 is a matter of establishing and maintaining fellowship with the
Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. In that text, John employs the
word fellowship
four times (1:3,6,7). Fellowship
is κοινωνία
(koinōnia), “communion, joint participation, a sharing in common.” What
believers share in common are (1) a persuasion concerning Jesus, the
Word of life, and (2) a joint participation in godliness, which derives
from God the Father and Jesus the Son. Godly living is the
outgrowth of godly thinking.
When the Lord is pleased with how a man lives, he's first
pleased by how a man thinks.
It's why Paul, when speaking of weapons whereby believers wage
spiritual war, spoke of “bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the
obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Believers who want to live right MUST
first learn how to think
right!
Jesus is the LIVING Word made known
to us by the WRITTEN Word. He was the ETERNAL Word long before becoming
the HISTORICAL Word. The beginning
(1:1) is the time of creation. The verb was is imperfect
tense, signifying an ongoing existence with the Father prior to events
in Genesis 1:1ff. John began his Gospel in like manner: “In the
beginning was
[imperfect] the Word, and the Word was
[imperfect] with God, and the Word was
[imperfect] God. The same was
[imperfect] in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). The salient point
in John providing these foundational truths is to affirm fellowship
with the Father and the Son is joint participation with things
eternal while living in a temporal world.
John wrote this first epistle some sixty years after the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. His use of the
perfect tense in “having heard” and “having seen” the Word of life is
significant. The senses of SIGHT and SOUND are the two primary gateways
to the heart. John is telling readers that what he and companions HEARD
from Jesus is still ringing in their ears. What they SAW of Jesus is
indelibly etched in their minds' eye. It is the things both heard and seen that John is
declaring unto us.
In 1:4, John states the purpose of
this first epistle: “And these things write we unto you, [in order] that your joy
may be full.” The subjunctive mode presents fulness of joy as the POSSIBILITY for every child of God, not
necessarily the CERTAINTY of that joy. The verb “be full” is a
predicate nominative, perfect passive form. Literal translation: “In
order that your joy might be one having been made full with the result
that it remains full.” John tells us up front that fellowship
[joint participation] with the Father and the Son expresses itself in
fulness of joy. The two always go hand-in-hand.
The text of 1 John 1:1-2:2 is a
portion of scripture every new believer should master the first three
months after they believe in Jesus and are born again by God's grace.
It is mandatory they have a mentor to teach them, both by precept and
example, the practical truth of these verses as they begin to grow in
the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. They must learn what
fellowship is, how to establish it and how to maintain it. Fellowship
with God and its ancillary joy centers around cleansing from sin and
unrighteousness.
Cleansing is a major theme in
scripture. The verbs cleanseth
(1:7) and cleanse
(1:9) are καθαρίζω
(katharizō), “to make clean, purge, purify.” The work of cleansing
takes place with a view to holiness. In 2 Corinthians 7:1, Paul
exhorted: “Let us CLEANSE ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh
and spirit, perfecting HOLINESS in the fear of God.” God's expressed
desire is to sanctify and CLEANSE his Church “by the washing of water
by the Word” (Ephesians 5:26).
We see this truth in the life of
David. He prayed: “CLEANSE thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12).
After his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and subsequent cover-up
involving the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, David cried:
“Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and CLEANSE me from my sin”
(51:2). In 119:9, David asked a rhetorical question: “ Wherewithal
shall a young man CLEANSE his way? by taking heed thereto according to
thy word.” These passages speak to David's desire (1) to be CLEANSED
from both covert and overt sins, and (2) to CLEANSE his way continually
by ensuring his thoughts (thinking) and actions (living) were in
agreement with the Word of God. Every believer in Jesus Christ should
share David's desire.
Now let's examine the two cleansings
identified in 1 John 1:7, 1:9.
I. The Cleansing while Walking in the Light
1 John 1:7 reads: “But if we walk in
the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” The
verb walk
is present tense, subjunctive mode. The phrase is a third class
condition. Literal translation: “If we are in the process of walking in
the light (which may or may not be the case).” Walk is literally
“walking around” and speaks of lifestyle, going about the business of
living. The light in view is the light of God, what we learn of him, as
revealed in the scriptures. In contrast to the cleansing in 1:9, which
comes from confessing sin, the cleansing that results from walking in
the light of biblical truth happens apart from confession. It's
absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for ANY child of God to be aware (conscious) of
EVERY missing of the mark in his or her life. But the believer CAN do
what he KNOWS to do based on his knowledge of scripture (i.e., the
light). It matters not whether a man has been saved for one day, one
year or one decade. He can DO (thought or act) what he KNOWS (what he's
learned since God regenerated him). I believe it was R.A. Torrey who
gave this definition: “Walking in the light is the process whereby a
believer DISCOVERS the will of God through the study of scripture, and
then DOES that will each and every time he finds it.”
The verbs we have fellowship
and the blood cleanseth
are both present tense. Paraphrase: “If we are walking in the light
[of scripture as we understand it], then we are continuously
experiencing fellowship with God and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
is continuously cleansing us from EVERY sin [even the missings of the
mark of God's righteousness of which we are unaware].” This is GRACE!
There are few truths more valuable to a new believer than knowing God
is cleansing them from ALL sin while they are walking in obedience to
the knowledge of truth they possess, as limited as that knowledge might
be.
II. The Cleansing while Confessing Our Sins
1 John 1:9 reads: “If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.” The phrase if we confess is a
third class condition, meaning it may or may not be the case that a
believer, who is aware of missing the mark based on
the light he or she possesses, will confess that sin to God. The verb confess is ὁμολογέω
(homologeō), “to say the same thing as another, to agree with.” With
regard to sin, it means the believer agrees with God that what he's
done has missed the mark of Christ's perfection and God's holy
character. In modern parlance, it means he gets 'on the same page' with
God. The Spirit dwelling within us bears witness with our
spirit. When the believer walks in the light, he can sense the Spirit
saying: “I'm pleased with HOW you're thinking and with WHAT you're
doing!” In concert with the Spirit, he experiences the joy (senses the
pleasure) of his Lord. When he knowingly sins (i.e., deviates from the
light he possesses), he can sense the Spirit saying: “I'm not pleased
with HOW you're thinking or with WHAT you're doing!” This sense of
displeasure should result in confession and cleansing. The danger with
failure of the believer to confess sin is a progressive dulling of his
spiritual senses. When the voice of the Spirit grows fainter, the
believer's walk grows darker.
God is faithful and just
to forgive us when we confess our sins. In being faithful, he is
dependable, consistent. In being just, forgiveness is always a
righteous act on God's part because of the blood of Jesus. In his
death, Jesus satisfied the justice of God concerning every sin we've
committed or ever will commit. When the devil whispers in the ear of a
believer, “You've gone too far to be forgiven!”, the believer can
respond confidently, “There is no sin I can commit for which the
justice of God has not been satisfied in the blood of Christ!”
The verb forgive is ἀφίημι (aphiēmi),
“to send away, let go, give up a debt.” It signifies a release from
liability. In the NT, there are two types of forgiveness. The first is forensic
forgiveness, the legal aspect of our justification by faith in Christ.
God releases the believer, who was already condemned and abiding under
the wrath of God in unbelief (John 3:18,36), from ALL liability he
incurred because of his sin. This happens one time for all time as a
result of justification as the believer establishes a relationship with
God. The second is familial
forgiveness, a restoration of fellowship between the believer and his
heavenly Father. It's a family affair that can repeat itself a million
or more times during one's spiritual sojourn. The forgiveness of 1 John
1:9 is familial. The matter of our sanctification is in view, not our
justification.
In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter presented
Jesus with a question about familial forgiveness. He asked: “Lord, how
oft shall MY BROTHER sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven
times?” Jesus responded: “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but,
Until seventy times seven.” That's four-hundred ninety acts of
forgiveness. In Luke 17:3-4, our Lord made this familial pronouncement:
“If THY BROTHER trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and
seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt
forgive him.” If Jesus gave these gracious guidelines for familial
forgiveness between brethren, how much more does the Father extend the
same abundance of forgiveness to his children?
John juxtaposes our sins with all unrighteousness.
God knows we are dust
(Psalm 103:14). We are of
the dust and will return to the dust again
(Ecclesiastes 3:20). All our righteousnesses
are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The Lord Jesus (our treasure) dwells
within earthen vessels
(2 Corinthians 4:7). Apart from the perfect righteousness of Jesus
Christ imputed to us by faith, we basically have no righteousness
except that which is produced in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:4).
For every sin we commit of which we're aware—an awareness that becomes
more acute as we assimilate more light—there are many shortcomings of
which we are unaware. With regard to sins, God the Father FORGIVES them
as we confess them. Regarding unrighteousness, God the Father CLEANSES
us from ALL that is unrighteous about us as we confess what we know to
be unrighteous. Brethren, this is what GRACE is all about! It is grace
that saves us. It is grace that keeps us. When it comes to his kids,
God the Father has their backs!
In the matter of cleansing, the
passage in Mark 1:40-42 is both encouraging and profound. A leper came
to Jesus, knelt down, and said: “If thou wilt, thou canst make me
CLEAN” (1:40). Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand,
touched him and said: “I will; be thou CLEAN” (1:41). Mark tells us:
“As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him,
and he was CLEANSED” (1:42). Scripture teaches us that: (1) our
uncleanness stirs the compassion of Jesus, (2) cleanliness is always
agreeable to the will of God, and (3) the sinner who petitions God for
cleansing will NEVER encounter reluctance on God's part to make it
happen! Brethren, if the Lord Jesus was willing to cleanse the unclean
leper, how much more willing is he to administer cleansing to one of
his children who walks in the light and confesses his sins as he
becomes aware of them?
There is a redemptive reason why
cleansing is possible. John tells readers (i.e., believers) that, in
the event of sin, they have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous (1
John 2:1). Advocate
is παράκλητος
(paraklētos), “one called to the side of another to plead their cause
before a judge, an intercessor, a helper.” It's used five times in the
NT. In four instances, it's translated “Comforter” in reference to the
Holy Spirit (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). It's translated “Advocate” in
relation to Jesus. When a believer sins, his Advocate, the Lord Jesus,
argues his case before the Father.
At the risk of oversimplification,
the interaction between Father and Son might go something like this:
“Father, my client [you the believer] has entered a 'Guilty' plea. Let
the record show, my precious blood atoned for all his sins. The penalty
due him fell on me. Justice has been served. I died his death, and ask
the court not only reckon his debt to me as paid, but release him from
all liability.” The Father responds: “The court finds in favor of the
defendant [you the believer]. Justice has indeed been served on the
defendant's behalf. Let it be done as you my Son, his Advocate, have
requested!”
Jesus is the propitiation for our sins
(2:2). Propitiation
is ἱλασμός
(hilasmos), “a satisfaction, an appeasing, an expiation.” The companion noun ἱλαστήριον
(hilastērion) is translated “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5, which pictures
the lid on the Ark of the Covenant where the high priest sprinkled the
blood of atonement once a year for the sins of the people. Jesus became
the mercy seat that foreshadowed him. The PLACE of divine
satisfaction became the PERSON of divine
satisfaction. His blood shed one-time-for-all-time on behalf of sinners
is an eternal satisfaction. As long as the Father is satisfied WITH the
Son, the believer is safe IN the Son—a safety that forms the basis our
cleansing. As a motive for evangelism, John adds: “And not for
ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world” (2:2).
There's
NO sinner, no matter how sinful, who is beyond the reach of the blood
of Christ!
There is no doubt God (1) wants his
children to be clean, and (2) is willing to cleanse them day-by-day,
hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, moment-by-moment! All that God expects
from his children is to walk in obedience to the light he provides and
confess the sins his light exposes. If the child of God meets these two
criteria, he can be assured of fellowship with his Lord, cleansing from
ALL unrighteousness and fulness of joy! The truths revealed in 1 John
1:1-2:2, and the understanding of them, are absolutely essential for
growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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