The more we grow in our relationship with God and the closer we come to God, we become more aware of our sin and lack of holiness. We gradually become more like Paul in Romans 7, where he reveals the Christian’s intense struggle against sin. This revelation then leads to the believer’s response to that sin. As John continues to present the tests by which one may know if he is a genuine believer, he informs the reader that genuine believers live a life of confession and repentance.

A genuine believer recognizes the ongoing battle with sin. Each of us responds to sin in one of two ways: either we hide it or confess it. In 1 John 1:6, the Christian learns the results of hiding sin. Some believe that through salvation, sin was eradicated in their life. Even today, some hold to the errant belief that they can come to a place of sinless perfection. Even those who would not stoop to the claim to be perfect regularly hide their sin behind other labels. We call sin everything but what it is. We call it a mistake, sickness, disease, alternative lifestyle, different choice, or simply who we are. These are all ways in which we seek to state in amicable terms that we are without sin.

We do ourselves no favors when we call sin by every other name. This is the message in Romans 1, where Paul states that those who began to glory in their sin declared themselves to be wise, but in all actuality, they were fools. Instead, the reality is that we all struggle with sin. So when we claim that we are not sinning or call sin by another name, we are deceiving ourselves. Until we come face to face with our sin and call it what it is, we cannot overcome it. Instead, we live in a state of self-deception.

However, the most severe reality is that we demonstrate that the Truth is not in us when we hide our sins. The Truth here is Christ. He is not in us because the very foundation of the Gospel is the acknowledgment of sin. Christ came to save sinners. This is the message of Romans 3:10-26. Christ came to conquer sin and grow us in holiness until the day when Christ fully and finally defeats sin at his second coming. When we deny and hide our sin, we reveal that we are not children of God.

We also see in I John 1 that when we hide our sin, we make God a liar. God clearly states that we all have a massive sin problem. When we pretend that this is not our problem and act as though we do not struggle with sin, we call God a liar. We are making God out to be a liar. When we say something is good that God says is not good, we are not simply aligning ourselves with the culture around us or seeking relevance in a changing world. We are stating that God lied.

What will be true of the individual if God is the light of his life? The light of God will be doing for him with light does. For one thing, the light will expose the darkness so that the dark places are increasingly cleansed of sin and become bright and fruitful places for God’s blessing. This does not mean that the individual will become increasingly conscious of how good they are becoming. On the contrary, a growth in holiness will mean an increase in a genuine sensitivity to sin in one’s life and an intense desire to eliminate from life all that displeases God. James Boice states well, “Instead of boasting in his progress, the person will be increasingly ready to acknowledge sin and seek to have it eliminated.”

Lastly, we reveal that God’s Word does not dwell in us when we hide our sins. Those who ignore the Word give themselves over to sin. On the other hand, as an individual spends more time internalizing God’s Word, there is always less sin. When one internalizes God’s Word, he begins to live out God’s Word.

This week’s challenge is to examine your life and acknowledge your sin struggle. Do you hide your sin, deny your sin, or defend your sin? Do you regularly recognize where you need to grow in your walk with God? Do you call sin by its name? True Christians recognize and acknowledge their sin. Next week we will move forward in 1 John and take great comfort in the reality that when we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive it.