This passage in I John ch.1 tends to run me in a circle. Then it places me where I need to be, confessing my sins and experiencing the faithfulness and justice of God. We are to walk in the light and trust the power of the cross of Jesus to live in obedience to him. Our pietistic heritage has emphasized the importance of living consistently and with integrity for Christ. There is an old chorus that states it well, "Living for Jesus a life that is true, striving to please him in all that I do." The problem comes when you fall short, or act selfishly out of pride or neediness. That is when you feel a strong urge to protect the image or to hide the sin. This passage says when that happens you are deceiving yourself, the truth is not in you and you make the Lord out to be a liar.
Adam and Eve hid when they disobeyed God in the garden. That began a long history of people using a righteous exterior to hide sin, always with disastrous results. But the answer is not found in lowering the standards or excusing ourselves by saying "I'm only human" or "everyone does it." The answer is found in verse 9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Practicing the discipline of the Confession of Sin and welcoming the Holy Spirit to bring light fully into our lives places us where we need to be on the pilgrim journey.
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