1John Chapter 1
The way that I read this chapter. Again, I believe it to be written concerning doctrine corrections for the believer! (that may be where I am getting sidetracked here? :think: ) I don't see the connection between the verses on fellowship and the verses on attacking the issue of sin! The first chapter in my oppinion, could be broken down into 3 seprate topics.
Verses 1-4 Now in verse one, John is stating and trying to establish the fact that Jesus came into this world in the flesh, and that he is an eye witness to this. In verse three, once again John repeats that he himself a eyewitness to Jesus in the flesh. “Have fellowship with us” the us in this statement is representative of the believers. “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son”. This statement implies that there are some who are not in fellowship with the Father and the Son. In verse four, “ these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full”, the “we” in this statement is once again the believers. This brings up the question, who were they writing too? Who's joy did they want to be full?
Verses 5-7 In these three verses John is talking about fellowship with the father. In doing so he uses the comparison between the light and the darkness. This comparison is generally and prodominately used through out the scriptures as a comparison between the believer and the non-believer. Why would one assume these three verses to be different? Now Christ said “I am come a light in the world, that whosoever believeth on me shall not abide in darkness”. (John 12: 46) Also, Paul assures us that “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness”. (1Thes. 5: 5) Notice in verse seven, “walk in the light”, Christ states that “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Paul teaches us that, we, the believer, are in Christ Jesus! (or in “The light of the world”!) “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal.3: 26,27,28) There is only one way to be in fellowship with God the Father, and that is through his son Jesus Christ! It doesn't matter how holy you think you may be, if you are not in Christ, you are not in fellowship with the Father.
Verses 8-10 These three verses aren't specifically talking about fellowship, rather John is attacking the issue of sin. John is stating that sin is what is keeping the readers from having “fellowship with us, and fellowship with the Father and his Son”. Verse 8 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. This is a very intriguing statement! What believer or christian claims that he has no sin? If he or she is sinless or believes themselves to be sinless, then Christ “has become of none effect”. This is the very basis of christian philosophy, that we as believers are aware of our sinfulness and therefore in need of an atonement for our sins, through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ! “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Heb. 10: 12)
In verse 10, John reaffirms his stance that he had made in verse 8. That if you say you have no sin, the truth is not in you, and you make God a liar, and never had fellowship to begin with!!
As for verse 9, I think that John answers this best in the first and second verses of the second chapter of this letter when he states- 1) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2)And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Here John is clearly writing to the believer, (my little children) he states that if any believer sins he should stop right there and confess that little bugger or he will break his fellowship and it won't be forgiven unto him. No, thats NOT what he said at all!!! He says that if you the believer sins, you have an advocate in Jesus Christ who is the propitiation for your sins. Jesus came and gave himself on the cross a perfect sacrifice, to restore the relationship between sinful man and a holy God! Ephesians 2: 16 “And that he may reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity by it”. Ephesians 2: 19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God”;
