
Introduction
The third and fourth lines of the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley say “I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul.” Are our souls unconquerable? If we hold to these words as “truth, “ We are truly a miserable bunch! Saying “we have no sin” is proof that we are truly fooling ourselves. 1 John 1:8-10 helps us out of that denial and into a place where we can see ourselves in the mirror. It gives us the ability to face the truth. That truth is that we have an inherited sin nature. The Bible tells us that this sin nature gets us into all kinds of problems. We choose to do things that aren’t good for us, even when we know better. We respond in hurtful ways when we are hurt we try to fix problems, and often in our attempts to fix them, we only make them worse. That sin nature, and our insistence that we are “okay,” takes us on a journey that leads us out into a deserted wilderness of despair. Let’s take a detour into a much more desirable vacation spot…
Observation
Pray
Begin your journey with prayer. Allow God to let the Holy Spirit reveal truth to you as you read and study.
Read Focus Verses
Please read 1 John 1:8-10.
What We Say
Verse 8 outlines the self-deception that easily finds its way into our lives. This disillusionment can be expressed in our words, but it can also be communicated non-verbally in our pious sighs of disgust when we hear that others have sinned. What does John say that we are claiming about ourselves when we do this?
Solution
According to verse 9, what happens every time we confess our sins?
Is God a Liar?
According to verse 10, how do we accuse God of lying?
Keyword "Sin"
Sin is referenced several times in this passage. Mark each instance of “sin” as a noun and “sinned” as an verb.
Chapter Theme
If you’ve completed the other studies associated with 1 John 1 or have read the entire chapter and have a good idea what it’s about, now would be a good time to enter a chapter theme. The chapter theme should be something short and sweet that summarizes the overall topic(s) of the chapter. For instance, a theme for Genesis 1 could be “God creates everything.”
Interpretation
Fooling Ourselves
According to 1 John 1:8, when we make the self-assessment that we haven’t sinned, we’re simply fooling ourselves. Read Proverbs 30:12.
Deception
1 John 1:8 tells us that by claiming to be sinless, we’re deceiving ourselves. It’s important to know who is behind the scenes deceiving the world. Read Revelation 12:9
Deceiver
Who is the deceiver of the world?
What is confession?
Let’s take a moment and look up the Greek word for confession that is used in 1 John 1:8.
Strong's G3670
Greek,homologeo [hom-ol-og-eh'-o]
--Verb
Origin: from a compound of the base of (3674) and (3056)
Definition:
- to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent
- to concede
- not to refuse, to promise
- not to deny
- to confess
- declare
- to confess, i.e. to admit or declare one's self guilty of what one is accused of
- to profess
- to declare openly, speak out freely
- to profess one's self the worshipper of one
- to praise, celebrate
Who do we confess to?
Let’s take a moment and look up the Greek word for confession that is used in 1 John 1:8.
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Self Deception
While we can easily admit that we have sinned (in our lifetime), sometimes we fool ourselves by saying we are not sinning in areas of our life where God has declared it a sin. If God has been prompting you during this study to stop deceiving yourself in a particular area of your life, take a moment and jot that area down now.
Your Word in me
What specific sin do you need to confess (or agree with God about)? Are you courageous enough to do that now? Will you trust God to cleanse you?
Wrapup
Closing
Have you enjoyed your journey…maybe through a wilderness…but reaching your destination at the Oasis of Truth where you can splash in the cleansing that God provides?
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