WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH OUR SINS?
1 John 1:8-2:2
I. OUR SIN IS SERIOUS TO OUR GOD!
If we desire to live victorious Christian lives we must learn how to deal with our sins. The devil
has many Christians deceived into thinking they have to live in defeat and simply accept that
there is nothing that can be done about their sinful habits. The Bible tells us that is simply not
true. There is something we can and must do about our sin: 1 John 2:1. A Christian does not
have to sin. It is God’s purpose that His children live holy lives: 1 John 2:1. We have an
Advocate with our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ our Lord. We should never say we don’t sin:
1 John 1:6-10. If we try to hide our sin by lying we will not receive God’s forgiveness: I John 1:6;
Proverbs 28:13-14. When we cover our sins by hiding them from other people we begin to lie
to ourselves about our sin: 1 John 1:8. That word for “sin” in 1 John 1:8 is not a verb, it is a
noun. In other words you are saying “I don’t have a sin nature.” When we say we don’t have a
sinful nature and that your failures are not sin, you make God out to be a liar: 1 John 1:10. God
calls what you are doing sinful, but you say it is not. Malachi 2:17: our sin is serious to our God!
If we don’t confess and deal with the sin in our lives God will: Hebrews 12:8.
II. GOD PUNISHES HIS CHILDREN!
If when we have unrepented of sin in our lives and we are not chastised by our God, He is
not our God. When our God disciplines sin in our lives it proves we are God’s children.
Sometimes God chastises His children through illness: Psalm 32:3-4. God may chasten us
through our emotions: 2 Peter 2:6-8. God may even chasten you through your spirit:
Luke 22:61-63. Jesus has given us a promise in His Word that many don’t want to hear:
Revelation 3:19. Our Lord will rebuke us if we sin. If we listen and repent all is well. However,
if we don’t listen to God’s rebuke he promises to chasten us.
III. UNREPENTANT SIN CAN BRING DEATH!
Some people in the Bible died physically because of repentant sin in their lives:
1 Corinthians 11:30. Those folks may have been saved but they shortened their physical lives
by not repenting of their sin. God called and God rebuked but they would not listen:
1 John 5:16-17. When we try to cover our sins instead of confessing and repenting of them,
those sins will rob us of God’s blessings and bring on God’s judgement: Proverbs 28:13. Our
unconfessed sin will rob us in prayer: Psalm 66:17-19. Unrepentant sin will cause you not to
prosper in your home life: Psalm 127:1. God will bless you if you honestly confess and forsake
your sin: Proverbs 28:13. God gives us the choice: we can conceal our sin or we can confess
and repent of our sin: 1 John 1:9. The word for confess here in the Greek language is
“homolgeo.” It means to say the same thing.” 2 Corinthians 7:10. Once we agree with God
that we have indeed sinned and we repent of that sin, then God will cleanse us of all sin and
forgive us of our sin. We have an enemy that is constantly accusing us of sin: Revelation 12:10.
Satan is the accuser of the brethren, but Jesus Christ is our advocate with the Father 1 John 2:1.
An advocate is your attorney, your counselor, and your helper. Jesus Christ is our propitiation;
His blood paid the price for all of our sin! 1 John 2:2. Through Jesus Christ’s shed blood He
became the propitiation for all of our sin.