Daily Devotions 9th Feb 2017

1 John 2: 1If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father --- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

John is giving a reminder and warning rather than an encouragement to the Church. We are all born with the sin nature; we cannot help but commit sin either knowingly or unknowingly on a daily basis. When we say we do not sin, then we fool ourselves. There is no man who does not sin on earth except the man Jesus Christ.

Look around us at home, at work or in the market place. There is so much sin and evil that has been going on. Even right inside the Church, the whole congregation from the leadership down to the very small child sin prevails. This is a fact and cannot be denied.

In this letter, John reminds the church that we all struggle with sin and because of this our struggle has many drastic consequences. Hurt and failure are the fruit of sin. How many people are hurt and how many relationships have suffered in churches. Leaders have clashed with leaders, members have slandered and gossip against one another.

These have been going on and are still going on in Churches even today. The bigger the Church is, the more problems it has because every man is a sinner and a potential to bring sin and disharmony into the Church.

Some will turn around and say they do not sin just like the Pharisees. 1 John 1: 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1 Joh 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Though we know that we are sinners but this does not keep us away from God provided we do what he has asked us to do.

Again John has given us the key to this.

In 1 John  1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.