My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2, ESV)
All of us were sinners before God brought us to the Christian faith. While we were still non-Christians, we were filled with unbelief, hostility, and wickedness. We were born with an evil nature, and out of this evil nature came evil thoughts and actions. Any sin at all against a holy God incurs ultimate punishment, and since we were slaves of sin, and since we already owed to God a debt that we could never pay, we had no hope in ourselves.
But God sent Jesus Christ, who has delivered us from the punishment that we deserved. We were saved, not by our works, and not even by our faith as such, as if we could manufacture such a holy thing to receive from God, but we were saved by Jesus Christ, who has revealed God’s election and regeneration of us through the faith that he has produced in us. In this sense, we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and there is no place for boasting, except in what the Lord has done.
Although we are saved by Jesus Christ apart from our own works and merits, this does not mean that God’s ethical standards have become meaningless. Instead, the Bible teaches that because we have been liberated from the power of sin, we ought to walk in truth and holiness; in fact, we will naturally do so. God has granted us various means and graces, including the Scripture and his Spirit, to strengthen and encourage us, so that we would overcome sin, and so that we will not conform to the world’s thinking and behavior, but will rather follow the example of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, John writes to his readers “so that you will not sin.” Nevertheless, it is assumed that we might sin, and there is provision for continual forgiveness and cleansing even after we have come to the faith. So he continues, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Thus although John wishes us to cease all sins, he does not expect perfection.
This is especially important for the proper interpretation of verses like 1 John 3:6 and 9, which say, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him….No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” The usual grammatical arguments on how John indicates continuous action could be true and useful, but hardly necessary. He clearly refers to a continuous state of sin, and not just occasional or even frequent failures. What he has said earlier in the letter reinforces this necessary interpretation, that is, he is not suggesting that a genuine believer would never stumble after his conversion.
We could declare, “No one who becomes a believer will continue to be an atheist.” Of course that is true, and it would be a contradiction to say otherwise. This would be like saying, “No one who becomes a believer will continue to be an unbeliever” or “No one who becomes a Christian will continue to be a non-Christian.” This is true by definition, but as unhealthy and reprehensible as it is, it is possible for a true believer to waver in his faith.
As Peter walked toward Christ on the water, he doubted and began to sink. Unlike some preachers and theologians who condemn attributing our failures to a lack of faith, Christ rebuked Peter for this very thing. Thus these preachers and theologians dare defy Jesus Christ in order to make their people – or perhaps themselves – feel better about their unbelief, their lack of results, and their numerous failures. The disciples asked, “Why could we not cast him out?” Jesus answered, “Because of your unbelief.” Because…of…your…unbelief! Our teachers exclaim, “Now that is just so insensitive. Let us follow the love of Christ instead.” Evidently, they follow some other Christ than the one portrayed in the Bible. The Christ in the Bible rebuked people from all walks of life repeatedly, over and over again in exasperation, about their lack of faith. Let us follow this Christ, and not some lame duck softie, who is no Christ at all.
Likewise, no one who becomes a child of the light will continue to walk in darkness, that is, to be continuously living in it as if he has never been regenerated. And if he is still continuously living in darkness, then it means that he has never been regenerated. He lives as if he is a child of darkness because that is really what he is. It is not that walking in the light earns him regeneration, since it cannot be earned, but that regeneration so changes a person that he now walks in the light. Righteousness has become his nature. If it is clear that this is not his nature, then he has never been regenerated. This walk in the light does not eliminate occasional failures, since we have not attained perfection. Still, we ought to grow in knowledge and in holiness, and to be eager to repent when we stumble.
“We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2), but we can still have confidence before God since our confidence has never been placed on ourselves, but on Jesus Christ, and when we stumble we recognize that he is our advocate before the Father. He has made a perfect and permanent sacrifice for our sins, and he is our high priest forever, so that our forgiveness remains and our righteousness stands secure. I do not want saints to intercede for me. I do not want Mary to speak for me. What, do you think that she could have escaped hellfire unless the Lord Jesus had pity on her? I do not want those prophets and founders of non-Christian religions to intercede for me. If anything, they need me to intercede for them! I want the Son of God, whom God loves, to speak for me. I trust him, and I believe God always hears him. Because I am confident of his standing before God, I am confident of my own standing before God.
People are adamant about using the word “propitiation” in verse 2, lest we lose the idea of appeasing divine wrath. I do not object to this, but it is questionable that many readers will catch this idea of appeasing divine wrath from “propitiation” more readily than from something like “the atoning sacrifice” (NIV). If an atonement is demanded, there must be divine wrath. If more of the intended meaning is carried by the former, the idea that we wish to preserve is more easily inferred from the latter by ordinary readers. This is not to argue about translation, but only to point out that the biblical doctrine is invulnerable to tampering, because to appease divine wrath is a theologically necessary doctrine founded on all of Scripture.
Our God is not a local or limited deity. The power of Jesus Christ blasts through all kinds of barriers. His gospel penetrates all races, cultures, and nations. He is not only the savior of the Jews, but also of all other peoples. His authority and relevance are universal. As Peter says, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off”; nevertheless, this does not mean that every individual is chosen for salvation, since he adds, “for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).
It is a disgrace to contextualize Jesus Christ as if to make him into a local deity, a racial savior, or a political champion. You adapt yourself to him! You contextualize your life to conform to him! Do not use him to glorify your race or culture or nation, or even to justify your hobbies and lusts and ambitions, but use your race or culture or nation to glorify him. Bend your race to exalt Jesus Christ. Twist your culture to serve his name. If it snaps in your hands, then throw it out and walk away from it. Jesus rebuked his disciples when they minded the things of men rather than the things of God. Yet there are Christians who constantly force the Christian faith to further their race, culture, and political ideals, even making this a mandate that believers must endorse. This is utter rubbish, unspiritual, and the vanity of vanities.