Sin 8

B. Sin in a Believer’s life will result in:

6. Loss of fellowship with God

“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (I John 1:6).

“Fellowship” here refers to communion, intimacy, or partnership with God. It is an unhindered and joyful relationship with Him. Unconfessed sin creates a barrier between man and God. Walking in darkness and having fellowship with God are mutually exclusive. Let us look at the immediate context of this verse.

The Text

I John 1:3-10

3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.

8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Comments on the Text

3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

It appears from this verse that fellowship with other believers is dependent on or related to fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This fellowship with God is a key to having joy that is full.

5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Jesus is the “…true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:3-9). “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).

6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

We cannot lose our salvation (I John 5:8-13) but we can lose our joy and fellowship with God by our disobedience. The next chapter gives one example of the contrast between walking in the light and walking in darkness, “He that loveth this brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes” (I John 2:10, 11).

7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.

The word “walk,” used in verses 6 and 7 is the same word that is used in Galatians 5:16, where we are told, “…Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Just as our daily walk should be by means of or controlled by the Holy Spirit, our daily walk should be by means of the light (Jesus), and not in or controlled by darkness. This may be two ways of saying the same thing; those of us who are saved by grace should be obeying God in our daily walk.

The “fellowship one with another” in this context is likely referring to our fellowship with God, i.e. mutual fellowship, but it could mean with other believers also.

Some interpret the phrase, “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin” to refer to salvation. It is a fundamental truth that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ (I Pet. 2:18, 19), but this interpretation does not fit the context. John includes himself in the “us” of this verse and in the “we” of verses 6,7,8,9 and 10. He had been saved about 60 years at that time. The context is speaking of fellowship with God and the Christian walk, not how to be saved.

There is a difference between cleansing; related to our fellowship which is an ongoing process (v6 and v9), and justification; a onetime event in our lives. Hebrews 10:10-14 compares the priestly offering for sins and the eternal and complete offering that Jesus made on the cross. “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (v14). “…Our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity…” (Titus 2:13,14).

“…Jesus Christ the righteous:…he is the propitiation (sacrifice payment) for our sins: and not for our’s only but for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:1,2).

The grammatical structure of the word “cleanseth” allows the translation, “is cleansing us” from all sin. This has to do with our continuous confession and cleansing (v9) that affects our fellowship. It does not directly refer to our salvation which is already settled.

8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Those who say they have no sin are not fooling the ones around them. They are deceiving themselves.

9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

To confess our sins means to reckon it the same as God does, it is sin. It does not say to beg, plead, do penance, etc. Just confess our sins to God (not a human mediator). The immediate result of this obedient action is forgiveness, and cleansing. The context implies that this is an essential step toward having fellowship with God and joy in our lives. We must then judge and forsake these sins so that we may walk in the light and enjoy fellowship with Him. We may then function in the mode of glorifying Christ by “bearing much fruit” (John 15:8).

This subject will be studied in more detail in the topic entitled, “The Need for Confession.” Confession of our sins to God assures us of forgiveness and cleansing. It opens the way to restoration of fellowship and our fruitfulness for God.