Mensa Otabil - Let's Not Deceive Ourselves (10/01/2025)
First John chapter 1, verse 8: «If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.» As I stated earlier, First John addresses problems in the early church. At this point, there are some people who believe that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh, and so John had to defend that they saw Him, they touched Him, and they heard Him.
There were other Christians who were saying that they are past sin; they are so holy and so righteous that they can’t sin again, and John is addressing them. Then there are those who are living in sin but denying that they are living in sin, and John is addressing that as well. This passage has been a source of worry for a lot of Christians, and some Christians today still hold these views. Sometimes you even hear preachers pronouncing some of these positions which were addressed 2,000 years ago in the early church. There are those who believe that the blood of Jesus doesn’t cleanse us thoroughly from sin, and then there are those who believe that this message that John is talking about doesn’t apply to Christians. However, a fair reading of First John will show you that he is talking to Christians.
So what does this passage in First John address? Firstly, it addresses the self-righteous believer. The self-righteous believer is a person who loves God, lives right, does the will of God, and feels so good about how well they are doing in their Christian life that they are tempted to think that they have no sin whatsoever. Sometimes, people feel that if they get close to God, serve God, and love God, then they would be perfect and without any sin. They become very puffed up and think highly of themselves while thinking lowly of other Christians. That is the self-righteous believer, and this is what the passage addresses. God wants us to live for Him; He wants us to live a holy life; He wants us to live righteously. However, as we seek to live that life, we must not become so high-minded as to think, «Oh, we are so good, we don’t sin anymore.» That is what John is addressing.
Secondly, he is addressing the sin-denying believer. This is a believer who loves God but also sins. Some of them live openly in sin but don’t care much about their sin, thinking that because their spirits are in union with Christ, sin cannot touch them. Unfortunately, there are people who continue to believe that today—living in sin and thinking that their sin doesn’t affect them because their spirits are united with Christ. When you read the New Testament, it is very evident that a person can be a Christian, live for Christ, and be tempted and sometimes fall into sin. Thus, our Christian life is not supposed to produce self-righteousness in us or sin denial.
There are also those Christians whose consciences are so seared that they live the wrong life without any sense of guilt or remorse, and they are unable to go into the presence of God to ask for forgiveness. If you truly believe you are sinless, you will never pray for forgiveness, confess your sins, or ask God to forgive you of your sins. John is saying that if we do that, the truth is not in us. We must aspire to live a holy life for God while also maintaining humility, knowing that we are human and sometimes make mistakes. When we do, we go to God and ask Him for forgiveness.
So today, we learn not to be self-righteous, nor should we become sin-denying Christians. We must be real Christians, authentic Christians who understand that we love the Lord but sometimes do wrong. When we do, we go to God for forgiveness. Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You know me in all my frailties. Help me to always be true to You and to myself. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»
Well, I trust that you are not going to be one of those Christians we talked about and that you will live right for God. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.