⁸If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us . . . ¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

If only we could at some point in this life arrive at the point of being sinless. Yet, self-delusion seems to be a common trait, even among some Christians. There is an entire movement within historic Christianity called the Holiness movement, which teaches the eradication of the sin nature we inherited from Adam and Eve at the fall. In this theological persuasion, the desire to sin has been supplanted by the commitment of faith that takes place at a so-called second work of grace. While a complete analysis and rebuttal of that way of thinking is beyond the scope of this meditation, we simply observe the thoughts of the apostle John, as he writes with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 8, he writes, “If we say that we have no sin . . .” and in verse 10, “If we say that we have not sinned . . .” John is speaking of both the sin nature and the act of sinning. We are still sinners, and we continue to sin, even after coming to Christ. The sin nature has not been completely eradicated. We are reminded of Paul’s struggle in Romans 7, where he says:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. (Rom. 7:18–21)

The solution is not to somehow twist our theological terminology to claim an eradication of sinfulness in our lives. Instead, as Paul goes on to write:

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 7:24–8:1)

The apostle John is more direct: to claim anything different is a lie! As believers we are freed from the judgment of sin, even though it is still with us. To deny that we still have sin is delusional and undermines all truth. If we deceive ourselves in not being aware of or accepting sin’s reality in our lives, how could we ever be sure we are not deluding ourselves in other areas of life?

Prayer: Lord, I want to grow in the awareness of sin in my life so that I can likewise grow in understanding and appreciating Your grace in my life.