No Fooling

“If we say that we have not sinned, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth isn’t in our hearts.” 1 John 1:8

Have you ever struggled with a loved one who had a medical condition and wouldn’t admit it? Perhaps they had constant, sever pain and hid it. Finally, after seeing them grimace time and time again when doing some simple task like leaning over to pick up the newspaper, you realize something is wrong. They admit to you that, not only is their pain severe, but they have actually battled it for more than a year.

As a loved one, we may actually be angry over their denial of pain. We are upset that, having spent so long denying anything is wrong; they may have actually made their condition worse. Perhaps they have a severely injured disc in their vertebrae and continued movement caused it to wear away beyond repair. “If only they had sought help at the first sign of a problem,” we think, “they would have a better chance of recovery.”

Yes, some of us put off admitting we need physical care. But, more prevalent, and far more dangerous, is the way we deal with spiritual problems. We are so concerned with putting on our best face that we may make a habit of denying our faults. So, though most everyone else can see our weakness (impatience, anger, greed, lust...add any others you would like), we stride through life acting as if they don’t exist.

What is even sadder is when we overcompensate for personal weakness with increased spiritual activity. We make bold professions about starting a new ministry or having some deep revelation as a way of taking the focus off our own sin. This only doubles our condition; having one set of weaknesses already, we fall deeper into denial by acting as if we are more righteous, more “together” than we actually are.

Christ has not called us to look like the “got it together” bunch. We are each candidates for a good spiritual examination. Doctors never withhold news about our ailments. Their job is to honestly report what our symptoms show, and start us on a treatment plan that will cure the disease, heal the wound or set the broken bone.

But sometimes we walk around with a noticeable limp exclaiming, “Nothing is wrong, people!” So, since there is “nothing wrong”, we never receive the required treatment to get us on our feet again.

This verse pulls no punches by telling us that if we say we have not sinned, we are only fooling ourselves! Have we forgotten that is it only sinners who need forgiveness. Even more telling, it is only sinners who receive forgiveness. So, if I haven’t sinned, I suppose I need no forgiveness. Of course, that means I will not receive forgiveness either.

So, instead of denying my sin, instead of trying to fool people (let alone myself), why not actually admit the particulars. Someone has said, “We are all willing to admit we are sinners, but few are willing to admit they have sinned.” We need to move from “well everyone sins”, to “yes, that was my fault; it was my responsibility. I let you down. I lied about that situation. I acted unloving toward that person. I misjudged her. I gossiped about him. I would not let an argument go.”

The beauty of this is not that God finally gets a confession out of us like some detective in the interrogation room. God’s business is forgiveness. The very next verse, 1 John 1:9, tells us that when we admit our sin (our specific sin), God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from it all!

Why in the world would we ever try to lie ourselves out of a good dose of forgiveness! You see, that’s what God wants. Admit you have sinned, and receive forgiveness. Keep denying it, and well, you’ll live a pretty unhappy life. We don’t fool God with our denials and most people can see through them quite well. It our choice; live in a world of make-believe acting as if I don’t sin, or face reality head-on, admit my sins, and experience the warmth of forgiveness Father-God offers.