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Vou. XXXVIT CONFESSION OF SIN BROOKLYN, N. Y., AUGUST 15, 1916 No. 16 ESSENTIAL TO FORGIVENESS “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—} John 1:9. The Apostle John is not here addressing the world of unbelievers, unjustified persons, “sinners” in the ordinary sense of the word. On the contrary, he is addressing the justified and sanctified in Christ Jesus; and he classes himself with these, using the plural pronoun “we.” The frequent mistake of applying this and similar passages to sinners in general has been injurious in two important particulars: First. It has been injurious to the unregenerate, in that it has given some the impression that there is no difference between the church and the world; and that all alike have access to God in prayer and for the forgiveness of daily trespasses. It has thus hindered some from realizing the necessity of faith in the atonement, and from definitely entering into covenant relationship with the Lord under the terms of the grace covenant—the covenant of sacrifice. (Psalm 50:5) On the contrary, all should be informed of the fact that repentance and a positive acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior are absolutely necessary before they can he ‘‘accepted in the Beloved,” and be treated as “sons of God,” and enjoy the privileges of this relationship—prayer, fellowship with God, divine care, or providential oversight of their affairs and interests, and the favor of forgiveness of daily trespasses through the merit of the great High Priest, Jesus Uurist the Righteous. Second. This oversight has had an injurious effect upon some Christians, who have gone to the extreme of claiming that they can never commit sin, after their past sins have been graciously forgiven by the Lord, and after they have entered into covenant relationship. Hence we have the very wrong views and teachings of so-called “perfectionists”’ who claim, not merely that they are reckonedly perfect now, but that they are actually perfect in all their thoughts, words and deeds—DECEIVING THEMSELVES and laying themselves liable to many grievous errors, as the Apostle declares in connection with our text. BASIS OF TRUE FELLOWSHIP The Apostle John in writing this Epistle clearly states his object, saying, “These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” It is a noteworthy fact that the vast majority of Christians never experience the fulness of joy, peace and blessing that they might possess. Too many are content with simply diluted first principles of the doctrine of Christ. Therefore, as the Apostle Paul declares, such are merely “babes in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1, 2; Hebrews 5:12-14) Of course, they have a blessing in any relationship to the Lord, but they have not the fulness of joy which would be theirs if they progressed in grace and in knowledge to the full stature of a man in Christ. The object of the Apostle’s writing them was to stir up the pure minds of believers to an appreciation and enjoyment of their privileges, that thereby they might grow and develop. The Apostle follows the example of our Lord Jesus in symbolizing truth and righteousness ag light, and sin and every evil a} so much of opposing darkness. God himself thus considered would be the very perfection of Light—“in him is no darkness,” no sin, no imperfection. With this thought before the mind, the Apostle points out tuat any growth of fellowship with God to which we may aspire must be along the lines of goodness, purity, and that it would be sin for us to say to others or to imagine in our own hearts that we are walking with God and having fellowship with him, if our course of life ig dark, a sinful one. Such are merely deceiving themselves and others. They are not deceiving God, and they are not getting the blessings enjoyed by those who “walk in the light.” Moreover, to the extent that we walk in the light and in harmony and fellowship with God, we shall find ourselves in fellowship with all others who are like-minded. So then, if we do not “love the brethren whom we have seen,’ so as to be able to have fellowship and spiritual pleasure with them, it would be an indication that we are not wholly in harmony and fellowship with God. But who are the “brethren”? Our Lord tells us that not all who profess his name are true brethren. He says, “Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven [be reeognized as his brethren and joint-heirs], but be that docth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” We thus see that it is by our deeds, and not merely by our professions, that we are aceepted of the Lord. Again, he says, “Who are my brethren? ... Verily, I say unto you, he that (243-244) doeth the will of my Father, the same is my brother.”—Matthew 7:21; 12:48-50, We are not, therefore. to anticipate “fellowship” with all who name the name of Christ as a proof of fellowship with the Father, and that we are in the light. We are merely to anticipate this true fellowship with those who are earnestly seeking to do the Father’s will to serve his cause and exemplify the instructions of his Word, in their deeds ag well as in their professions. Between all such there must be, whether hidden or open, a bond of fellowship and union. That bond is the one faith and one baptism into the one Lord. SHORTCOMINGS AND FAULTS ARE SINS But while this fellowship between us and our Lord and all who have his spirit is based upon our walking in the light, our following in his footsteps to the extent of our ability, nevertheless it does not imply absolute freedom from the imperfections of sin. Although under our grace covenant arrangement nothing is charged up to us as sin except in proportion as it has been wilfully done, nevertheless, because of the manifold temptations and the weaknesses of our flesh, the result of inherited predisposition toward sin, it is impossible for us to avoid shortcomings and faults. These may properly be termed sins, as in our text; for “sin is a transgression of the Law,” however unintentional it may be. But the divine arrangement under the grace covenant, on behalf of the Lord’s people, is that these unintentional faults and shortcomings need not be charged up against us as sins; but may instead be cleansed away upon our application to the great High Priest, through the merit of the precious blood. Thus it is that the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord cleanseth us from all sin—keeps us clean from sin, if we continually make application for forgiveness, because of realization of imperfections of our flesh, AN INSIDIOUS SNARE OF THE ADVERSARY Further on in this Epistle, the Apostle uses the word “sin” in a different sense from the above, saying, ““Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor [even] known him... . He that committeth sin is of tue devil. .. . Whosoever is begotten of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is begotten of God.” Again he says: “We know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”—1 John 3:6-9; 5:18. In these passages the Apostle uses the word “sin” in its full or absolute sense, meaning wilful sin, deliberate sin, intentiona] sin—not merely shortcomings and faults, due largely or wholly to the imperfections of the flesh, inherited from our ancestors, No one, the Apostle assures us, who has been begotten of the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of holiness and truth, could have any sympathy with sin so as to wilfully, knowingly and intentionally engage therein. All who so love sin and wilfully do it and approve it after they have a know!edge of the truth, are children of darkness, who love darkness and who thus show that they have the spirit, or disposition of Satan. INJUSTICE TO THE BRETHREN INEXCUSABLE At first thought, many may be inclined to say, “Well, I am in no danger of that sin; for I am sure that I would not commit sin wilfully, intentionally, designedly.” But let us notice, dear friends, that there is a way in which sins may come upon us without being at the time a wilful sin, but which later might become wilful sin. For instance, any transgression committed, either in total ignorance or with only a partial acquiescence of our wills, might become a full, wiltul, deliberate sin afterward, if we should come to a clear knowledge of the truth respecting the subject, and fail to repent of it to the Lord and to undo so far as is in our power the wrong toward our fellow-creatures. To consent to a sin clearly and fully understood simply because at the time of its committal we were in ignorance, and to refuse to make amends for it, and thus endorse the sin intelligently, would appear to make of it a will-ful sin. With this view of the matter, the children of God cannot afford to sanetion in their own minds even the slightest injustice or untruth toward each other, or toward any. The essence of this thought is found in our Lord’s command: “If thou comest to the altar [if we have anything to offer to the Lord, either of service or of worship or of thanks], and [5938]