or Why the Doctrine of Sin is Good News 1 John 1:8-9

…the unpleasant feelings we have when there is a gap between what we do and what we feel we should do. Actual (legal) guilt: I did something wrong. Guilt feelings: I feel bad because there is a gap between what I do and what I feel I should do.

1. Bury it. (Try not to think about it.) 2.Numb themselves to it (alcohol, drugs, sex, food, etc.) 3.Deny it. (“I didn’t do anything wrong.”) 4.Make amends. 5.Reject the lies that trigger false guilt.

True GuiltFalse Guilt What God wants for us What others expect of us “They loved human praise more than praise from God.” --John 12:43, NIV

1.“God said it was okay.” 2.“It’s okay if I do it so long as I ask for forgiveness after I do it.” 3.“God has already forgiven me, so I don’t need to ask for forgiveness.” (Cheap grace.) 4.There is no such thing as sin (or evil). What people call sin is just their own personal preferences of what they don’t like. We have no right to judge others’ actions because there is no such thing as right and wrong.

…what are we to make of:  Murder?  Child molestation?  Racism?  The Holocaust?  Abusive relationships?  The things we have done that hurt others? If right & wrong are illusions, we should not judge, but should accept these things (toleration). There is no reason to try to stop them.

“In New Age beliefs, what is normally designated as evil in some religions is labeled as negative energy, as illusory, as projected fear, or as challenging lessons. The concept of sin is not accepted since there is no acknowledged judgment from a holy being on man's actions, no absolute good or evil, and thus no absolute standard by which man can measure himself or by which he can be judged. Since man is basically good and is divine, there is no need for salvation, only a need for liberation or enlightenment from false views of self and the world.” Website: Christian Answers for the New Age”

LegalismLove  God makes rules.  He punishes us if we break them.  God loves us and wants the best for us.  “The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7) showing us how to avoid doing things that harm ourselves and others.  God can give us both the desire and the power to do what pleases him. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” --Phil. 2:13, NLT

1.IGNORANCE: We don’t know what God intends. “The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm19:7 NLT 2.MISTRUST: We don’t really trust God. We trust ourselves more. “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” Proverbs 14:12 NLT 3.WEAKNESS: The temptation is stronger than our willpower. “I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” Romans 7:19 NLT

 If sin is an illusion, the only “solution” is denial.  If sin is the gap between our actions and God’s best for us, then there is hope for things to get better. We can repent. God can change our hearts and our actions. He can transform us. We can stop doing those things that hurt God, us, and other people, and live in love.

None of us wants to hear the words, “You have cancer.” But if we have cancer, hearing those words can be the first step to healing. Sin is like a potentially deadly cancer. If we pretend it is not there, it will kill us. If we face up to it, we can be healed.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV Confess: Say with. Uniting in a statement that has previously been made by someone else. Forgive: To pardon an offense or an offender. Cleanse: Rid (a person, place, or thing) of something seen as unpleasant, unwanted, or defiling.

It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ Repent: To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life.

False GuiltTrue Guilt  Reject the lies.  Seek healing for the roots of the lies.  Confess your sin.  Repent.  Make amends (except when to do so would cause harm)

27 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the L ORD 's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. 30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the L ORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

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

If we confess our… he is faithful and just to… and to cleanse us from…

1. Why are we sometimes tempted to “say we have no sin”? 2.Was there a time when you were not owning up to a sin in your life, but then admitted it? What happened when you got real about your sin?