Living in Fellowship

If anyone sins….

1 John 2:1–2
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; ²and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

What comes from the heart defiles the person

Mark 7:20–23
And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. ²¹“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, ²²deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. ²³“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

Sin separates mankind from God

Isaiah 59:1–2
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. ²But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

Our sins are forgiven after believing in Christ

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Our sins can be a barrier to fellowship.

We must learn to confess our sins to restore the fellowship.

Luke 18:9–14
And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴“I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

1 John 1:8–9
If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Examples from the Psalms

Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalm 32:1–5
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! ²How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! ³When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. ⁴For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. ⁵I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. 5

Psalm 51:1–2
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. ²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.

Hidden sins and presumptuous sins

Psalm 19:12–13
Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. ¹³Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.