Stepping Out of Darkness

To deny sin’s presence in our lives only increases our level of guilt. The only way to walk in the light is by stepping out of the darkness in honest confession for true forgiveness.

1 John 1:5-10

Honest with Others (1:5-7)

  • We must stop blaming God for the world’s darkness when it’s our lives attempting to conceal the light (1:5).
  • If you are defiantly practicing sin, you cannot be walking closely with God (1:6). 
  • Spiritual honesty allows us to have fellowship with God and others (1:7).

Honest with Ourselves (1:8-9)

  • When you deny or justify personal sin, the only person you deceive is yourself (1:8).
  • You cannot conceal your sin, so God’s offer is for you to confess it (1:9).
  • To say you are righteous makes you more unrighteous, but to admit you are unrighteous is the only way to become righteous (1:9).

Honest about God (1:10)

  • If we deny Scripture’s claim that we are all sinners, we label God the liar (1:10).
  • Sin desires to distort your thinking so that the only guiltless one is yourself (1:10).

Gospel Essentials 

  1. God is light
  2. I’ve dwelt in the dark
  3. Jesus’ sacrifice is the only hope for light I’ve now got