The Church's Proclamation

1 John 1:1-2:2 - Riley Boggs

The first sermon ever preached at Covenant Community Church. A lot of pressure, right? You only get one “first sermon”, and you want to set the right trajectory for the many years to come. All this rattled around in my head months ago when I began to think through this very service. The thought of having to choose a text was a bit daunting. It’s not that I thought there was a text in God’s Word that wouldn’t be good for us to hear. But at the same time I knew there were texts that would be particularly helpful for us as we begin this journey of church planting, and I wanted to find them. 

After prayer and consideration, I chose 1 John. I had a number of reasons why I thought it would be a good place to begin, and I still think that those reasons are true. However, as I began to dive into this text, I realized that this is where we needed to begin for reasons I hadn’t thought of. As a side note, isn’t that how the Lord uses us so frequently? He orchestrates things in such a way where we cannot help but give God the glory. I missed the reason this text was so fitting for us when choosing it, then He reveals it as a begin to study it. The reason I think it is so fitting is because of the situation that was John was addressing and the way in which he was addressing it. 

1 John was written to address false teaching within the churches, specifically the teaching of Docetism. Docetism is a false teaching that finds its roots in larger false teachings, and it is a lethal lie. Not that there are false teachings that aren’t lethal, but this false teaching takes aim at the central point, or central person, of the Christian faith. Docetism says that when Christ came to Earth, He did not truly take on a human body, but rather He just made it appear as if He did. Jesus was fully God but not fully man. He was fully God only giving us the impression that He was a man. Jesus wasn’t really human, He didn’t really die, and He didn’t really resurrect. It was all a show. 

John hears of this false teaching and writes. Just to be clear, I do not think this text is fitting because there are false teachers in our midst. If so, I am glad you are hear, but ask that your refrain from speaking. I’m kidding. Sort of.

No, the reason I think this text is fitting is because John doesn’t take aim at breaking down the false teaching itself, but instead points to some to the central tenants of the Christian faith. Now you’ll see as we go through this book that John does not write in an ordered way, but he tends to jump around and repeat ideas throughout the book. So really it’s not until chapter 4 where we see him tell us specifically this is what he is addressing. 

He says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” 

This is the issue that John is addressing. That there are those who are teaching lies concerning the person and work of Christ. So, He writes to remind the church of some of the core truths of the Christian faith. He writes to remind the church that if you believe these truths, you will see clearly how false this teaching is, and you will not be so easily deceived. What a better place for us to begin than with some of the core tenants of what we believe as Christ followers, as the church. This morning I want to draw out 3 points from this text. 3 foundational truths to a Biblical Christian faith.

Briefly I want, before the first point, I want to mention the authorship of this book. There are several John’s in the Bible, but it is John the apostle who is the author this book. There are some who may argue otherwise, but I think we can be confident that it is John the apostle for a number of reasons. One of which is the similar language used in the beginning of 1 John and the Gospel of John which we looked at for our middle Scripture reason. If you look at those texts side-by-side, it is clear that the same person, John the apostle, has written both. Another reason we can conclude that John the apostle is the author is because he tells us who he is in the first few lines.

By definition an apostle is one who was sent out specifically by Jesus during His earthly ministry. To be an apostle you must meet certain requirements. The requirements are you must have been a disciple of Christ during His time on Earth, an eyewitness to the resurrection, and directly commissioned by Christ. This limits the eligibility for office of apostle tremendously, down to only a dozen, plus Paul. John tells us that he is one of these apostles in the first 2 verses. He refers to the apostles as a group and says “we” were there with “that which was from the beginning”. Who is the “that” here? Look at the end of verse 1. It is the “word of life”. It is the person who He also tells us in the Gospel of John was in the beginning was with God and was God. This is Christ, the second person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son of God.

John is telling us that he was there with Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. He heard Him. He saw Him. He looked upon Him. He touched Him. He is an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Now consider what John thinks when he comes across the false teaching of Docetism in the church, as an apostle. He likely thought, “They are saying what? That Jesus was truly human? I was there! I heard him, I saw him, I touched him. I was with Word of Life, and He was certainly human. He was fully human!” The teaching of Docetism says to John that he was simply deceived into believing something that wasn’t real. It is no surprise, then, that He feels the need to write.

And so he does, but as I mentioned already, not by dissecting the false teaching itself, but by reminding us of the truth that we proclaim as the followers of Christ

1.) We proclaim Christ, the God-man (vv.1:1-3)

As followers of Christ this is what we proclaim. We proclaim that Christ, who was with the Father, came to Earth as a real man, lived a sinless life, fulfilled the law, was crucified, bore the wrath of God for the sins of His people, resurrected from the dead, and ascended again to reign at the right hand of the Father. This is who we proclaim, and if you, according to the false teaching, do not have a truly human Jesus, then none of this can be true.  You have no true sacrifice, you have no true forgiveness of sins, you have no resurrection, you have no triumph over death, you have nothing. This false teaching undermines the very pinnacle of all human history, the life, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man.

John tells us that this is the message he proclaims, and it is the message that binds the people of God together as the church. And so let this be a reminder for us, as we begin this work. If we desire our church to be “successful”, if we desire to be unified, if we desire to see others come to know Christ, then we proclaim Christ, the God-man. 

But can’t anyone proclaim something with their words? If I were to proclaim to you all that I can dunk a basketball, none of you would believe me. To believe me, you would want to see me prove my proclamation to be true by my actions. You would want to see me dunk a basketball. And to that, I say you and me both.

Now, we shouldn’t be skeptical in the same way for those who proclaim Christ necessarily. But, there is a similar truth that John begins to lay out for us here.

2.) We show our proclamation to be true by our walk (vv.1:5-2:1)

He begins in verse 5 by telling us that this message he is about to share is one that he heard from Christ Himself. That message is, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” Why does he start by telling us this? Well, we see why in the following verses. It is because, verse 6, “if we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” See this is how we prove our proclamation to be true. We walk in the light, not the dark, reflecting the very nature of God Himself. If we proclaim to be in fellowship with God, but walk in a walk that is contrary to His ways, then we are proving ourselves to not be in fellowship with Him at all.

But what does a life walking in the light look like? What does a life look like that proves our proclamation of Christ to be true? One might think that John starts off by saying, “don’t sin!” right? I mean isn’t this where our minds go? When we think what characterizes the life of a Christian, we may quickly say holiness. And while that certainly is true, it is not where John begins. Instead, in verse 8, he says, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Listen to me say this, because the enemy, the accuser, will try to convince you otherwise. To walk in the light is more than simply stopping sinning, but it is an all-encompassing right treatment of sin. The Christian life is not just about not sinning, but it is about fleeing from sin, hating it, hating the things that lead to it, but then running to Christ in repentance when you do sin. It is an all-encompassing right treatment of sin. Both in our fleeing from it, and our fleeing to God with it.

Why? Look at verse 9. Because “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And then he repeats what he said in verse 8, in verse 10, and says, “if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” To have the Word in you, to be a follower of Christ, is to confess your sins because you know that you have been saved by the grace of God, and you are continually being forgiven and cleansed.

I don’t know why, but we just aren’t good at this. Our temptation too often is to white knuckle ourselves into obedience and then when we sin, we are timid to go to our Father for forgiveness. We see the atoning work of Christ as the event that saved us, but it’s affects have no bearing on the Father’s disposition towards us in our sin. 

But let me say this to you, with confidence, because the Bible says it is so. The Father is never slow to forgive. He does not hesitate for a moment when you come to Him confessing your sin. He is faithful and just, and will forgive you of your sins. He will cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Brothers and sisters, if you have repented of your sins and have professed your faith in Christ, you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and it is God’s desire that you live accordingly, not by holding by back your confession of sin, but by walking in the light and being quick to repent.

John goes on in verse 1 of chapter 2 to tell us why he is writing these things. He has just reminded us that to walk in the light, is not to act as if we don’t sin, but to confess it. But then, he tells us that he is writing this so that we may not sin. What? How does acknowledging our sin and confessing it keep us from sinning? 

Simply put, as he said through verses 5 to10, we have two options when it comes to our sin. We can either confess it and receive forgiveness, or act as if we have no sin in an act of self-deception. Making both ourselves and God to be a liar. So then, the argument for John continues. If we all sin, and to say we have no sin is a lie, then the only option left is unconfessed sin. This is where John is going in his argument for how this will keep us from sinning. 

Unconfessed sin produces more unconfessed sin, while confessed sin produces less sin. You all know the snowball effect. Unconfessed sin is like a snowball rolling down a hill. It begins small, but as it rolls, it begins to grow. As it grows, it rolls faster. As it rolls faster, it grows bigger, and then faster, and then bigger. So it is with unconfessed sin, and then we think back and say, “I never imagined that unconfessed sin turning into what it is now”. Well hear this from the Word of God, do not be surprised. This is the nature of unconfessed sin. It will grow. Do not deceive yourself into thinking it isn’t sin, or that not confessing it will not cause more sin. I urge you to be quick to confess in all things, even when it is hard or seemingly embarrassing.

Then John reminds us, why wouldn’t be quick to confess? After all, the second part of verse 1 says, “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” We ought to be quick to confess because of this! Christ, the Risen Savior, the righteous one, who shed His blood to atone for your sins, is pleading your case to the Father. Not only that, but He is pleading our case not based on what we have or have not done, but by His finished work. He is pleading our case based on His righteousness that has been accredited to all who have placed their faith in Christ. He is pleading a case where the verdict is sure. We will not be condemned, for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

So, why would we ever be slow to run to the Father with our sin? The Father’s disposition towards His children is one of love, and in this love there is an abundance and grace and mercy. You have been saved, forgiven, cleansed, made righteous, and have the only righteous one as your advocate with the Father. 

It is with this in mind, that we live a life that is defined by a pursuit of holiness, a fleeing from sin, and a readiness to repent when we do sin. This is the kind of life that proves our proclamation to be true. 

This brings us to the last point I want us to see. That is, 

3.) We proclaim Christ to the world, completing our joy

Look with me at verse 2 of chapter 2. He says, “He is the propitiation of our sins, and not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Now upon first reading you may be tempted to think that John is arguing for universal redemption. That is, that Christ died for the sins of every single person, and so now there is no one who will ever be punished for their sins, regardless of whether or not they profess faith in Christ. There are many reasons this cannot be the case. The Scriptures as a whole make it clear that you must repent of your sins and place your faith in Christ in order to be saved, and those who do not do this will be experience the wrath of God due them for their sins. There is no category for the unrepentant person receiving the atoning work of Christ.

So what is John saying here? He is saying that Jesus Christ is the propitiation for not just the sins of the apostles, or even the believers reading his words, but for all who would place their faith in Christ. The word “propitiation” here means to appease or satisfy. Christ has satisfied the wrath of God that we deserve because of our sin, and this is true for all who would call on His name. 

And it is for this reason that we proclaim Christ to all people, because all people have a debt they cannot pay, and as Paul says in Romans 2, are storing up for themselves wrath each day they do not give their life to Christ. But this does not have to be the case, for Christ’s propitiation is effective for all who would believe, and so we proclaim the good news of the Gospel to everyone.

I want to draw your attention to one final verse, verse 4 of chapter 1. John says, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” Whenever I begin to prepare to preach, one of the first things I do is read the text and simply write down any observations or questions about the text. When I got to verse 4 I wrote, “how does this make their joy complete?” Maybe you thought the same thing when you read it, or maybe you are more careful reader. Regardless, I think what he is saying here is very important for us to hear this morning, as this church begins. 

John is saying that the faithfulness of other believers is completing his joy. You may ask, is he saying that his joy is not complete in Christ alone? No no, that is not what he is saying. Instead, John is saying that his joy in Christ is being completed more and more by Christ’s redemptive work in others. 

Consider the purpose of him writing to begin with. He wants these believers to proclaim the truth of Christ, to walk in a manner that is worthy of Christ, proving their proclamation to be true, and then proclaiming these truths to the world. This redemptive work of Christ brings joy to the apostles because they see the graciousness of God being poured out.

Think about this practically in your own life. Think of the people in your life who do not know Christ. You have been praying for them, sharing the Gospel with them, and trying to live in a way that they may see Christ through you, but they simply don’t believe. Maybe this is a child, a close friend. Someone you love dearly.

Now imagine that one day they come to you and tell you. I believe. I don’t know why I didn’t believe before. God has opened my eyes. I see my sin, I have repented of it, and I have placed my faith in the Christ who you shared with me. Man. Think of the joy you would have. Joy that is more completed because you have seen the mercy of God lavished on someone who you so earnestly desired be saved. Press on in these kinds of relationships, so that your joy be complete. Know that God is using your proclamation of Christ to accomplish His purposes, even when we do not see it.