Are we dead to sin?

"For one who has died has been ¹set free from sin." Romans 6:7

 

The above is an absolute statement, not a conditional one i.e. it doesn't say you will be set free if you take additional action... it says you have been set free! This is a past completed action done for and to you, not by you. We didn't set ourselves free, someone else did. And not only so, but this freedom is so complete and absolute it's described as death. It doesn't get any more final than that.

So in what sense have we been set free? First, we will look at how we have not been set free.

What we are not yet free from is our inclination to distrust God and our passion to go our ²own way. If so, there wouldn't be verse 12.

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." Romans 6:12

Who is Paul talking to? Nonbelievers? No, believers! This verse implies the passion to sin is still present in God’s children and still needs addressing, after he described us as dead to sin in vs 4, otherwise why the exhortation to not let sin reign? The allure of being our own god and going our own way - sin - still exists, even for a child of God.

This is ironically good news. How? We shouldn't be shocked (or devastated) when this passion within rears its ugly head. Sin - i.e. rebellious distrust of God - is still a struggle for all God’s children. 

This exhortation tells us God recognizes this passion still exists, yet He no longer holds our sin against us.  Exhorting us to not let sin reign indicates that if we are in Christ, God desires to work with us and meet us where we are, fully embracing us in our ongoing struggle with sin - unbelief.

So what exactly are we set free from and dead to if not our passion to sin? 

We are dead to and free from sins legal claim and right to condemn us, which resulted in our rejection, and eternal separation from God – a separation rightly due us for our distrust of God - i.e. for not acknowledging God for who He is as trustworthy...which is the root of all sinful behavior.

And the reason we have been set free from this just condemnation is so we might be set free (Romans 6:4, 7:4, 8:4) from our ³passion to distrust God i.e. in light of being set free from sins condemnation we should “let not sin therefore reign...” 

Fully and clearly understanding our legal status is vital to our day-to-day faithfulness. It is the foundation and fountain out of which all faithfulness/obedience springs.

"We were buried therefore with him (Christ) by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans" 6:4. 

Another way to say this is Christ set us free legally, so we might be set free practically i.e. our legal freedom from the condemnation of sin and the resulting rejection by God, when clearly understood, is what diffuses our passion to sin and frees us from it.

Christ bore the judgment of sin and removed its penalty forever–not only from us but from Himself. He will not die again because there is nothing left to die for, as indicated when Christ shouted out, "it is finished." His death covered all our sins forever...full stop! Not just the ones we did, but the ones we do and are yet to do. 

The just condemnation of our sin was perfectly and completely satisfied by Christ and removed from us, placed on him, killing him – or rather, he submitted willingly to this for us. 

His resurrection is evidence of God’s approval of the total transfer of all our sin - past, present, and future - to Him and His total righteousness to us. As a result, we are now "dead to sin" i.e. it's legal claim on us no longer exists.

Why? ... in order that...we too might walk in newness of life… Rom 6:4b

The reason we are set free from the just condemnation we deserve is so we will live in a different or new way; no longer the way we used to live i.e. no longer contrary to God’s design and will for us and no longer under His judgment; no longer needing or attempting to gain God's love and acceptance through our own deeds. We are now dead to everything about that old way - all of it!  To use the example Paul uses to show the absolute completeness of what Christ did, we are no longer in Adam (who rebelled against God) but in Christ who faithfully obeyed God.

Being freed from the condemnation, judgment, and rejection of God due us is the grounds on which we build our house of faithful obedience and the foundation out of which we are empowered to pursue God. The more we grasp this new freedom from condemnation and rejection and the absolute completeness of it, the ⁴freer we become in our conduct, and the more this new status of being perfectly accepted and fully loved by God wins our trust and devotion to God and empowers us to pursue Him.

For a further discussion of how unbelief is at the heart of sin, click here.

For a further discussion of our legal vs practical status click here.

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¹We are not set free from our inclination to distrust God but from the rejection by God and separation from Him that naturally and rightfully occurs because of this distrust. By our being set free from our just condemnation, our trust in God’s love is restored, stirred up, and strengthened. The more we grasp how much we have been freed, the greater our loving affections for God and the more we are stirred to pursue Him i.e. the more we are freed from our passion to pursue something other than God. Nothing else can fulfill us besides God and free us from our desires to pursue other things.

The love of God is what moves us to pursue him and the total freedom from the judgment, condemnation, and death that sin brings, is the evidence of that love. Let that sink in. The more it does, the more your passion for God increases and frees you from passions for things other than God. 

Though these two -- freedom from sins legal claim vs its practical hold -- are separate, they are also closely tied together; the latter built on and resting firmly on the former.

²an embedded sinful inclination away from God

³Passion is a strong word. We may not think of our unbelief as passionate but the idea of the word is it is a deeply embedded and tenacious distrust of God that is at the root of all disobedience.

For more discussion on the connection between unbelief, sin, and disobedience, click here.

⁴We are free, but we are not free. We are free from the condemnation and judgment of our rejection of (and by) God but not free from our inclination and passion to sin. The former is completed-done-finished, the latter is ongoing. The latter decreases to the extent we grasp and believe the former. The effect of this good news - the gospel - is ongoing, constant and increasing. It is only left to us to believe it. 

Do you believe? How much? The more you do, the freer you become from your passion to sin. 

Does sin matter...part II

Yes we are totally forgiven, completely accepted and fully embraced by the Father through the work of Christ. However this has to do with our legal status and does not address the practical and destructive effects on us or others of our sinful acts and choices.

We were not made for sin (rebellious independence/distrust of God) but to honor God in a relationship of love and trust. As a result, when we sin it has a destructive effect. It not only hinders our entering into a fuller experience of God's love secured for us by Christ, it prevents us from more effectively reflecting and displaying God to others. This in turn dishonors him i.e. it does not display Him as the all loving, all sufficient and all satisfying God that he actually is.

(Unbelievers assume when his people are unfaithful, the issue is on God's side - i.e. it's His fault, instead of our side i.e. There is a problem with God and not with us. It's God's fault not ours. If we do not act as if he is the all loving and all sufficient God he is, than others assume he apparently must not be so).

So in the legal sense, sin does not matter and has no effect on our standing before God. We are totally and fully beloved and embraced children of God due to Christ work, not ours.

But in the practical sense, sin absolutely and completely matters and has real effect and consequences for us, others and most importantly it reflects on God himself by not bringing him the just honor and glory he rightfully deserves.

In theory we could got out and murder someone and it would not effect our legal standing with God. To say it as Paul did, "...where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..."  (Rom 5:20). There is no sin that is not fully covered by the grace of God extended to us in Christ.  

However if we did sin in this manner, scripture also says it's likely that we do not know him. Again to say it as Paul does, "... What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?" Rom 6:1-2  

We are also told by the Apostle John, " No one who is born of God practices sin (deliberately, willfully and consciously), because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." - 1Jn_3:9

So if we knowingly and habitually sin with little or no regard or concern for our sin, we should be afraid. Not because it will cause God to reject us but because it indicates we likely don't actually know him and never knew him to begin with. As Paul says, "... if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has (vs. might) passed away; behold, the new has (vs. might) come." 2Co 5:17 

"3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

5  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

10  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." 2Pe 1:3-10 

19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

21  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Mat 7:19-23  

Does sin matter, part I

The Necessity of Judgment

The Necessity of Judgment

·        Sin defined

To understand why judgment is necessary we first need a clear definition of the essence of sin. Sin is not merely bad (unrighteous) actions - though actions say something very important about us. They are bad because of why they are done (i.e. our motive) and not just what is being done. We get a clear definition of sin in the following passage.

Rom_3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

This suggests and implies the essence of sin is coming short of the glory of God.

The *glory of God (see definition of the original below) is the display of His beauty, greatness, majesty, worth  etc. Any attitude or resulting action that displays His beauty, greatness, majesty and worth is one that is glorifying/honoring to God and therefore good (righteous).

Let us look at some of the keywords in this passage.

Rom_3:23  for all have sinned^G264 and fall^G5302 short^G5302 of the glory^G1391 of God,

Sinned: G264  ἁμαρτάνω  = hamartanō; from an early root ἁμαρτ- hamart-; to miss the mark, do wrong, sin: - commit sin (1), committed...offense (1), committing (1), sin (11), sinned (17), sinning (4), sins (8).

“Sinned” appears to be what is sometimes referred to as the sin of commission (an offense we commit). We shoot (an act) for the wrong thing and therefore miss the right thing i.e. what we are shooting at is the wrong target - we miss the mark. We are pursuing the wrong thing.

Fall short: G5302  ὑστερέω  = hustereō; from G5306; to come late, be behind, come short: - am...lacking (1), come short (1), comes short (1), destitute (1), fall short (1), impoverished (1), inferior (2), lack (2), lacked (1), lacking (1), need (1), ran (1), suffering need (1), worse (1).

This appears to be what is sometimes referred to as a sin of omission (things we don't do i.e. we omit). We do not have within us what it takes to get it done i.e. we come up short; we don't have the spiritual fuel to accomplish what we should.

So we have two related but separate problems. We …have sinned and fall short…”  Not only are all our actions shooting for the wrong target but they come up short of the true target of bringing God glory i.e. recognizing or acknowledging His true worth/greatness/ honor.

In summary, missing the glory of God is simply our not recognizing God’s great worth/value in our disposition (heart) first that is displayed by our actions. This occurs two ways.

1.    We shoot for the wrong target. Instead of seeking to glorify God, we worship/value the creature or creation over the Creator Rom 1:21-23. 

2.   We come up short or are impotent in hitting the right target or that end for which we were created; the recognition and enjoyment of the full majesty and greatness of God. 

So the heart or essence of sin is not acknowledging God in all His beauty, majesty and glory resulting in our not trusting God in proportion to His trustworthiness.

The outward manifestation  and display of what we normally call sin or sinful behavior is only the fruit of our inward state of not recognizing or coming up short of recognizing the great beauty/value/worth/ glory of God. Sinful behavior is the outward display of our not trusting God in proportion to His true greatness and worthiness of our total trust.

* Glory: G1391  δόξα   doxa

Thayer Definition:

1) opinion, judgment, view

2) opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone

2a) in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory

3) splendour, brightness

3a) of the moon, sun, stars

3b) magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace

3c) majesty

3c1) a thing belonging to God

3c1) the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity

3c2) a thing belonging to Christ

3c2a) the kingly majesty of the Messiah

3c2b) the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty

3c3) of the angels

3c3a) as apparent in their exterior brightness

4) a most glorious condition, most exalted state

4a) of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth

4b) the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven

·        The Necessity Of Judgment

Gods judgment vindicates and displays his great worth.

With a clearer understanding of sin, the reason judgment is necessary is it vindicates and displays the great worth of God.

Condemning sin (our not recognizing God’s great worth and the subsequent fruit of this) displays the greatness of God’s worth i.e. if sin is the belittling of God, what better way to show the greatness of God then to clearly condemn the disregard for His greatness. The greater the condemnation for ignoring His greatness the greater the indication of that greatness.

Not judging sin would be equal to saying God is not great. His value is not that significant i.e. it is not a big deal if you do not recognize the greatness of God.

God's life can only come to us when everything antagonistic to true life is properly addressed. This is true legally but also true practically. To ignore the greatness of God is antagonistic to true life. It is against God first because God is life. It is against us because we subsist by and through Him. Therefore it is wrong and must be condemned, hence the necessity of judgment.

Legally, we come short of giving God His due recognition. Christ on the other hand honored His Father completely and trusted Him fully. He gave the Father his total honor by trusting Him and remaining true to Him to the ultimate extent of His death. (In contrast, outside of Christ and His Spirit within us, everything we do is designed to maintain our life independent of God). Not only so but the Father then assigned Christ’s perfect record of fully honoring Him to our account. We now have the full benefit of the righteousness of Christ credited to us. While at the same time, the full consequences of our belittling God was poured out on Christ. 

God is not only just but the justifier. He is not only great and awful (i.e. full of awe or awesome) but He is love. And His love was so great, He gave the greatest object of His love, His Son, to bear the just punishment of our dishonoring the Father and rescued us from His just condemnation.

In summary, condemning (passing sentence against) our coming short up of recognizing God’s worth actually displays the greatness of God’s worth i.e. what better way to show the greatness of God then to clearly and soundly condemn the ignoring of His greatness.  The greater the condemnation the greater the indication of this greatness.

For a fuller discussion of the basis for morality click here. 

I John 1:9 and confession of sin

This verse may be one of the most misquoted, misunderstood, and misapplied verses in the New Testament. Why? I believe it in part is because of the lingering effect of the teaching on confession by the Roman Catholic Church. 

It is also partially due to our inclination to be our own god and savior. Our desire to earn our own salvation and God's love by "doing penance" and our aversion to admitting we need only God's solution to our rebellion. This also feeds into misunderstanding this verse and may likely play an even bigger role in our misunderstanding.

In considering this question of confession, we must ask and answer whether Christ's forgiveness is based on the work of Christ or on some work we must do in addition to that, such as confession of sins.

The proper interpretation of this verse can be resolved with sound hermeneutics. 

Instead of extracting the true meaning of this verse (exegesis) we tend to read into it what we believe it means (eisegesis) beforehand. To clearly understand this verse we must understand the context of this entire letter and the immediate context of the verses before and after as well as all of scripture.

John opens the book by talking about Jesus. Who he is and John's firsthand experience of seeing, hearing, touching, and living with Christ while he was on earth.

The Word of Life

1Jn 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — 2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — 3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 

We can see from the opening John's desire in writing this letter is so his readers would come to know Jesus in the same way John does, " ...so that you too may have fellowship with us..." and "so that our joy may be complete..."

John not only desires that his readers are sure of their salvation but that John is also sure of their salvation and finds joy and assurance in knowing and having fellowship with them. In short, his desire is to help his readers be sure they truly know Christ and how they can be sure.

He also restates this objective in the conclusion near the end of the book...

1Jn 5:13  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 

When you read everything in between these opening and closing statements, John repeatedly gives ways one can know if they are true believers or not. There are several "if...then" scenarios John lists throughout the book indicating what a true believer looks like, how we can know if we are a believer, and what to do if we are not.

1Jn_2:4  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

1Jn_2:5  but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:

1Jn_2:6  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1Jn_2:9  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

1Jn_2:10  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

1Jn_2:11  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1Jn_2:17  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

1Jn_2:23  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1Jn_3:7  Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.

1Jn_3:8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn_3:10  By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

1Jn_3:14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

1Jn_3:24  Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

1Jn_4:6  We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1Jn_4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

1Jn_4:15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1Jn_4:16  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1Jn_4:18  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1Jn_4:21  And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1Jn_5:1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

1Jn_5:10  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

1Jn_5:12  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The point is this letter is not only for believers. In fact, as already mentioned in significant part, it is seeking to help his readers determine whether they are true believers or not and how they can know for sure i.e. he's also addressing potential unbelievers who might be reading this.

So given this context, what exactly is 1 Jn 1:9 telling us?

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

This is one of several "if...then" scenarios John gives in the opening part of his letter in the hope of passing on to them his first-hand experience of Christ so they too might know if they are true believers. He gives some preliminary scenarios on how to do so i.e. if we say or do (see list below) e.g. confess our sins, then this is what it says about us and what we need to do about it. 

1Jn_1:6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn_1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn_1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1Jn_1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will come back to these verses later.

After going through this introduction John lays out the basis for our forgiveness in I John 2:1 which clearly says the work of Christ alone is how and why we are forgiven.  Nothing can add to or take away from this work.

1Jn 2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2  He (alone) is the propitiation for our sins...

Propitiation is simply another word for atonement.

G2434  ἱλασμός  hilasmos  hil-as-mos'

atonement, that is, (concretely) an expiator: - propitiation.

atonement:

1.     Satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

2.     Theology. the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/atonement

Note 2:1-2 is right on the heels of verse 1:9, explaining why God is "just and right" in forgiving those who acknowledge (confess) they sin/are sinners i.e. the basis of our forgiveness is the work of Christ, not our confession.

You will also note, unlike the opening section, he starts out chapter 2 calling his readers "little children" suggesting what he's about to say is for those who know they are genuine believers. Whereas the first chapter, he's clearly attempting to convince those who are not believers why they should be, how they may not be, and some ways to help if they aren't and reassure them if they are. 

In the first chapter, he points out that acknowledging we (everyone in general) are sinners i.e. recognizing our sin, is the basis for entry into Christ's forgiveness. This is what 1:9 is clearly telling us. It is not the basis for the ongoing forgiveness of a believer. Again, that is addressed in the following chapter in 2:1-2 (it is also hinted at in 1:7 which we will look at more closely later).

Is confession important

On the matter of confession in general, it is not whether there is value in confessing/ acknowledging/repenting of our sins. Of course, there is. This passage is our proof. We are also encouraged in James 5:16 to confess our sins to one another. However, outside this passage, we don't see anywhere in the NT (and or even in the OT ) that we are told to confess our sins to God to obtain ongoing forgiveness as some suggest this passage teaches. This may be a shock to some. If so, I encourage you to dig into the rest of scripture and see for yourself.

The question is what does God base the forgiveness of our ongoing sins on; the work of Christ or our "confession of sins?" Using 1 John 1:9 to suggest our sins are not forgiven as God's children until confessed to God, not only does not fit the *context of I John itself but the entirety of scripture.

As true believers, we must acknowledge our sins i.e. clearly admitting when and where we commit them and turn from them in order to participate in and experience all God has for us so we might advance in our walk with God, but not in order to be forgiven. Admitting where we blow it is for our benefit and that of others, not for God's. He's already entirely forgiven us (for sin's past, present, and future) in Christ because all that is necessary to do so, has already been done by Christ, not us. 

Verbal consent or true repentance

True confession (actually it would be more correct to say true repentance) includes not simply admitting we sin but a full turning away from it, not merely verbally acknowledging (i.e. confessing) our sin. If there is no turning away (repentance) we are not truly recognizing our sin for what it is i.e. not really confessing it. Turning away from sin (i.e. rebellious distrust of God) is the point of true "confession" by a believer. Forgiveness is not.

Simple verbal admission of sin is actually harmful if we believe it's the grounds for our forgiveness or the goal of our confession. The goal of confession in this approach becomes forgiveness only. Once we have confessed, mission accomplished...our sins are now forgiven (or so we are told). Nothing else needs to be done. This allows us to not truly address our disobedience and turn away (repent) from it (but actually an excuse to avoid it) since our obedience is not the goal of this kind of confession, only forgiveness is... or so we think. In a roundabout way, it actually makes light of the destructiveness of sin. It's not a big deal when we sin. We can simply confess it and it's taken care of. 

True confession (repentance) for the believer is turning away from sin, not just admitting we have sinned. For the unbeliever, however, admitting they are sinners who have sinned is an absolute prerequisite to receiving forgiveness. Hence John's comments in 1:8-9.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we do, we are promised he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Why? Because in 2:1-2 we are told Christ is the basis of that forgiveness. Confession is merely the means by which forgiveness comes to the unbeliever, not the cause of it, even for the unbeliever. 

We have further confirmation of this in Verses 7 - 10. These are scenarios addressing whether we are a believer or nonbelievers. The point is he is giving hypothetical examples of what needs to happen if a particular problem presents itself. John tells us if we claim to be a believer but do certain things, we simply are not a believer. 

1Jn_1:6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn_1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Walking in the light (vs 7) is clearly a reference to believers in contrast to unbelievers who walk in darkness (vs 6). Note that confession plays no role in the blood of Jesus cleansing those who walk in the light from sin. It is ongoing merely by virtue of them being (walking) "in the light" i.e. being a true believer. This simply means they are believers in contrast to an unbeliever. In fact, this is the only reference to a believer in these opening "if/then" scenarios. But only to make a point of contrast to the unbeliever. 

If we walk in disobedience to Christ (walk in darkness) we are not truly believers (we lie) but if we are a believer, our walk will be characterized by the faithful pursuit of God (walking in the light). We will also love being with other believers (i.e. "...have fellowship with one another..."). And since forgiveness is based on the blood of Christ, it covers whatever sins we do commit ("...the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us [present continuous action in the Greek] from all sin..."). Being a Christian doesn't mean we are sinless/perfect, it means we are forgiven ("it is finished" and not because of our efforts...including "confessing our sins"). Because of this forgiveness, love, and acceptance in Christ, we desire and seek to be faithful.

1Jn_1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn_1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we think we do not have a sin issue, we are deceived. However, if we admit (confess) that we do, he is faithful to forgive our sins because of the work of Christ on our behalf (vs 2:1), not our work of confession.

1Jn_1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

If we deny we have a sin issue, this is evidence we do not know him at all. Being aware of our sin is actually evidence we know him. Again this is one of several "markers" given by John to help his readers know if they are true believers or not.

As you look closely at the context of chapter 1 it becomes clear he is appealing primarily to nonbelievers in these early verses.

Based on the context of the book of John, the common explanation that ongoing forgiveness of the believer requires our confession simply doesn't fit the context of the book and is an example of poor hermeneutics. We also know from the rest of scripture that all our sins, past, present, and future were nailed to the cross and we are now clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Nothing we do or don't do can add to or take away from our absolute and perfect righteousness and forgiveness earned for us by Christ and assigned to us by His Father.

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