Mark E. Larson

The Big Lie of Satan Introduction: “You Shall Not Surely Die.” (Genesis 3:1-6) Why did committing sin lead to their condemnation and separation from God? By eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they experienced sin or evil for the very first time and as a result, gained the knowledge of good and evil. Death came as a result, just as God had warned them (Gen 3:24): Physical death – denied access to the tree of life or immortality, and also spiritual death – separation from God. Yet why did just one sin separate them from God? Because God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 Jn 1:5). God is holy, set apart and pure from all sin. No evil dwells with God (Ps. 5:4; Hab 1:13). Isaiah cried out “I am ruined!” when he saw the holiness of God (Isa. 6:1-7). Adam and Eve were banished from the holy presence of God (Isa. 59:2). Adam and Eve failed to see the consequences of committing a sin. Perhaps they reasoned to themselves: “What can it hurt? Maybe just this once.” They did not stop to consider how committing just this one sin would change everything! They knew better. God had previously given the command not to eat of this tree of knowledge (Gen. 2:16-17). Yet, the devil deceived Eve:“You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). This is the big lie of Satan! Throughout human history, Satan has repeatedly told this lie and people have believed him and it has costed them their souls (e.g. Lev. 10:1-2; 2 Sam. 6:7; Acts 5:1-10). Satan continues to tell this same lie today (Rom. 6:23). I. Satan's Perversion of 1 John 1:8. A. Satan tells his big lie today by perverting the Scriptures. i. When Satan first told his big lie he added just one word to God's instruction and was able to deceive Eve (Gen. 2:17; 3:4). ii. Satan tempted Jesus by distorting the Scriptures (Mat. 4:6; Ps. 91:11-12). Today, Satan uses men to pervert the Scripture (2 Pet. 2:1-2; 3:16). B. Most especially, Satan has perverted 1 John 1:8 to tell his big lie . i. Many have taken this verse out of context to teach that we always have sin, that there is never a period in our lives when we do not have sin. ii. Then to support this, it is taught that a Christian can commit a sin and be fellowship with God at the same time because of Jesus' cleansing blood! iii. This false doctrine teaches Christians to think of themselves not as saints, but as sinners who can't help but sin everyday because sin is inevitable. iv. Many have bought in to this lie and suppose partaking of a little sin now and then cannot condemn a person to death. Do not be deceived! II. The Truth is “God is light and in Him there is NO darkness at all” (1 John 1:5-7). A. If you understand God's holy nature, you will know what fellowship requires. i. God is light. To be in fellowship with God, we must walk in the light as He is in the light which means practicing the truth (cf. Eph. 5:8-11). ii. We cannot walk in any darkness, commit even one sin, and at the same time be in fellowship w/God (2Cor 6:14). To say we are is a lie! (1 Jn 2:4) a) Example: Simon the sorcerer was baptized into Christ (Acts 8:13). Yet it took only one sin to disrupt his fellowship with God (Acts 8:18-23). • To restore his fellowship with God, Simon needed to repent. • To be forgiven, Simon needed to return to walking in the light. B. For our sins to be cleansed, we must be walking in the light (1 John 1:5-7).

1 Mark E. Larson

i. What sin is the apostle John referring to that is being cleansed? Not present or future sins, but the ones you previously committed (when you were walking in darkness 1 John 1:6), but now have repented of. ii. Repentance leads to the return to walking in the light (1 John 1:7; cf. Acts 26:18-20). This is the condition we MUST meet to be forgiven. iii. The blood of Christ does the cleansing, not our walking in the light. a) Walking in the light must not be an attempt to merit/earn our salvation. b) No matter how righteous you walk after repenting, it is only His blood that can cleanse sin. Law-keeping cannot cancel sin (Rom. 3:20-26). C. Since it is not possible to be in the light with God and commit sin at the same time, the sins that are cleansed must refer to PAST sins (1 John 1:5-8). i. To not confess that we have sinned is to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can walk in darkness and be the light with God at the same time. a) This is indeed a great self-deception and a denial of the truth! ii. John did NOT say: “If we say we have ceased from sinning we deceive ourselves.” He is not condemning a Christ-like mind not to sin (1Pet 4:1). iii. To be in the light with God means that we have no sin and are not sinning! III.To Say We Have No Sin and Have Fellowship with God, When We are Actually in Darkness is to Call God a Liar and His Word is not in Us! (1 John 1:8-10). A. Let us beware of the failure to confess our sin when we have sinned and continue in the darkness, all the while believing we have fellowship with God when we clearly don't! (1 John 1:6). B. When we sin let us not remain in darkness, but immediately confess our sins so that we may receive forgiveness (1 John 1:9). i. True repentance means change and a return to God in the light. You have stopped sinning when you approach God's throne to ask for forgiveness. a) You ask God to forgive you of your past sin (not present or future). ii. When you sinned you strayed from the truth and became a sinner. Yet once you return to God you cease from being a sinner! (James 5:19-20) iii. Paul called himself “the chief of sinners” referring to his forgiven past sin (1 Tim 1:12-17). He did not keep this title because he was still behaving as the chief of sinners (blasphemous, persecutor, insolent). Paul was a saint! C. Let us not fail to confess our sin when we do in order to be cleansed (v. 9). i. God who is faithful and just does not overlook sin. He paid the debt Himself for justice sake. How? By the blood of Jesus who paid the price! ii. Yet, we must confess our need for cleansing! Only if we confess can we be forgiven. If you do not confess, you will not receive His cleansing. iii. Let us NOT suppose that we will be continually cleansed while committing sin or walking in darkness at the SAME time! a) Remember, committing just one sin can lead to death if we do not repent, confess, and return to the light (e.g. Acts 5:1-11). iv. We must honestly and humbly confess our sin and appeal to God through our Advocate Jesus Christ to obtain forgiveness (1 John 1:9; 2:1). IV. “I am Writing These Things to You so that You May NOT Sin” (1 John 2:1-6). A. As children of God, let us walk in the light as Jesus did! (1 John 2:6).

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