“Light and Life - or Lies?”

April 19, 2009   1Jn.1:1-2:2  Play AUDIO (mp3)  Play VIDEO (wmv)

●    SHADES OF SPIRITUAL GRAY: THE NEW GNOSTICS

    ○    increasing tendency to gratify physical lusts, refuse to take sin seriously
    ○    Jung / Maslow borrow Gnostic existential priorities

●    THE SCANDALOUS FACT: GOD WALKED AMONG US

    ○    dualism taught matter evil: Christ escaped crucifixion (Cerinthus)
    ○    parallel: “Jesus was just a good moral teacher”
    ○    Christ crucified a ‘stumbling block/foolishness’ (1Cor 1:23)
    ○    John’s experience: heard / saw / touched Word of life incarnate (1:1ff)

●    DISTINCT FROM THE DARK

    ○    traditional moral framework undermined by cosmology, biology, psychology (Gairdner)
    ○    can’t have fellowship with God AND live immorally: a lie (6)
    ○    absoluteness of God’s revelation: totally light, no darkness (5ff; Ps 118; Jn 14:9)

●    COME CLEAN WITH GOD: C - B - A

    ○    claim to be without sin = deceiving oneself (8,10; Gen 3:1,4)
    ○    Confess sins: agree with God’s view (9)
    ○    cleansed by the Blood: John impressed by what saw at the cross (7,9; 5:6ff; 2:2; Jn 19:34)
    ○    rely on our Advocate: Jesus interceding for us now (2:1; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25)
    ○    confession for incident years ago cleared the air