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Psalm 51:1-4, 1 John 1:5-9

Laurie Zickgraf

When the beloved disciple John wrote his gospel, he was writing to share who Jesus was from an insider’s point of view. He gives us a glimpse of Jesus that was not found in the synoptic gospels. He wanted to make sure his readers knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of God. He wanted them to know that faith in Jesus would result in eternal life.

When John wrote his first letter, what we call 1st John, he is in a very different place. He is now the last surviving disciple that lived and learned directly from Jesus. John followed the command of Jesus to share His teachings and to baptize new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt.28:19-20) . John started churches so he could share the Word of God with others.

Now, it’s late in the first century and trouble has started. There were people in the church that didn’t believe all that they were taught. They were allowing Greek philosophy to sneak in and change some of the basic doctrines of the church.

One new belief system was called Gnosticism.  Some of their beliefs included: The existence of two realms, the physical realm which was evil and spiritual realm which was good. They also had separate gods – an inferior god who created the world and a superior god of redemption. They believed that God was incomprehensible and unknowable. Another belief that created problems in the Christian community was their belief in the way a person was saved. They said you had to have a secret revelation – a divine spark within a person which allowed that person to go to the realm of light.

Gnosticism and Christianity were not and are not compatible. We don’t believe that the body and spirit are separate, we don’t believe in 2 gods, and we believe that salvation is available for everyone, and you don’t need ‘secret’ knowledge – only belief in Jesus Christ.

Because the Gnostics had talked some Christians into leaving the church and joining them, John wrote to his church to address what the false teachers were saying.

The Gnostic belief in 2 separate realms had a far-reaching effect in the Christian church. The false teachers were telling the people that since these two realms were separate, when the body sinned, it didn’t have any effect on the spiritual part of man. They went so far as to explain that sin didn’t exist in the spiritual realm, so you didn’t have to repent for anything the body did.

This is why John tells his readers that “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves”. The existence of sin and its effect on mankind was a well-known fact by Jewish believers. In the OT Isaiah wrote that our sins separate us from God (Is.59:2). In Psalm 14 we read:  The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt.”  Even Solomon with his wisdom acknowledged that sin affects mankind when he wrote: “there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”(Ecc. 7:20).

John had to respond to the false teachers because they were causing people to move away from God and follow corrupt doctrine. John tells them that God is spirit and love and that He shows mercy to those who believe in Him and repent of their sins. He wants the people to disregard the false teachers and turn back to God. He wants the people to understand that sin does affect us. Repentance is needed for salvation.

A great example of true repentance is given to us by King David. The prophet Nathan confronted David by telling him that he did evil in the sight of the Lord after he sinned with Bathsheba. (2 Sam. 12-13) David immediately says: “Have mercy upon me O God”. David doesn’t deny his sin and he doesn’t blame someone else. He accepts Nathan’s rebuke and asks for forgiveness. While Nathan tells David that God has forgiven the sin, he also tells him there are consequences to his actions. The child that David and Bathsheba have dies shortly after he is born.

The problems that were evident in the Christian church in the 1st century have not gone away. If mankind could have learned from the disciples and followed their teachings down through the centuries, this world would be in a much better place. Instead, men think that they know better, or they know a secret that no one else knows and it will lead them to the promised land. 

Today, society keeps changing along with their ideas and beliefs. Over the years, many heard the teaching of the Christian faith and thought that certain beliefs were wrong. They reworked their basic doctrines and came up with a whole new church. In 2024 there are over 200 different Christian denominations in the U.S. and 45,000 worldwide.

There are false teachers everywhere, not only in the church. I believe that some of these people are purposely trying to lead mankind away from the Word of God. I also believe that many of these people are not evil, they just interpret the Word of God differently. They are trying to follow the Word, and they think we have gotten off the path to salvation.

With so many different ideas and opinions how are we to know what is truth? Is it what our friends tell us, or the person on the street, or the history teacher in our schools? Even Pontius Pilate questioned Jesus about what is truth? (Jn 18:37-38)

I have heard people say that truth is what you think it is. Philosophers tell us that everyone has their own truth, that there is no such thing as an absolute truth. Of course, college philosophy 101 will tell you that you might not even exist. When I read that I remembered what Rene Descartes (de cart) said: “I think, therefore, I am”. I have problems with philosophy, most of what philosophers say doesn’t make sense to my literal mind. It sounds like someone trying to make me believe that they have the answer because they are smarter than me.

This is what Gnosticism does. The leaders believe they are the elite, and they are smarter than everyone else. If you don’t have that ‘inner spark’, then you are missing the path of salvation.

We have to listen closely when someone tells us that they are smarter, they have the answers and all we have to do is trust them. Don’t fall for it, don’t believe them. They are the false teachers that we have been warned about. This group is trying to pull you away from God. They prey upon your insecurities, your feelings that you don’t belong or that you’re not smart enough. These people will find your weakness and use it to make you doubt yourself. Remember, no earthy human being is smarter than God. If you’re on the wrong path, ask God to set you right.  

I have prayed about something that we hear a lot about these days. Tolerance. We must be tolerant of others and their beliefs.

Like all of our words, there are different definitions of the word tolerance.  In the 14th century, tolerance meant -enduring something that was difficult or unpleasant like pain. In the 15th century it also meant -the willingness to accept different beliefs or practices of others. Over the past decade, it seems that tolerance now includes – approval- not just acceptance of our differences. Now we are told that if we don’t tolerate and approve these different points of view, then we are wrong and hateful.

This is a slippery slope, and we need to pay attention. I absolutely believe in tolerance. I believe that we should accept others and not judge them for their beliefs. I also believe we should be very careful not to agree with every new idea that our culture throws at us. We should not change our belief system to match theirs. 

If someone walks in here and says that they talked to God and was told if we turn around 5 times and do a double back flip we will go to heaven, I can accept that person. I can love them as Jesus taught us. I can do this without agreeing with them and without turning around and attempting a double back flip.  I can accept the person without believing them and maybe more importantly, without changing my beliefs. I can also, gently, lovingly, patiently show them that this is not what I believe.

Jesus warned His disciples about false teachers. He told them to ‘watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but they are ferocious wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit’. (Matt. 7:15-16a)

When Jesus says you will recognize them by their fruit, He is telling us that the old saying is true: ‘actions speak louder than words’. When someone says I am a good Christian and then leaves church to go throw widows and orphans out onto the street, pay attention to the actions. When someone says, I know the true way to God and tells you the secret is not in the Bible. Stay away, far away from that person.  

Tolerance is tough, especially when someone is doing something that you believe is a sin. But remember this, we are not to judge, God will take care of that. We are not to change our beliefs because of what men say. We should follow the Word of God. We should go to our Father, on our knees and ask for forgiveness for our own sins. We are to walk in the light and not the darkness. 

We want to be tolerant, and we want everyone to know God. This is not mutually exclusive. Jesus was an example of tolerance when He spent time with tax collectors and those possessed by demons. Remember, it is the sick that need a physician, not those who are well.

Be an example to others. Allow them to see mercy and forgiveness in us so that they can know our heavenly Father. Show them by your words and your actions that God is our loving, faithful, and eternal Father.

Amen