No More Self-deception

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:8-9

IF THERE’S ONE activity at which all human beings are especially gifted, that activity would be self-deception. No matter how much evidence we may observe regarding the truth about something, we have the capacity to fool ourselves into believing the exact opposite to be the case.

When we see all the sweets and treats around the holidays, for example, it’s so easy for us to convince ourselves that feasting on them won’t affect us. Then, when we gain a few pounds after overindulging, it’s easy to tell ourselves, It’s just water weight. This kind of self-deception is often harmless and sometimes humorous—it’s a kind of joke we play on ourselves whenever we don’t want to face a certain reality.

But there’s nothing funny about self-deception when it comes to sin. There’s nothing to joke about when we fool ourselves into believing that God’s wrath and judgment are reserved for rapists and murderers, not for “good people” like us. The Bible is clear that “everyone has sinned” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is [eternal] death” (Romans 6:23).

That’s the bad news, but the great news comes in this promise from 1 John 1:9. If we choose to be honest about our sin and confess our struggles to God, he promises to forgive us. He has the ability to separate us from all our past wickedness. We only need to take him at his Word.