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The Second Result of Listening to Wisdom

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If we passively receive and actively seek wisdom, then two things will happen: We’ll start being wise, and we’ll keep becoming wiser. Last week, we examined the first result. This week, we’ll address the second one.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice
And equity, every good path;
For wisdom will come into your heart,
And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul (Prov 2:9-10).

You’ll keep becoming wiser. Proverbs 2:9 states that “you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path.” Does that list – righteousness, justice, and equity – ring any bells? You may recall the same phrase from Prov 1:3 where Solomon listed his third purpose for the book of Proverbs: that we would not just know the right thing to do, but also do it.

Here in chapter 2, he promises that, if we listen to wisdom, we will understand every good path. In other words, we won’t only become wise; we’ll keep on living wisely. We begin the journey of wisdom (Prov 2:5) and continue walking along it every moment of every day in every little decision we make (Prov 2:9).

Why is this the case? Because “wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul” (Prov 2:10). You’ve survived a “hostile takeover.” Your heart is now filled with and mastered by wisdom, rather than by your own simplicity that leads to folly. Your desires have changed, becoming more like God’s own desires. You now find knowledge to be pleasant and not something to be despised.  (See Prov 1:7.) You are now a different person, free to make different choices.

"Marathon Medalists" by Mostly Dans (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License
“Marathon Medalists” by Mostly Dans (2012), shared under a Creative Commons Attribution License

The type of listening that produces such constant change is not something that can be completed after a few tries.

It’s a persevering discipline. As we live a life of wisdom, our need for listening grows more, not less. Remember how Solomon stopped listening and became a fool? Don’t follow his example! Keep receiving and keep seeking. Then you won’t be like the marathon runner who was disqualified because he hopped on a bus for part of the race. Be a finisher, not just a starter. The end of your life is far more important than its beginning (Ecc 7:8).

Application

When we listen to wisdom, we’ll keep becoming wiser. What does it look like for us to walk this path? Here are some ideas:

  • Ask God for wisdom every day. No, scratch that; make it every hour.
  • In every situation, ask yourself, “What can I learn here?”
  • Learn how to study the Bible. (Here’s some help.  And more help.)  Meet regularly with others to discuss it.
  • Ask other people how they think you could grow.
  • Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. That way, you’ll cover the whole book each month. I did this for years and developed a notebook of topics. I picked one topic each month, and every day I’d write down which verses addressed that topic. This notebook became a useful resource that I still use.

If wisdom has entered your heart, and the fear of the Lord characterizes you, then you will love instruction. In particular, you will love God’s instruction, which means you’ll draw steadily closer to him. Don’t let your life slip by without careful attention.

Image-Jonathan_Edwards

By the time he turned 21, American theologian Jonathan Edwards had written 70 personal commitments (he called them “resolutions”) for his walk with Christ. They included things like speaking words that build up, managing his time well, and being a trustworthy person. Most noteworthy is his commitment to consciously trust in Jesus, especially when he felt on top of the world. Item #53 states:

“Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer.”

At the top, right before the first item on the list, he wrote this statement: “Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.” Here was a man who understood his natural tendency to drift from the path of wisdom and who set himself to give careful attention that he might not do so.

To summarize where we are in the argument of Prov 2:1-10: If you persevere at listening carefully to wisdom, you will grow to love wisdom. Your proud, selfish heart will melt, liberating you to make different choices every day. You’ll be heading in the right direction, growing closer to Jesus and becoming more like him.

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

How to Listen to Wisdom

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Fimb (2009), Creative Commons Attribution

To become wise, you must learn to listen. Such listening has two parts.

1My son, if you receive my words
And treasure up my commandments with you,
2Making your ear attentive to wisdom
And inclining your heart to understanding
3Yes, if you call out for insight
And raise your voice for understanding,
4If you seek it like silver
And search for it as for hidden treasures. (Prov 2:1-4)

Solomon begins the chapter with a big “IF.” Receiving, treasuring, attending, inclining, calling out, raising your voice, seeking, and searching all boil down to one weighty concept: listening. He already commanded us to “hear” in Prov 1:8. He regretted our refusal to “listen” in Prov 1:24. He’ll come back to the topic of listening again in Prov 3:1, 21; 4:1, 10, 20; 5:1; 7:24; 8:6, and Prov 8:32. Listening is no small theme in Proverbs 1-9.

What does it mean to listen to wisdom? He breaks it down into two pieces: passive receiving and active seeking.

Passive Reception

First, he commands us to listen passively (Prov 2:1-2): receive, treasure, attend, and incline. There are many times when we don’t ask for advice, but it comes anyway. It might come in a form we like: a powerful sermon, a gentle rebuke, or a kind reminder. It might come in a form we don’t like: an angry critic, a disconsolate child, or a disgruntled coworker. Whatever shape wisdom takes, the question remains the same: Will you receive it? We’re like desperately hungry babies, and the food is placed right in our mouths. Will we munch on it or spit it out?

In other words, we ought to pay attention to the Bible and delight in it. We must be receptive to what wise people say — or even to wise things foolish people say — and avoid shifting blame or making excuses. In reading God’s word or in having it explained to us, we should be broken and changed by it. 

Are you approachable? How do you handle criticism? Are you willing to address weakness or failure? Do you have the courageous humility to focus more on how you need to grow than on how others need to grow? A mark of the wise Christian is the persistent and vigilant examination for logs in or around the eye (Matt 7:1-5).

Active Pursuit

Danard Vincente, Creative Commons Attribution

Second, Solomon commands us to listen actively (Prov 2:3-4): call, raise, seek, and search. Passive reception is not enough; Prov 2:3-4 instructs us to move on to active seeking. We must call out and raise our voices for understanding. We must seek wisdom as we would silver or a hidden treasure. If a woman lost her wedding ring, she would tear the house apart until she found it. She wouldn’t just wait passively for it to reappear on its own.

We can relate to this image, because we’re all treasure seekers. We arrange our lives to accommodate what’s most important to us. That’s why we bother to get married. That’s why we drag ourselves out of bed for 8:00 AM classes. That’s why we make peace with the long commute to the office. That’s why we stay up late for cinematic premieres. That’s why spend so long in front of the mirror before leaving the house each day. That’s why we go into debt. That’s why we’ll upheave our lives and relocate closer to our grandchildren.

If I fail to grow in wisdom, it’s not because I didn’t receive enough help. If I am not being fed spiritually, I am responsible to find food. If you are a teacher or a leader, you should not wait for people to give you suggestions for improvement; you should take initiative to ask for them. If you’re married, don’t wait for your spouse to bring up concerns; instead, regularly ask, “How do you think our marriage is going?” Consider asking someone to mentor you. If you want to understand the Bible better, plan time right in your schedule. If you don’t have a schedule, now would be a great time to make one.

To summarize: If you want to become wise, you must listen to wisdom. Listening involves both receiving it eagerly and seeking it passionately.

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

How to Become Wise

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A few Olympic cycles ago, I wrote about what the Olympics taught me about Bible study. The Olympics deliver drama spectacularly, but they fail at imparting instruction.

Who, by watching Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt run, would get any practical help with his own stride? Perhaps exposure to the Asian badminton teams could influence aspiring champions not to cheat. But how many gymnasts will improve their own dismounts from Team USA’s example? Or who, upon seeing footage of Michael Phelps’ races and interviews, would gain concrete ideas for faster flip-turns? Perhaps a few prodigies will learn well by merely watching and imitating the world’s greatest athletes, but most of us need more personal coaching, step-by-step instruction, and encouragement in the basics.

“Becoming a Wise Owl Takes a Lot of Concentration” by Ken Bosma (2008), shared under Creative Commons Attribution License

That’s why, in Proverbs 2, Solomon gets down on our level and shows us practical steps we can take to become wise. He’s already given the big picture in chapter 1; now he gives details on the process. Here we’ll find not just what we need to know, but what we need to do.

Proverbs 2 has a tight logic:

If you listen – 1-4

Then you’ll get started on the path of wisdom – 5

     Why? Because God wants to make you wise – 6-8

Then you’ll continue to grow in wisdom – 9

     Why? Because wisdom will change you – 10

Result: you’ll make different choices that protect you – 11

     From violent men – 12-15

     From adulterous women – 16-19

     For endurance on the right path – 20-22

Over the next few Proverbs posts, I’ll boil the argument down into three chief sections: If you listen (Prov 2:1-4), you’ll become wise (Prov 2:5-10), resulting in different choices (Prov 2:11-22).

This post was first published in 2012 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Why We Do What We Do

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What we do is a result of what we desire.

Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
Would have none of my counsel
And despised all my reproof,
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
And have their fill of their own devices. (Prov 1:29-31)

The Bible’s Teaching on Desire

To understand this section, we must understand what the Bible teaches about desire. In particular, what we do is a result of what we desire. 2 Peter 3:3 states that those who scoff at the truth of God’s Word are simply “following their own sinful desires.” Jesus said that “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil,” just like different kinds of trees each produce their own kinds of fruit (Luke 6:43-45). This teaching means that we do certain things because we desire certain things.

boy holding cotton candyat the park
Photo by Mariana Kurnyk on Pexels.com

For example, someone yells in anger because he doesn’t get the respect he wants from others. Someone else views pornography out of a desire for comfort, escape, control, or pleasure. Another person says foolish or untrue things because she desperately wants people to like her. In all our actions, what we do is a result of what we desire.

Now when someone believes in Jesus, the Spirit of God takes up residence within him, giving him new godly desires. Galatians 5:16-26 provides a good explanation of this person’s situation. God’s Spirit intercepts his slavery to the old “desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). Those old desires won’t give up easily, though, so a battle ensues over which desires will hold supremacy in his heart (Gal 5:17). The presence of such inner turmoil is a sign that he is growing in grace, even if it feels to him like he’s a miserable failure. Thus, he must be reminded constantly that he is free from the penalty of God’s law because Jesus died for him (Gal 5:18). The more he gives in to the old desires, however, the more he will commit sinful actions (Gal 5:19-21). The more he trusts in Jesus through his Spirit, the more he will demonstrate godly character and behavior (Gal 5:22-24). Over time, the Spirit gains more and more ground over the flesh, and the old desires decrease in frequency and power (Gal 5:24-26).

This process is what we normally call Christian growth, or sanctification, and it’s not easy. But in our ignorant simplicity, we think this growth should be easy and not a battle.

The Problem with Wanting it to be Easy

One’s thinking might go like this: “Because I have become a believer in Jesus, I can now trust that certain thoughts, feelings, or desires I have must be from God. I will intuitively know when God is speaking to me or assuring me of a course of action.” This line of thinking can lead some people to foolish ideas like “God wants me to sleep with my partner because we love each other.”

Here’s a major implication of this teaching on desire, though: it is not necessarily a good thing for God to give you what you want. If you’re holding on to your old, sinful desires, it’s actually an act of judgment for God to grant your wishes. So when God loves people deeply, he doesn’t give them what they want; instead, he changes their desires so they will want what he wants. And since God is good and gracious, and He always wants what’s best for them, it’s a tremendous blessing for them to desire the same things God desires. They’ll live out of those beautiful desires and reap wonderful blessings.

Think of it like this: If a child wanted to eat cotton candy every day for lunch, would you let her do it? It’s what she wants, but you know it wouldn’t be in her best interest. Letting her have what she wants would kill her. So, if you care about her at all, you’d work to persuade and train her to desire something else (good nutrition). Once she desires a good thing, then it’s a blessing for her to live according to that desire.

The Point of Proverbs 1:29-31

What is the point? In Proverbs 1:29-31, notice that the “calamity” Wisdom warned against in Prov 1:26-27 is now described in Prov 1:31 as eating “the fruit of their way” and having “their fill of their own devices.” The judgment and distress that wisdom warns against is to get what we want and not what God wants. We’ll have more space to explore what exactly God wants for us when we reach Proverbs 3:13-26 . For now, take note of the fact that calamity results when we get what we want, and not what God wants.

How do we learn to desire what God desires? We must not “hate knowledge” (Prov 1:29). We must “choose the fear of the Lord” (Prov 1:29). We must heed wisdom’s counsel (Prov 1:30). We must not despise wisdom’s reproof (Prov 1:30). In other words, we must learn to suspect our own desires and learn from God’s Word what we should desire instead. Wisdom cries aloud to us. God loved us enough to write down all that he wanted us to know. Will we listen?

This post was first published in 2012.

Devotion Begets Devotion: Encountering God in the Bible

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Arvid Hoidahl (2019), public domain

The force of gravity that one object exerts on another depends on a few factors: the mass of each object, a gravitational constant, and the distance between the two objects. But in the calculation, distance is in the denominator of the fraction, meaning that, all other things being equal, gravitational force and distance have an inverse relationship. The closer the two objects are, the greater the gravitational pull.

If you have trouble with formulas and forces, picture a whirlpool. A feather caught in the outside of the spinning water starts to move slowly in a circle. But the longer it stays in the whirlpool, the faster it moves, pulled steadily inward and down until it disappears.

A Book Like No Other

The Bible is a book like no other. We do not read it like a biography, a novel, or a textbook. We can return to it again and again with much profit. It is deeper and greater and more wonderful than anything else we could ever read.

Why do Christians read the Bible? If you are a Christian, why do you read the Bible?

We read the Bible to know God. About the Bible, the Westminster Confession of Faith states that “it pleased the Lord, at sundry times, and in divers manners, to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his Church” (my emphasis).

God reveals himself! This means that reading or studying the Bible is no ordinary endeavor. We are not reading just for information or even inspiration. We are studying the Scriptures to learn from God, to know and love him. And as we learn from him and love him, this should kindle a desire to draw even closer.

God Entices Us

When we read the Bible, God teaches us about himself. He also shines light into our hearts and convicts us of sin. God shows us his Son and removes the blindness from our eyes. And like many in first-century Galilee, we are eager to follow the Rabbi-King, Jesus.

By his Spirit, God works on our hearts as we read the Bible. He meets with us and entices us to return and meet with him again.

Reading the Bible creates a longing within us for what is to come. When the world seems to be crumbling around us, we have a sure promise that all will be put right (Rev 21:4). And we will enjoy fellowship with God face to face (Rev 21:3).

Additionally, as we read, we see more of what we will become. In all the ways we offend God and our neighbors, we can cultivate hope that these stubborn sins will not last forever. God’s commands are for our good, and one day we will embrace and obey them fully.

Further Down and Further In

If you’ve talked to any older saint recently, you’ve probably noticed they are still eager for the Scriptures. Even after a lifetime of reading and hearing and studying, they are not tired of those familiar words.

The Bible may be bound like other books. It may sit on our tables, support coffee mugs, and sport dog-eared pages and pencil scribbles like other volumes. But what the Bible offers we can find nowhere else.

God reveals himself to us in the pages of this holy book. To the novice and the expert, to the young and the old, God offers himself to those who would take up and read. And as we taste and see how good the Lord is, we’ll joyfully take another lap around the whirlpool, drawing closer and closer to the God who made and redeemed us.

God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading

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Erik Raymond reflects briefly yet gloriously on “God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading.” With a personal anecdote, he models how important Bible reading is, even when it doesn’t rock your world every day. The persistent work of God over time is worth the effort we put in.

Here is a taste:

Here’s the thing: God uses your regular exposure to the Word of God to mold you into the image of his Son. Your faithful reading of and meditation upon the Bible makes grooves. And the wheels of your life ride along in these tracks. You might think, What’s the big deal if I don’t read my Bible and pray today? The big deal is this, you are missing out. You are missing out on being exposed to the gloriously infinite treasure of the Scripture. And you are missing out on the privilege of God pressing down the mortar of his Word into your life with all of the force of your current circumstances and emotions. You are missing out on the supernatural compound effect of Bible reading in sanctification.

Check it out!

Exodus 12:29-13:16: Like It Or Not, God Owns You

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The Passover narrative is certainly long and convoluted, spanning more than 2100 words in English, and sneakily alternating between immediate exodus-generation instructions and future memorial-ritual instructions. When reading these chapters, I usually find myself afloat in what feels like a swampy mess. By the time my eyes glaze, I’m happy to get a mere nugget or two and move on to the more delightful Red Sea episode.

But curiosity drives me to observe and ask questions. Upon investigating, I find the Passover narrative is similar to the upcoming tabernacle narrative, in that it has two main sections: the instructions describing what will happen (Passover: Ex 11:1-12:28, Tabernacle: Ex 25-31), and the narrative describing what happened (Passover: Ex 12:29-13:16; Tabernacle: Ex 35-39). I covered the first Passover section last week. Now, I’ll try to make sense of the second.

Observation of Exodus 12:29-13:16

Most repeated words: Lord (24 times), all (17x), out (15), Egypt (14), firstborn (14), people (13), land (10), Israel (9).

  • This passage narrates Israel’s last night spent in Egyptian slavery. No wonder “out” is repeated so many times.
  • And while Ex 11:1-12:18 predicted God’s destruction of the firstborn, the theme of “firstborn” becomes truly prominent only in this second half.

Changes in setting and characters drive the action:

  • Ex 12:29-33: God decimates the firstborn of Egypt.
  • Ex 12:34-42: Israel’s experience the next day, narrative evaluation of this earth-shattering event.
  • Ex 12:43-51: Yahweh’s first speech to Moses and Aaron, the people’s response.
  • Ex 13:1-16: Yahweh’s second speech to Moses, Moses’ speech to the people (connected by focus on firstborn).

Thematic outline:

  1. When God kills someone in every Egyptian home, the Egyptians begin to fear they will all die (Ex 12:29-33).
  2. Yahweh watches his people and grants them favor with their oppressors (Ex 12:34-42).
  3. Yahweh is very concerned with who may eat this Passover in the future. Who is in, and who is out? (Ex 12:43-51).
  4. Yahweh claims personal ownership over every firstborn of both humans and animals (Ex 13:1-16).

Tony Hammond (2016), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 12:29-13:16

Some possible questions:

  1. Why does God treat Egypt so severely?
  2. Why do the Egyptians give so much stuff to the Israelites as they leave?
  3. Why is Yahweh so concerned with who gets to eat this annual meal?
  4. Why does God claim personal ownership of every firstborn?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. When I analyzed chapter 1, I made a point I’ll repeat here: The Lord returns the Pharaohs’ evil on their heads. This is divine justice at work. Because Pharaoh oppressed the people, God sent oppressive plagues. Because Pharaoh tried to murder Israel’s sons, God now executes Egypt’s sons. We’ll see soon what happens to those who tried drowning a generation of Israel’s boys…
  2. The text makes very clear that the plundering came as a result of God giving favor (Ex 12:36). This same God had been watching them all along (Ex 2:25), and especially on that last night in captivity (Ex 12:42). The same God who has power over life and death (Ex 12:29-33) also has power over favor and oppression. He owns these people and their situation. He can get them out and grant them favor in a single night whenever he wants. He is not absent, blind, or aloof. He is not distant or silent. So the point here is not so much that Israelites get all this stuff from the Egyptians, but that God can give them all this stuff whenever he’s ready to do so.
  3. Yahweh is the one who performed this feat of rescue (Ex 12:51). He has called this people to himself, and he gets to decide who is in and who is out. There must be no confusion as to who is a member of the congregation of Israel and who is not, who is a part of God’s people and who is not. God redeemed, or paid for, these slaves. Now he owns them!
  4. Ex 13:3-10 says nothing that wasn’t already said in Ex 12:14-20, except that this time, the directions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread are bracketed by God’s claim on the firstborn (Ex 13:1, 11-16). He confirms what we saw in chapter 12, that the Feast of Unleavened Bread represents a fresh start, a new beginning. Whatever is born first belongs especially to God (“whatever is the first…is MINE!”). Therefore, it must be either executed (to go right to God) or paid for (to be of use to a family). Of course, human children must be paid for; child sacrifice is unacceptable. Therefore, they have not only an annual feast but also every birth of human or animal, all to remind them of this night when God made them his own people. They are to explain this fact to their children at every opportunity (Ex 13:14-15). God wants them to know he owns them. He owns their firstborn. He owns their children. He owns their livestock. He owns everything.

Train of thought: Because God provided a way to spare his people from the worst disaster of all time:

  • He owns death and life.
  • He grants favor and watches everything.
  • He knows who are his.
  • He owns his people and everything they have.

Main point: Yahweh strikes his enemies and blesses his people to show he owns all the people of the earth.

Connection to Christ: Jesus took on the form of a bondservant (submitted to the Father’s ownership of him) to rescue God’s people. He did all God’s will, and now he reigns over heaven and earth until all nations come to him.

My Application of Exodus 12:29-13:16

I prefer to feel in control of my life, but any such feeling is an illusion. Because God owns me, all I am and all I have is his.

Right now, God has called me to work through some excruciating conflict. Some of it involves revisiting and dealing with the most difficult season of my life, to pursue peace and reconciliation. Some of it involves entering in to help others deal with one another in ways that honor the Lord. For obvious reasons, I can’t share many details. But I would rather not go through these things at all. I wish my life were safer and more predictable. Yet, I can give no less than my best efforts, for I’ve been paid for and my life is not my own. I belong body and soul to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

Jesus and the Proverbs

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How do we se Jesus in the Proverbs? Simple. As J.A. Medders writes, “Wisdom is a ‘Who’ More than a ‘What.'”

The Proverbs are the practical righteousness of Christ, his life, played out in our sanctification. Wisdom isn’t a nebulous concept, or ancient advice for life. Wisdom is draped in Nazarene flesh. Wisdom is the Ancient of Days. And now, by the gospel of grace, Jesus is our wisdom, and our righteousness, and our sanctification.

Medders summarizes the connections in two concise ideas:

  • Jesus lived the Proverbs for us
  • Jesus lives the Proverbs through us

This has been my understanding all through my Proverbs series, and Medders makes it nice and easy. His full article is well worth reading.

Check it out!

Assurance Requires Exposure

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I’m taking a short break from my Monday Proverbs study for this reflection on assurance from 1 John.

‘Tis the season for going to the pool, which means I get to do more reading than usual. But I can’t sit comfortably poolside unless I have assurance of my children’s safety, which involves:

  1. Strategic positioning to see all pool areas.
  2. Head counts every 5 minutes.

If I can’t see a child, I must get up and walk around until I have all the facts. Only when the facts come to light can I rest assured and return to my literary bliss.

This process is also true of the Christian life. John wrote his first letter to those who believe in Jesus, to give them assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13). But assurance requires exposure. There can be no assurance without first exposing the cold facts. Though John will give three tests for assurance (obedience, love, and confessing Christ), we cannot evaluate our lives without first exposing them (1 John 1:5-2:2). And we’ll never be comfortable with exposure unless we know 3 things.

1. God’s nature is to expose

John’s message is simple: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Any hint of darkness is incompatible with this God who is light. God is not like light or with the light. He is light; it’s his nature to be light, to shine light.

James Wheeler (2013), Creative Commons

James Wheeler (2013), Creative Commons

What does light do? It shines in the darkness, but the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). When God—light—is in the picture, there is nowhere to hide. There is no such thing as “under cover of darkness.” God is a constant illuminator. He is the great exposer. You can’t know God and avoid the light. You can’t be a Christian and keep parts of your life hidden in the dark.

2. We don’t respond well to exposure

The fact that God illuminates and exposes rightly terrifies. So we use a few tactics to cope with this God-light.

Tactic #1: Shore up our defenses

We say we have fellowship with God, but walk in darkness (1 John 1:6). In other words, we talk a lot about God, but very little about ourselves. We love the sentiments of a relationship with God (love, joy, peace, etc.), but we hate the threat of total disclosure.

For example, I’ve always struggled with my weight and body image, and I hate myself for it. I want to keep this part of my life tucked in a dark corner never to come out. I spend too much time in front of the mirror…until someone else walks into the bathroom. Then I’m happy to pretend I wasn’t fixated on my appearance.

How will we ever come out of hiding? John gives both motivation and power (1 John 1:7):

  • Motivation: We have fellowship with one another.
  • Power: The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

It’s worth it to walk in the light.

Tactic #2: Deny our sinfulness

We say we have no sin (1 John 1:8). In other words, we talk a lot about ourselves, but very little about God and his view of sin. We see ourselves as “nice,” “innocent,” or even “good.” We deny that our fundamental identity apart from Christ is “sinner.”

For example, I don’t see myself as a “glutton”; I just like food. I’m not “greedy”; I like my hobbies. I’m not a “gossip”; I’m merely concerned about the situation.

How will we ever acknowledge the truth? John reminds us that God is both faithful and just (1 John 1:9):

  • Faithful: He has promised to forgive those who confess their sin, and he must keep his word.
  • Just: Jesus paid for those who trust in him, so God must forgive them when they turn.

Because the faithful and just God already executed his wrath on his Son for you, you are free to label things accurately. The Bible calls such labeling “confession.”

Tactic #3: Refuse to change

We say we have not sinned (1 John 1:10). In other words, we talk a lot about what we did right, but very little about what we did wrong. The difference between tactics 2 and 3 is the difference between general and particular. This third tactic represents a move from the broad “I’m not a sinner” to the specific “This thing I did was not sin.”

For example, it might be easy for me to admit being a prideful person. But if I never ‘fess up to specific instances where I have acted pridefully, I haven’t yet begun walking in the light. I must connect recent behaviors with long-standing patterns. I must take ownership to search and destroy the issue in my life, without waiting for others to point it out to me.

How will we ever be free to stop defending ourselves and make changes? John reminds us that we already have a double defense in Jesus (1 John 2:1-2).

3. Jesus defends the exposed

John doesn’t want us to sin, but if anyone does sin, we have two lines of defense. If we don’t feel the need to defend ourselves, we might be willing to risk true exposure.

As a defense attorney

We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). An advocate argues for the accused before the judge. God, the great judge, the exposer of all people, allows only one attorney into his courtroom. If you have Jesus, you have one who pleads for you—not because you are righteous, but because he is.

As a defense barrier

He is the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2). A propitiation is a defense barrier. Jesus is like the bulletproof vest that prevents rounds of ammunition from penetrating your vital organs. He is like a baseball glove that absorbs the shock from the foul ball that almost knocked you silly.

Every time you sin and face exposure, you rightly sense God’s displeasure hurtling toward you. And every time, Jesus still deflects the blow. Not by dying again (that happened only once for all), but by reminding the Father of his death and by pleading your case.

You can’t have acquittal without a trial. You can’t have a trial without a defendant. You can’t have a defendant without charges of wrongdoing. You can’t have charges of wrongdoing without exposure. Thus, we must be exposed before we can be acquitted.

It usually doesn’t feel good, but what could be better for you?