1 John 1

Good morning, and welcome to the first installment of this living worship experiment. As many of you know, I am an ancient language geek (having studied ancient languages as my major in college). The first book I translated completely was this one, 1 John. As with the Gospel of John, the word choice is simple but the theological significance of John's words (and the ambiguity of those words) leaves a lot of room for discussion. One word choice that struck me right between the eyes today comes from 1 John 1:7. The NIV reads: "... and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." And in my study Bible, there is a footnote telling us that "all" could be "every." And that is an important distinction! If we are indeed saved from "every sin," then sin is just a wrong choice. It gives us the impression that we are fully capable of not making that wrong choice. It's simple. Perhaps, too simple.

Sin is deeper than a set of bad decisions. Sin is the fundamental disconnection between God and human beings, and human beings and each other, and human beings and themselves. Sin is brokenness. Despite the masks of perfection we put on our faces, despite our best attempts to the contrary, before God we see our brokenness. In God, where there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5), we see the darkness within ourselves. We have to (1 John 1:8). What is the cure? How can we be free from this disconnection? What can put our broken pieces back together? "The life appeared, we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us" (1 John 1:2). Amen?