Today’s Verse

1 John 1:8-9

“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.” (NLT)

Laundry day involves sorting. 

Lights, darks, delicates, bedding, towels – each item has its place. Some require different water temperatures, and some different drying techniques. It may be necessary in the laundry room, but it has no place in the church. 

Jesus didn’t sort people. He welcomed everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. From religious elite to social outcasts, widows to tax collectors, lowly fishermen to Roman guards, you name it—Jesus offered them salvation. 

In the church, we are a diverse body with different experiences and perspectives. So we often find ourselves creating our own washing instructions. We sort ourselves into neat little piles based on preferences, backgrounds, or even perceived holiness. But the truth is, we are all stained by sin. We all need the same washing.

Our verse today makes it crystal clear: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves”. Everyone has their own mess, and the church should be a place where we can openly confess sin and receive God’s forgiveness. 

Twenty years into my faith journey and I still need forgiveness. I still need to be corrected and still benefit from accountability. I still need help identifying areas of blindness and things to change. We all do.

Growth isn’t just about understanding the things of God; it’s about applying His truths to my actual life. And since sanctification is a lifelong process, it’ll serve us well to learn how God wants us to grow.

The Apostle Paul was obsessed with this principle. He talked about it in every letter he wrote. For Paul, the only way to go through life properly is to understand the “one anothers”. 

• “love one another” (Romans 12:10)

• “welcome one another” (Romans 15:7)

• “forgive one another” (Ephesians 4:32)

• “build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

• “comfort one another” (2 Corinthians 13:11)

• “serve one another” (Galatians 5:13)

(That’s just a few, there are over 59 “one-another” verses in Paul’s letters) 

But here’s today’s question: Without realizing it, have we missed the who at the end of each of these commands? 

Have we neglected to even ask God who it is that He wants us to encourage, love, welcome, forgive, comfort, serve, and build up? 

When we don’t ask God to define “one another” for us, we slip into choosing for ourselves. And the people we choose tend to be the people we like and people like us.

But God's love doesn't work that way. He wants us to extend grace and compassion to everyone, especially those outside our comfort zone. God’s primary goal is not changing our situations and relationships so that we can be happy, but changing us through our situations and relationships so that we will be holy.

It starts here at Southland: we park beside one another on Sunday, talk with one another as we walk inside, stand next to one another while we sing, bow by one another in prayer, and listen alongside one another to the Word preached.

And that’s just Sunday. These opportunities aren’t limited to a church building. God has placed us in particular neighborhoods, office buildings, schools, and ball fields so that we might be “known by our love for one another” (John 13:35)

Paul’s life after his conversion was marked by intense spiritual growth. He faced countless challenges, but he also experienced incredible growth. His journey is a model for us. If we want to truly experience love, joy, and peace we have to submit to the way God has designed for us to grow.

REFLECTION

Look up all the “one another” passages throughout the Bible. Read through them and ask yourself how are you, your friends, and your family doing with living these out…especially with people who are different from us.