"We do not believe in God or in God as Creator of heaven and earth, or as Almighty, consequently nor in Jesus as His Son or the virginity of His mother, nor in His second coming and the resurrection from the dead."

These are the heartfelt beliefs of a pastor in the village of Taarbaek, Denmark. When his views on God (a sort of "Apostles Creed" in reverse) were made known last year, there was—and understandably so—an uproar from across the Christian world.

This pastor's bishop initially gave the pastor a week off to rethink his views. Then, inconceivably, the pastor was restored to his post. The bishop had caved in.

When I read this story, I couldn't believe that this man was allowed to continue to publicly represent Christianity. It really got me to thinking about all the lies that people believe that will eventually cost them dearly. And as I was reading recently in 1 John chapter 1, I saw three of the deadliest lies that people believe.

Notice what 1 John 1:5 says: God is absolute light. There is not even a trace of darkness in Him. This is the basis of our faith and of our hope. And it is this truth that stands against the following three lies. I've also included God's answer to these lies.

1. "I'm a Christian. Everything is okay."
   Verse 6 says, "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." This talks about people that think they are Christians, yet their lives bear absolutely no fruit of this claim. It's sort of like Crocodile Dundee's statement: "Me and God—we're mates!"
   
   The problem is that if we have a genuine relationship with Christ, there should be some sort of corresponding life change. Hypocrisy makes a liar out of us. And this is definitely one area that we just don't want to get wrong! Being a Christian comes only through a life-altering relationship with Christ.
   
   God's answer: Verse 7—We are to live in the light. Not by just saying it, but by actually living it! Notice that it increases our ability to connect with one another as well. And it allows the Blood of Jesus to purge our lives! Living in the light (right living) is the proof of a shared life with Christ!
   
2. "I'm not a bad person." "I'm not that bad." "At least I'm not as bad as the next guy."
   
   In verse 8 we read, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Here the apostle John writes that claiming to be without sin is self-deceptive.
   
   He speaks of a person that is convinced that they are okay with God because of they don't think of themselves as a bad person; or because they are "better" than someone else.
   
   Comparison is not wise. We will all stand before God alone. We can't get into Heaven just because we are seemingly better than someone else. And the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23), and therefore have no chance of entrance into heaven on our own.
   
   This sin is an absolute abomination to God. And it separates us from Him.
   
   God's answer: Verse 9—Confession of our sin (saying the same thing about it as He does) brings true cleansing. It is only through a relationship with Christ that we are made clean—and that we can claim to have a right life!!!
   
3. "I've led a good life, been nice to people, helped out, been kind to animals, etc."
   
   We find in verse 10, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." In this verse we see people that try to justify themselves based on good things they've done.
   
   People who don't understand the nature of God attempt to appease Him in this way. It is the same as trying to earn your way to God... it can't be done! It comes only as a gift.
   
   Remember that in verse 5 John writes that God is absolute light, with not even a trace of darkness in Him. These "good works" cannot accomplish the desired end because we are broken individuals and can only offer broken sacrifices. Our problem is that we don't want to admit that we're so messed up! But we are all hopelessly broken and in desperate need of God's forgiveness.
   
   Notice that such claims are in direct contrast to God's Word... in effect, calling God a liar. They are nonsense. They are self-deceptive and reveal our ignorance of God. These are a result of not seeing ourselves in light of God's perfection.
   
   God's answer: 1 John 2:1-2—Christ connects us to God based on His good works, not ours! These two verses offer us the break we've been waiting for! Jesus came to save us from our sin—the very thing that separates us from Him.
   
   If we could have saved ourselves, then the Cross would not have been necessary. This is actually great news! Jesus did for me what I couldn't do for myself!
   
   May God help us to be honest enough with ourselves to see ourselves as we really are... and to see who we have become after we've committed our lives to Christ!

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