1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the
Word of life;
2
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and
shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was
manifested unto us;)
3
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and
with his Son Jesus Christ.
4
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you,
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth:
7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we have
not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If we say we haven't sinned,
we make him a liar, and his word isn't in us.
When I was a toddler, my parents gave me baths to keep me clean. Those baths were designed to act as upkeep, performed every day or so to prevent build up of filth. If I went without hygienic attention for long enough, it'd be very apparent and would call for immediate cleansing of my body. As an adult, I don't feel guilty for being dirty as a little kid. Filth builds up as a result of daily living; I shower and keep myself clean as a matter of upkeep...and my shower today isn't going to amount to much twenty years down the road because it works in the here-and-now; a way to stave off an accruing of filth. The story of Jesus dying on the cross and his blood "washing away our sins" is ridiculous to say the least. Those not even born can't accrue filth, just as they shouldn't be held in contempt for sins of birth. However, to the Bible-believing Christian, you're born dirty and the only way to be clean is to admit you're dirty and be forgiven ("put on the hook") every single time you misstep and find yourself soaked in a spiritual mud puddle.
I honestly have no idea why the idea of spiritual atonement, human sacrifice, and generational guilt should be tossed into a casserole and eaten by millions around the world...and proudly. Is it really because we fear death and we'll take the morbid stupidity of Christianity if it means being able to see our favorite grandparent in paradise after we die? My goodness, I should have gotten into the bridge-selling business a long time ago.