thefts, false witness, blasphemies.' It is the heart that sins; 'the
soul that sinneth, it shall die,' says the prophet Ezekiel in Ezek.
18:4. The body will die and return to dust from whence it came, but
these immortal souls of ours will live on eternally. It is the soul
that sins. When in our intentions we purpose to sin, we are guilty
of sin before God. He that searches the heart, who looks not as man
looks, who sees the secret motive, he knows when the will consents to
do evil. Not a theft was ever committed, except that there was a will
to steal; not an act of dishonesty, except that there was a will to
deceive; not a lie was ever uttered, except there was a will to lie.
It is our souls that must be saved. 'Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls' (1 Peter 1:9).

"Our text says, 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' I wish to publicly thank God
for this peace in my soul. Jesus saves me from my sins. I know that
the verse, 1 John 1:8, is a stumbling-block to many, yet it is simple
when understood. John was stating fundamental propositions. He began
by saying that, '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.' Then, as if turning back to state the
basis, or antecedent of his remarks, he said, 'If we say that we have
no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' In other
words, there was sin to be cleansed from the hearts of sinners, and
to declare there was no sin to be cleansed from, was only to deceive
themselves. The same arrangement follows in verses 9 and 10, where the
truth is first stated that 'if we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness,' and then John stated the basis or antecedent of
forgiveness, which is the fact that all have sinned."