“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father — Jesus Christ the Righteous One.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

What things have John wrote in this letter so that we may not sin?

1.  God is light and there is no darkness in HIm.

“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.”

1 John 1:5 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/1jn.1.5.hcsb

2.  If we try to walk with God and darkness we are deceiving ourselves.

“If we say, “We have fellowship with Him,” yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.”

1 John 1:6 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/1jn.1.6.hcsb 

3.  If we try to walk with God and the light he gives we are blessed.

“But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

1 John 1:7 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/1jn.1.7.hcsb

4.  If we claim to be perfect people we are lying.

“If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

1 John 1:8 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/1jn.1.8.hcsb

5.  If we confess our shortcomings to God He will forgive them.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9 HCSB

https://www.bible.com/72/1jn.1.9.hcsb

So now how does these things help us from not sinning? 

They keep the focus in the right place, God, and keeps it off of us. 

God is the one charge. He makes the rules. He lets us experience His mercy (not getting what we deserve) and His grace (getting what we don’t deserve). He invites us into His home of blessed children. He extends His hand out to us to welcome us. If you don’t like the way God has written the rules of the universe then created your own universe. We must play by God’s rules. 

He does not make it hard, but the devil and our flesh make it difficult to do. He askes that we love Him with all our heart (emotions), soul (beliefs), mind (thoughts), and strength (actions). And love our neighbor as He has loved us. This is not impossible because God has given us an advocate, Jesus, who seeks God on our behalf, and a helper, the Holy Spirit, who seeks the best interest of God in our lives. Jesus is the one who paid our sin debt to God and the Holy Spirit is the down payment to guarantee our return on God’s investment in us. 

Our debts and deposits are not a balance and whichever is higher at the end of our lives determines where we will spend eternity. But Jesus paid all our sin on that old rugged cross 2,000 years ago. So that we receive Jesus as our advocate with the Father. And the Holy Spirit was given to us to help us walk according to the will of God spelled out in the Bible.