<p>1:10 <i>If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us</i>- It is the indwelling of &quot;the truth&quot; which convicts and then sanctifies / cleanses from the sin which it convicts (see on :8,9). I suggest it is not 'the Bible' which is in view here; it is not every word of that inspired book, including the Chronicles genealogies, which will convict of sin. If 'the Bible' were referred to then surely we would read 'the Scriptures', or at least, some other word apart from <i>logos</i> would be used. The <i>logos</i> of God is clearly defined in John's Gospel as His Son, and likewise here in :1. It is the indwelling of the Lord Jesus, by His Spirit (see on :9), which both convicts of sin and cleanses from that sin. Those who claimed to be without sin had not received the Lord's spirit, and were &quot;none of His&quot; therefore, as Paul puts it in Rom. 8:9- even if they claimed membership in some form of the Christian community.</p><p>Our experience of life, the way God works through our failures, almost overruling even (it seems to me) the <i>kinds</i> of sins we commit and their outcome, is all intended to bring us to an increasing realization of our own sinfulness. The more God's <i>logos</i> abides in us, the more we will know our sinfulness. Thus Paul speaks as if when Corinth are more obedient, he will reveal further to them the extent of their weakness (2 Cor. 10:6). On a racial level, it could be argued that over history, God has progressively revealed the sinfulness of man to him. Thus the early records of Israel's history in Egypt and in the wilderness contain very little direct criticism of them. But the prophets reveal that they were corrupt even then, taking the idols of Egypt with them through the Red Sea (Ez. 20). But then in the New Testament, Stephen brings together several such prophetic mentions, combining them to produce a stunning description of Israel's ecclesial apostasy, which culminated in their rejection of the Son of God.&nbsp;</p><p>To just have an attitude that we haven't sinned, is read by God as stating that He is a liar- even though we would never dream of saying this. If we don&rsquo;t believe Him, we likewise &ldquo;make him a liar&rdquo;, we slander or falsely accuse Him, because we call His witness to us in the Spirit / Comforter a lie (1 Jn. 5:10). We may recoil at this language. But it is so&ndash; to deny our sinfulness, to disbelieve what God says about it, is to slander God and resist the conviction of His Spirit.</p>