If We Confess Our Sins
In the New Testament, only two verses directly mention that we should confess our sins. Other similar verses exist but use words like profess, declare, and, repent.
The verse we’ll talk about today is 1 John 1:9. The other verse was written by James in the 5th chapter of his epistle.
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:9
People, including me, often use the verse we just read when leading someone to salvation. And why not? It serves as a great verse for that purpose.
But that’s not its only function. The context in this section of John’s epistle points to all Christians. It intends to help us keep any shadows of sin from developing in our lives.
John recorded the “I Am’s” of Jesus in his gospel. They consist of the following.
The bread of life, the gate, the good shepherd, the resurrection, the way, truth, and life, and the vine. He also included one more on that list; Jesus is the Light of the World.
He emphasized the light of the Lord to those he wrote to in his first epistle. Going back to verse 5, he said the following.
This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 1 John 1:5
The only type of light known to us right now creates shadows. Often we use shadows to shade ourselves because of the brightness of the light.
Shadows of Sin in our Lives
There is, however, no shadow or darkness in the light of God. But, spiritually speaking, we can create darkness in our lives. It comes when we open ourselves up to sin.
So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 1 John 1:6
Spiritual darkness comes when we are not honest with ourselves about the sin we participate in. But look at what John has to say next.
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light. Then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
So there are three principles in the verse we just read. We can live in the light, we can have fellowship with each other, and we can be cleansed from all sin.
These are three very important principles for us to consider.
- A sinless life keeps us in the light of God.
- Fellowship with each other is built upon the foundation of godly love.
- Jesus died on the cross not only to initially save us. But to cleanse us of sins we commit along the way.
In the next verse, John makes another effort to help us stay honest with ourselves. Plus, he doesn’t want us to be hindered by pride.
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 1 John 1:8
Should We Confess Our Sins Daily?
This brings us to verse 9, our verse for today. We can and should confess our sins regularly because we continually sin.
Jesus doesn’t get weary and impatient with us. No, John said, He is faithful and just. He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness every time we come to Him.
And because of our sinful nature, we need continual cleansing. If you think you don’t need God’s forgiveness, then you must be implying that you are not sinning.
If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:10
I’m not saying we need to get saved over and over again. The Lord does, however, want us to depend on Him daily. Because we have no other name we can call on.
God Gives Us an Ultimatum
If we say we have no sin, we are lying to ourselves and we are calling God a liar. Look at what John wrote about “all liars” in Revelation 21
But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars. Their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
The ultimatum God gives us is we must confess our sins which is an admission that we have sinned. Or deny we have any sin which means we are denying the Word of God.
I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure that I’ll make it to heaven. I don’t know what your theology is, but I’d just as soon not find out in eternity that I didn’t make it.
So Lord, forgive me for all the sins I commit. Those I’m aware of and others I’m unaware of. I’m a sinner and I confess my sins to you.
Thank you for your grace and mercy. Also, thank you for your promise that you are faithful and just. And you will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.
Check out these related posts giving reasons why you should confess your sins.
- What’s The Best Way To Seek Forgiveness Of Sin?
- How Does My Sin Affect Other People?
- Will God Forgive Me If I Keep Sinning
- Punishment from God Because of Sin
- The Consequence of Sin
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