1 John 1:9 - Confession Brings Forgiveness and Cleansing.
1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
COMMENTARY PEARL
What Confession Really Means
Its important that we know what it
means to confess our sin, because our very
forgiveness hinges on our understanding of it.
The Hebrew word for confess means
to acknowledge. In the New Testament we
could translate it to agree with someone or
to say the same thing as another. We find
the term in 1 John 1:9: 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 (NLT).
This is essentially saying that if we
will agree with God about our sin, if we will
acknowledge it for what it is, not make excuses for it,
see it as God sees it, and turn from it, then we
will be forgiven.
But heres the problem. Some people
believe theyve confessed their sin when they
really havent, because they think confession is
merely acknowledging their sin. For example,
theyll sin, get caught, and then say, Okay, I
confess that sin. That was a bad thing. I wont do
it again.
Later, however, they go out and do it
again. So they say, I did it again. I confess
that sin.
That isnt confession. Theyre simply
acknowledging their sin. Theyre recognizing what is
obvious. Confession, on the other hand, means to see
sin for what it is, be sorry for it, and turn
from it.
There are people who think theyve
confessed their sin and that God has forgiven them
when, in reality, God hasnt forgiven them at
all. Thats because they havent done it
Gods way. They must take that sin to the cross
and recognize that its offensive to a holy
God. Then they must turn from it, stop making
excuses for it, and be sorry enough to change.
If youre willing to do this when
youve sinned, then God will forgive you. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
All people are sinners by nature and by
practice. At conversion all our sins are forgiven -
past, present, and future. Yet even after we
become Christians, we still sin and still need to
confess. This kind of confession is not offered to
gain God's acceptance, but to remove the barrier
to fellowship that our sin has put between us
and him. It is difficult, however, for many
people to admit their faults and shortcomings, even
to God. It takes humility and honesty to
recognize our weaknesses, and most of us would rather
pretend that we are strong. But we need not fear
revealing our sins to God - he knows them already. He
will not push us away, no matter what we've done.
Instead, he will draw us to himself.
We don't need to confess the sins of the
past all over again, and we don't need to fear
that God will reject us if we don't keep our
slate perfectly clean. Of course, we should
continue to confess our sins, but not because failure
to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our
relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should
confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and
joy with him.
True confession also involves a
commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn't be
genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to
commit them again and just wanted temporary
forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat
temptation the next time we face it. [Life Application
SB]
Confess your sins to God, who only can
forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you
have given offense to your friend or neighbor,
you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his
duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek
the forgiveness of God, because the brother you
have wounded is the property of God, and in
injuring him you sinned against his Creator and
Redeemer
True confession is always of a specific
character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may
be of such a nature as to be brought before God
only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed
to individuals who have suffered injury through
them; or they may be of a public character, and
should then be as publicly confessed. But all
confession should be definite and to the point,
acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.
SC37,8
CLOSING PEARLS
Through Jesus Christ, God's saving power is
linked with his creative power - the power that
created and sustains the universe is the very power
that removes our sin and makes us into new
creations. What a mistake to think that God is unable
to forgive us. No sin is too big for the Ruler
of the universe to handle. He can and will
forgive us when we come to him through his Son. Look
to Jesus Christ, your Creator and Savior, to
forgive your sins, give you a new life, and show you
how to live by his example and teachings. [One
Year NLT SB re Heb. 1:1-3]
Whenever we are brokenhearted and
genuinely humbled by the reality of our sin, God will
have compassion on us and forgive us. Sometimes
in our pride, though, we think that not even
God can forgive us. Know that such thoughts are
the enemy's lies, and counter them with the
truth of Scripture. The truth of 1 John 1:8-9 is a
powerful weapon when Satan whispers in your ear that
you've committed the unforgivable.
Also know that, when you've repented of
your sin and received God's gracious forgiveness,
the outcome is a new beginning, a conspicuous
change in the direction of your life, the Lord's
blessing rather than His judgment, and joy. The
result of repentance is always amazing! [Being
Still With God Every Day by Henry Blackaby re Joel
2:12, 18]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 John 1:9 - Confession Brings Forgiveness
and Cleansing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230131-0945.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
