1 John 1:9 contains one of the greatest promises in the Bible. The Apostle wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is one of the verses I quote the most in the pulpit.
But it is important we understand what this verse entails. First, John is writing to the church, not to unbelievers. The unsaved are not cleansed of their sin just by confession of sin. They must confess Jesus as Lord of their life. Whether Paul was telling the Philippian jailer he had to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31),” or telling the church in Rome that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13),” it is clear that there is no salvation apart from Jesus.
John is telling the church—who is already saved and had their sin-burden removed at their salvation—that our individual sins can be forgiven by confession.
And it is also important to understand what confession means. It comes from a Greek word that means to say the same thing. When we confess our sin to God we are saying the same thing about our sin that God says about it. What do you think God has to say about sin? He wholeheartedly detests it, and we should as well.
Some people use this verse as if the mere act of saying words puts us in right standing with God, as if we simply say “abracadabra” and God makes our sins disappear. This wrong understanding can lead people to willingly sin, believing all they have to do is utter their confession after the deed, and all is instantly well.
For a Christian to confess sin means we have to agree with God about it. We must view sin for what it is, why it is wrong, and have the desire to not repeat the mistake. I am grateful for a God who is rich in mercy and willing to forgive as often as I confess.
If your sin does not bother you, you aren’t really confessing. You aren’t saying the same thing as God. Pray and ask God to help you view sin the way He does, and then you can say the same thing He does.
Comments