If We Confess Our Sins, He Is Faithful And Just And Will Purify Us From Unrighteousness
Believe On Him And Be Saved
1 JOHN 1:8-10
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
I John 1:8-10 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/1jn.1.8-10.nkjv
In this passage, John was attacking false teachers who claimed that many people did not sin and have no reason to repent.
We humans are quick to justify or justify our sins; “it’s ok because everyone is doing it; it wasn’t me, it was the demons in me that done it”; “it’s just a little white lie”; God made me do it.”
The truth is, demons can influence and tempt us with little whispers, and if demonised, directly into our very soul, our mind, will and emotions, to commit all kinds of sin, but while that influence can be very overwhelming, demons cannot force anyone to do anything; God will always make a righteous way of escape for you (1 CORINTHIANS 10:13).
Furthermore, God cannot be tempted, and He does not tempt anyone (JAMES 1:13), but He does test our faith (JAMES 1:3; 1 PETER 1:7).
When one looks at himself in truth, it becomes easy to understand that every one of us has committed sin at one time or another.
Furthermore, since the penalty of pretty much all sin, however small, is death, it is easy to understand that we are all in need of a Saviour.
Our sin justifies death, but Jesus pain, suffering and spilled blood, justifies life for all who believe.
But “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:1-12 NKJV
Many say that God’s grace is enough, but while all are saved by the grace of God, grace does not override justice; if it did, Jesus would of had no reason to die on a cross and suffer as He did.
Therefore, God’s grace was justified for all who receive the gift by faith, those who believe on Him (ROMANS 10:8-13).
These false teachers claimed they had “no sin” and that they was actually incapable of committing sin.
This is a lie, indeed “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
To claim we have no sin is a lie, and ignores a basic truth, that all people except Christ are sinners by nature and by practice. Furthermore, it shows that Christ’ death means little to those who claim otherwise.
At the point of confession and repentance, that is to say we are determined to turn from our sins, all our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven and are justly paid for (v7), just as we forgive those who sin against us, ““For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (MATHEW 6:14-15).”
The truth is, even after we commit to God, by our very nature, we will continue in sin in one way or another whether we realise it or not. But over a period of time, God will teach, mould, and shape us into the people He wants us to be. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6 NLT
Repentance removes the barriers that sin has put between us and God and opens the door for fellowship and relationship with Jesus.
It’s not always easy to recognise or admit our faults, even to God.
It takes humility and honesty to face our weaknesses and give them to Christ in repentance.
But the truth is, God already knows your failures and shortcomings, for nothing can be hidden from Him. But He will not push anyone away who is comes to Him in repentance (2 PETER 3:9)), for He is faithful to forgive, indeed Jesus said, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.””
Luke 15:10 NKJV
Regardless of our sinful nature, Jesus loves every single one of us. He did not come to condemn us, it is the devil who wants to do that.
Jesus told us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (JOHN 10:10).
He said, “that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly;” that includes you.
If you haven’t already, give your life to Jesus Christ today; come to Him in repentance and receive the gift of life that was paid for and justified by the blood of our LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen
