And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12
A seventh entry on the subject of forgiveness? Yep! That is how important forgiveness is! Let’s begin this meditation on the subject of forgiveness by directing our attention to 1 John 1:8-9 chapter one.
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. 1 John 1:8-9
First, where there is a refusal to acknowledge sin, there is little likelihood of confession. That much is pretty obvious. But if a man jumps off the roof of a tall building, what would his refusal to acknowledge gravity accomplish? Nothing. Our world is filled with such thinking about sinfulness. A few years ago, a presidential candidate was asked about confessing his sins. He replied on TV that he had no sins to confess. If that were true, he would be God, since all (but God) have sinned (Romans 3:23).
Many of us also previously thought we were either sinless, or that our sins didn’t matter. Then we were born again by the Spirit of God. When a person is born again, that person is aware that he or she is a sinner and in desperate need of God’s forgiveness. We confessed our sins, asking God for forgiveness. He forgave us and we were saved.
Second, these verses in 1 John are not limited to our initial acknowledgement and confession of sin. Once we are saved, because we continue to sin, we are commanded to continue confessing our sins. This does not mean we are only forgiven of the sins we confess. If that were true we would all be lost because none of us has specifically confessed every sin we have ever committed.
Every sin a believer has, or will commit, was forgiven by God when Jesus bore our sins on the cross. What we receive by confessing our sins, even after having already been forgiven, is the blessing of restored fellowship with God. Our sin does not change (much less terminate) our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is secured by Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. But our sin does disrupt our fellowship with God. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleans us, restoring our sin-damaged fellowship with Him. This is good news and a great reason to confess our sins as soon as we are aware of them so our fellowship with God is restored as quickly as possible.
Two more things about these verses next time.