If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
— 1 John 1:9 —
Marius Birgean: European Bible Training Center | Germany
True confession of sin to—and forgiveness from—our heavenly Father are vital if we are to enjoy a normal Christian life. Sin hinders our relationship with God and fellow believers; therefore, having our sin forgiven is essential to spiritual restoration. Lack of confession leads to spiritual misery. To confess is to say the same (as God says) about our sin—to refuse to cover it or find excuses for it. David experienced this when he attempted to hide his heinous sin (Psa. 32:3–4). However, he came to his senses and confessed his sin, which brought forgiveness and restoration of his relationship with God. John’s first epistle teaches us the same spiritual truth. God calls Christians to enjoy fellowship with Him (1 John 1:3) and other believers (1 John 1:7), but in order to have this, we must: walk in the light, as our God is light (1 John 1:5–7) and accept the truth about our spiritual condition (1 John 1:8). This means we must acknowledge the presence of sin in our lives and turn from sin as quickly is possible. For this to happen, we need to confess our sins before God. To confess is to say the same (as God says) about our sin—to refuse to cover it or find excuses for it. There is no need to hide our sin since we have the assurance that God will forgive us, not because we deserve it, but because of His faithful and just character. God’s Son is also our trusted Mediator on whose merits we can rest fully (1 John 2:1–2). There is a place of confessing sin to fellow believers (James 5:16), but foremost, our confession should be to God. Let us be quick to confess our sin and repent from it, so we might enjoy again the Father’s smile.
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