I remember learning this adage early in my Christian journey: The only way to truly comprehend the good news of salvation found in Jesus is to understand the bad news concerning our sinful condition before a Holy God. Our verse today shows two sides of one coin. If the “bad” side describes the universal problem of sin that affects ALL humankind (Psalm 14:1-4), the other side describes God’s remedy (Isaiah 53:4-6). This is one of several verses in Scripture that every follower of Jesus should memorize and be ready to recite to a world that needs to know of their true predicament.
1 John 1:8-9
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[ WHAT ] is this passage saying and what is a key truth or thought that we learn?
+ Have you ever met a person who stated they had “no sin”, who thought they were perfect or had never done anything wrong in their whole life? Me neither!!! Then, what’s the point and application of this verse? If everybody knows they have sinned, then why don’t people see their need for a Savior? After arriving at “their” answer, how do you counter it using Scripture?
+ What do the following words mean to you, both outside and in the context of this particular verse: confess, faithful, just, forgive, sins, cleanse, unrighteousness.
[ HOW ] is the Lord calling me to action/obedience?
+ Is there a sin to confess or a next step to take? How has it gone since last time?
+ There are two ways of looking at this verse that I believe are both valid. First, we can view this from the standpoint of coming to Jesus at conversion, stating our need to be forgiven and saved from the penalty of sin (Romans 6:23); to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13-14), to be brought from spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1-3) by being born again from above (John 3:3). A “once for all” type of situation where our position in Christ is now secure and can never be altered (Hebrews 10). Praise the Lord for this aspect of forgiveness!!!
However, in this context, I think John is writing to believers about the need for constant cleansing of sins. The word “confess” here is in the present tense, meaning that we should keep on confessing our sins to God. In this aspect, our “sins” adversely affect our relationship and fellowship with God, not our standing before Him (John 13:10). This is why we make it a practice at Downtown Hope to make time at EVERY Sunday gathering for a time of confession and absolution of sin. But once a week is not enough!!! This should be a daily, hourly, minutely habit of a follower of Jesus.
“Yet, though sin is always present, so is it’s remedy – so sin need never be a hindrance to our relationship (fellowship) with God”. David Guzik, 2018
Lord, forgive us for being so easily swayed by the draw of sin in our lives. Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit to stand firm when our flesh, Satan and this world means to draw us away from You. Thank you for your steadfast love and your promise to never leave us or forsake us. Amen.
[ WHO ] am I walking with and praying for to discover Jesus?
+ What is my next step?