“If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 (NIV)
“If we confess our sins. . .” The
apostle John lays the groundwork for what we have to do to find forgiveness of
our sins. It is very simple. In five words, he spells out the process which we all
have to do in order to be on a road to spiritual wholeness.
As a
child, when I was in trouble, my parents would ask me if what I told them was
the truth. Looking back, I remember them telling me it would go easier if I did
tell the truth.
“he is faithful and just. . .”
Sometimes we wonder why a person can do or say certain things. John tells us
that Jesus is the faithful one and the only just one in the world. As we
progress along the path Jesus has laid out for us, we learn that He can do all
things because of His faithfulness and because His Father is a just being.
“and will forgive us our sins,” Jesus
does this for us. He’s the only one who can. He does this out of His grace-his
vast love for us.
One time
I did tell my mom how something got broken. It was an accident. What made it so
bad was I had initially tried to cover it up.
“and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
When Jesus forgives us of our sins, He forgets they ever existed. I have always
heard He tosses our sin into the sea of forgetfulness. He cleanses us of all
sin-past and present. He does this and restores our righteousness.
When a
friend of ours pointed out it was an accident, my parents choose not to discipline
me. Instead they kept the item in our home for several years to remind me of
the importance of admitting my mistakes.
God, in
the same way, will take our sins from us, cleansing our hearts. But, unlike our
earthly parents, He will wipe away any reminder of our transgression.
Dear Lord Jesus: Thank You for cleansing our hearts from
sin. Thank You for removing our transgressions from Your memory. All glory
belongs to You. In the Name of Jesus, we pray. AMEN.