1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We love to quote these words to celebrate God’s loving and forgiving nature. When we quote them, we praise God and because we know that God stands ready to erase our sinful past and let us start with a clean slate, when we admit what we’ve done wrong.
What that scripture doesn't tell us is how the cleansing takes place or, more specifically, what was necessary for that cleansing to take place. We must remember that God doesn’t simply dismiss the charges against us like a tolerant or indulgent, or easy-going judge. God is just and His perfect justice demands that our sins be punished. And the punishment is death.
We are helpless to save ourselves from that punishment. Only a perfect sacrifice, offered in our place, can satisfy God’s justice. The only perfect sacrifice is Jesus, God’s Son.
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Yes, God cleanses us from all wickedness, but the only cleansing agent that can remove sin is the blood of Jesus. God’s plan of salvation and forgiveness of sins required an unimaginable sacrifice. The best way to prepare to confess our sins is to meditate on Jesus’ sacrifice, to fully absorb what was necessary for our sins to be forgiven.
Hebrews 9:14 NIV How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Remember, confession isn’t a plea bargain with God. Confession isn’t a “Sorry” or “My bad.” The more we appreciate the gravity of our sins, the less likely we’ll be to downplay our confession.
Confession is agreeing with God. If God says, “That’s sin, and I hate it,” and you say, “I agree with You, God; that’s sin, and I hate it too,” that’s confession.
When we genuinely confess with a humble heart we can truly see how God responds. When our confession is genuine God doesn’t offer a half-hearted show of forgiveness. His forgiveness is complete.
1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (emphasis mine)
We love to quote these words to celebrate God’s loving and forgiving nature. When we quote them, we praise God and because we know that God stands ready to erase our sinful past and let us start with a clean slate, when we admit what we’ve done wrong.
What that scripture doesn't tell us is how the cleansing takes place or, more specifically, what was necessary for that cleansing to take place. We must remember that God doesn’t simply dismiss the charges against us like a tolerant or indulgent, or easy-going judge. God is just and His perfect justice demands that our sins be punished. And the punishment is death.
We are helpless to save ourselves from that punishment. Only a perfect sacrifice, offered in our place, can satisfy God’s justice. The only perfect sacrifice is Jesus, God’s Son.
Romans 6:23 NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Yes, God cleanses us from all wickedness, but the only cleansing agent that can remove sin is the blood of Jesus. God’s plan of salvation and forgiveness of sins required an unimaginable sacrifice. The best way to prepare to confess our sins is to meditate on Jesus’ sacrifice, to fully absorb what was necessary for our sins to be forgiven.
Hebrews 9:14 NIV How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
Remember, confession isn’t a plea bargain with God. Confession isn’t a “Sorry” or “My bad.” The more we appreciate the gravity of our sins, the less likely we’ll be to downplay our confession.
Confession is agreeing with God. If God says, “That’s sin, and I hate it,” and you say, “I agree with You, God; that’s sin, and I hate it too,” that’s confession.
- Genuine confession is the awareness that our sin is so serious, and so destructive to our relationship with God, that repairing it required the death of His only Son.
- Genuine confession is a longing to restore that relationship, even if it means revealing our ugliest truths and admitting that temptation was more attractive to us than God’s perfect will.
- Genuine confession is acknowledging that we tried to grab the controls of our life from God so that we could do “our own thing”.
- Genuine confession comes from a humble heart.
- Genuine confession doesn’t try to justify our behavior, it doesn’t offer excuses, it doesn’t try to shift the blame or downplay the impact of our sin on others and our relationship with God. Genuine confession causes us to turn our attention back to God.
When we genuinely confess with a humble heart we can truly see how God responds. When our confession is genuine God doesn’t offer a half-hearted show of forgiveness. His forgiveness is complete.
1 John 1:9 NIV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (emphasis mine)
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