The Study of I John 1:9

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I John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

THE STUDY

          Verse 9 is the next contrast (#4) which is a positive one. As I stated yesterday, becoming a believer is to ask Christ into our hearts, believe He died on the cross for us, and confess and ask for forgiveness of all those sins.

          Today, let’s look at some key words in this passage; confess, faithful, and just. I have learned through years of ministry that we don’t mind confessing we have sinned, but we don’t like to confess the sin. We are glad in saying, “I am a sinner,” but don’t ask us to share what sin we committed? The bible tells us to confess our sins, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another..” (James 5:16) not, confess we are sinners, but to confess; come in agreement with! By naming it, you are agreeing to this fact that whatever you did, is sin.

          The next two words sort of go hand in hand. When you see one, in scripture, the other is not far behind; Faithful and Just! What stands out to me with these two words is the question of Who? Who is faithful and just? We know that is Jesus. Jesus is the one who we will stand before on Judgment day. He is also the one who forgives and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Why? Because of his love for us and his faithfulness and justice.

           

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH …

• ·         We walk away with the understanding that confessing sin is what’s required, not just confessing that we are sinners.

• ·         The one who will judge us is the Son of God and he is the one who is faithful and has justified us by his sacrifice.

CONCLUSION:

           A police detective was sentenced to three-years in prison after confessing to planting drugs and other evidence on four men in an effort to brighten his promotion chances. All four had been convicted. As a result of his confession they were given pardons and their names were cleared. The officer turned himself in shortly after becoming an active in a local congregation. “I want to be totally committed to Christ,” he told authorities. “I feel I cannot do that until I have come to terms with my fellow men.”

          This man could have gone to his pastor and confessed that he was a sinner, but his confession of the specific sin not only had an effect on him (Salvation) but on others as well (the 4 men).

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod