Cleansed for you have confessed
But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:7-9
It was in Antioch where the disciples were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). They were called that name because they have received the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives. These are people who have admitted they are sinners and the only way they could be forgiven is to come to faith in Christ and believe that He alone provided the way to salvation. The Bible made it clear that a person must be aware of their sinful condition before they can receive God’s forgiveness. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ told the religious Pharisees when they criticized Him of being around sinners. “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent” (Luke 5:32). This is what characterizes the Kingdom of God; repentance from sin and believing the Good News. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15). But once a person comes to a relationship with Christ, the reality is that there will be more realization of the presence of sin. Once the old sinful and rebellious attitudes rear its ugly head in the life of the believer, there is nothing that will prevent Satan from putting guilt in the life of these Christians. Yet God cuts through such confusion and guilt by providing a promise that once we confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all wickedness. All God is asking of us is to be honest enough to admit that we agree with Him that we committed sin, thus we confess. To confess is to agree with God’s verdict that what we did is displeasing and damaging to our fellowship with Him. God knows if we are sincere and He is the only one that sees our hearts. “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives” (Proverbs 16:2). Once you confess, receive God’s forgiveness. Clear your hearts and minds and believe that God is true to His promise that every time you confess He will truly cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Take this promise and experience the forgiveness as you regularly confess your sins to Him. Have His word a great place in your heart by trusting His promise. “If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts” (1 John 1:10).
Blessings,
