Restored and forgiven
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:9-10 CSB
We reach this familiar verse, 1 John 1:9. According to this verse, when a believer confesses their sins to the Lord, He is faithful and righteous (or just) to forgive sins and cleanse them from their sin. Being saved does not mean that we become perfect. We are still susceptible to commit sin while on this side of the earth. This is what John mentioned from the previous passage. “‘If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us’” (1 John 1:8). And God knows that we will commit sin. But when we sin, He does not want us to hide it from Him, instead He want us to agree that what we have done violated His command and His will for our lives, thus, He wants us to confess our sin. We have to confront our sins and not keep on denying them. We do not make excuses or justify ourselves when we disobey God. Once we confess, God promises that He is faithful to forgive us. As David Walls commentated on 1 John 1:9 regarding confessing our sins: “Yes, in a loving relationship we often get forgiveness before we ask for it, or without asking for it. But the healthy, sensitive, intimate relationships tend to be those in which the guilty person readily asks forgiveness from the offended party, not because forgiveness must be given or else the relationship will be broken, but because it is the loving and sensitive to do.” Believers confess their sins to God out of the love and respect for Him. God forgives us from the judgment of sin once and for all, but He also forgives us constantly as a parent forgives his children whenever they sin. In light of that, when we get to verse 10, it should be evident that believers are not perfect and will sin again in their lives (see Philippians 3:12). Therefore, verse 10’s main point is that Christians should not deny this fact, and that when they sin, they should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and ask for forgiveness from the Father to be restored in relationship with Him. It is only by receiving God’s forgiveness that we can be restored in our fellowship with God. “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:10, 12).
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
