( I went back in the archives to 2013 to find this article on forgiveness to share with you. It is very good news. Accept and take advantage of the opportunity.)
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” There are people who feel that they do not have a sin problem, and will be hostile if we say that they do. On the other hand there are people who feel that their sins have been so bad that Jesus would never forgive them. The verses under consideration in this article take care of both of these opinions. We’ll take a look at the sin problem first. Verses 8 and 10 tell us that we do have a sin problem. Verse 8 tells us that if we think that we have no sin we are “deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” In other words, those who think that they never sin are living a lie. Verse 10 tells us that, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make (God) a liar, and (God’s) word is not in us." Those who say that they are perfect and never sin really overestimate their holiness and underestimate the power of the devil. They also have a shallow view of sin. We can commit sins by doing wrong, and we can commit sins by not doing what is right. A perfect person would always do what is right, and never do what is wrong. Those who say that they have no sin are deceiving themselves. I’m not calling you a “bad” person, but I am telling you that you have sinned and need to be forgiven. Since Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," what can we do about it? John tells us to confess our sins. You know what confession is: when you have done something wrong and you tell someone about it that is confession. Jesus knows that we have sinned, for He knows everything about us, but He wants us to confess our sins to Him. Sometimes we can pray, “Lord, forgive me for my sins,” which covers all of our sins. At other times we must ask Jesus to forgive us for some particular sin. Sometimes confession also includes seeking the forgiveness of people against whom we have sinned. But the most important forgiveness is that which comes from Jesus. John tells us that Jesus will be “faithful and just to forgive us our sins. and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John 1:9). You might ask, “What in the world does that mean?” It means that when we come to Jesus in honest confession, He will always forgive us. We can depend on His forgiveness for our sins because He died on the cross to forgive us and exists at the right hand of the Father in order to forgive us. What does it mean that Jesus is “just to forgive our sins”? It simply means that Jesus can forgive our sins. No one else is qualified to forgive our sins, for no one else died on the cross for us, and no one else has God’s authority to forgive us for our sins. Jesus can. and will, faithfully forgive you now. John tells us that Jesus will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Sin makes us feel dirty. There are people, maybe someone reading this article, who feel dirty and guilty and think that there is no hope for them. There is always hope for you. If you are not a Christian, you can be now by asking Jesus to forgive you and enter into your life and change you. If you are a miserable Christian living in guilt, you can receive His forgiveness and cleansing now. The Bible promises that if you will seek the forgiveness of Jesus, He will be “faithful and just to forgive (your) sins.” Take Him up on it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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