1 John 1:8 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.

Introduction

It’s a wonderful thing to be saved. It’s wonderful because to be saved means that our sins have been forgiven. When we received Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we immediately received complete pardon, and we are counted righteous before the Father. We stand justified and complete in Him. Not only that, but we also became children of God. And that relationship to God is settled once and for all for all eternity. Now, if these things are true and they are, based on the clear teaching of the Scriptures, if we have been completely forgiven, then why does the apostle John say in verse 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness?” They were already saved and yet John told them to confess their sins. If we have been completely pardoned, why do we need to confess our sins?

To answer that, we need to understand that there is big difference between born into a family and having healthy and pleasant experience within the family. It is possible to have relationship and yet have a strained fellowship. For example, our relationship with our parents is settled at birth. Regardless of what happens or what we do, that will continue to be our relationship to them. But if we disobey or dishonor them by some poor choices in life, although our relationship to them is unchanged, our fellowship with them is broken.

This is also how it works with the family of God. Once a person is born into the family of God, they cannot be unborn. Once a person is in the family of God, they have entered into an eternal and unchanging relationship with God and with every other member of God’s family. But if we have unconfessed sin in our lives, fellowship with God and with other believers is not possible. The truth is every Christian sins. When we sin our fellowship with God is hindered. When that happens, our hearts become cold. Then our prayers become dry and powerless, our Bible reading becomes dull and boring, the house of God becomes an inconvenience, the service of God becomes a burden, and fellowship with other believers becomes unexciting. When we have known sin in our lives, God’s presence cannot be enjoyed, and the peace of God and joy of the Lord cannot be experienced. Sin hinders the enjoyment of a close personal fellowship with our Saviour.

So, what do we do when we sin as Christians? John says, we are to confess our sins. What John is saying is that confession of our sins is a very critical component of our communion with God. If we treasure our fellowship with God, we must confess our sins. This morning, I want us to consider what John is emphasizing in verse 9 in three headings, namely, The Sin We Must Confess, The Promise We Must Claim, and The God We Must Comprehend.

I – The Sins We Must Confess

1 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.

Notice the apostle John doesn’t say if ‘anyone’ confesses, instead he says if ‘we’ confess. The ‘we’ refers to every Christian. It refers to every believer. Every born-again believer who truly knows the Lord is included in this personal plural pronoun ‘we.’ Yes, even the great apostle John confesses that he still commits sin. He does not deny the reality of sin in his life. He includes himself and all believers in this.

Now, as we saw last Sunday, the word ‘confess’ comes from two Greek words which mean “to speak the same thing.” To confess our sins, means we are to say the same thing God says about our sin. In confession we agree with God that our sin is wrong. It is to acknowledge our sin before God. It is to take responsibility and to take ownership before God of our sin.

What sins are we to confess?

1 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.

Our sins, not someone else’s sins, but our sins. When I confess my sins to God, I confess those sins which I myself have committed. Oh, how easy it is to notice the speck in someone else’s eye, but not notice the log or beam in our own eyes. Our tendency is, when it comes to other people’s sins, we have a very clear vision, but when it comes to our own personal sins, we are blind. Our tendency is to have 20/20 vision to see sin in other people’s lives and to have blind spots in our own lives. But John says, if we confess our sins.

John uses the word ‘sins’ which is in plural. This means all kinds of sins. It includes sins committed in public and sins committed in private, sins of omission and sins of commission. Failing to do those things we should have done and doing those things we should have not done. Sins that are small as well as sins that are big. Sins of attitude as well as sins of actions. Sins of the heart as well as the sins of the mouth. It includes sins of thought, word, action, and deed. We must confess all of them before the Lord.

But how are we to confess our sins?

1. Immediately

We must confess our sins immediately. As soon as God through His Word and by His Spirit makes us aware of our sin, we are to instantly be confessing that sin. As soon as the Spirit of God puts a spotlight on a particular sin in our life, we are to stop immediately and to acknowledge that sin to God.

2. Sincerely

We must confess our sins not only immediately, but also sincerely. Confession of sin must not be mechanical but sincere. It must come from a heart that has been broken and conscience that has been wounded. And how do I know if my confession is sincere? You will know it is sincere if you ask not only for forgiveness but also cleansing. A person who is sincere in his or her confession seeks not only to be forgiven, but also to be cleansed from that sin, to be delivered from that sin.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

3. Humbly

We must confess our sins not only immediately and sincerely, but also humbly. We are to come with a contrite heart with lowliness of mind. Not with any presumption and not with any arrogance. But with humility before the Lord. A good illustration of this is the tax collector in our Lord’s parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The tax collector, in contrast to the self-righteous Pharisee, was standing at some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes up to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”

Our Lord goes on to say in Luke 18:14, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

4. Daily

We must confess our sins not only immediately, sincerely, and humbly, but also daily. This is what our Lord taught in Matthew 6 in His Sermon on the mount. In Matthew 6:12, our Lord said that we are to pray every day for bread and ask to forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. This is a prayer that would be offered at least daily. We sin all the time, we must make confession all the time. We must confess our sins daily. Even as we ask for daily bread, we are to be asking for daily forgiveness.

II – The Promise We Must Claim

1 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.

Look at the wonderful promise God makes when we confess our sins to Him. It’s a twofold promise. He promises to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He will forgive and He will cleanse. What do these two words mean?

1. He Will Forgive Us

‘Forgive’ in this passage comes from the Greek word which means ‘to send away.’ It means ‘to let go.’ When Jesus forgives, He removes our sins from us. He sends our sins away from us. How far? David says in Psalm 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” When God forgives, He deals with our guilt and removes it completely from us.

Another idea of forgiveness is to cancel the debt. If I forgive a loan that means the person who is indebted to me doesn’t owe me anything anymore. And that is the case when God forgives sins, He says to the sinner, “I will take care of your debt, I will forgive your sin, you don’t owe Me anything anymore.”

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Children of God, although we are forgiven, we are still sinners. Sinful nature remains with us for the rest of our lives. But don’t be discouraged and don’t give up, there is forgiveness with God. John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” But that’s not all that God does to those who humbly confess their sins. He not only forgives them, but He also cleanses them.

2. He Will Cleanse Us

1 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.

God is not only interested in forgiving our sins, but He is also interested in cleansing us inwardly. “To cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” That’s what God does, He cleanses us. From what? John says, from all unrighteousness. Jack Schoeman commented, “The word ‘unrighteousness’ is closely related to the word sins, but it’s not synonymous. The word “sins” is specific. It refers to specific actions that constitute sin. But the word “unrighteousness” is more general. It refers to anything that is contrary to the law of God. God cleanses us from all such unrighteousness. He washes away so that not a trace of it is left.”

To cleanse from all unrighteousness is to remove the pollution brought about by our sin. It is to wash away thoroughly. Isn’t that what David experienced? In Psalm 32:5, David says, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD ...” David also prayed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” And how did the Lord respond to David’s confession? David tells us, “and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” When David confessed his sin, the Lord forgave him and cleansed Him. When our confession is sincere, God does a cleansing work in our hearts through His Word and by His Spirit (John 15:3).

III – The God We Must Comprehend

When we confess our sins, it must be directed to God. It is true that there’s a time and a place for confession of our sins to one another, especially if we have sinned against another person. But we must first confess our sins to God. Because ultimately all sin is committed against God. As David said in Psalm 51:4, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight ...”

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba who is not his wife. David committed murder towards Bathsheba’s husband Uriah the Hittite. David disappointed and lied God’s people. David sinned against Uriah and the people, but David understood that ultimately each of those acts of sin were against God and God only. When you and I sin against our spouse, or against our siblings, against a brother or sister in Christ, against our neighbor, we ultimately sin against God. That’s why it is not enough that we ask for one another’s forgiveness, because ultimately our sin is against God. We must acknowledge it to God. Our confession must be directed to God.

Now, who is this God we must confess our sins to? Comprehending or knowing God is critical in confessing our sins. We must know the God we have offended and the God we need to confess our sins to. So, who is this God we must confess our sins to? The apostle John reminds us earlier that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. We must remember that God is holy and righteous. And then in verse 9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The God we need to confess our sins to is the God who is faithful and just to forgive and the cleanse. Notice that John did not say, confess your sins because God is gracious and merciful to forgive and to cleanse. But instead, he says, God is faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse. John wants his readers and us today to understand that God doesn’t forgive just because He is good and kind and merciful and gracious and loving. He is all of these things, but He forgives and cleanses those who confess their sins because He is faithful and just. Let’s see why he uses these two specific words as he encourages us Christians to confess our sins.

1. God is Faithful

When John says that “God is faithful to forgive,” he is saying that God is faithful to His promises. He will never go back on His promises, specifically the promise to forgive and to cleanse. He is faithful to forgive because He has promised to do so to those who confess their sins.

In Jeremiah 31:34, God has promised, “... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Then in Isaiah 43:25, we read this promise, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out [wipes out or erases] thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” God has promised in His Word that He will forgive our sin and remember them no more. The devil remembers our sins. As someone has said, “the devil is a grave digger and the devil delights in bringing back up and throwing in our face sins from the past that we have confessed to God and that we have repented of.” But God does not remember those sins. He has buried them in the depth of the sea of His forgetfulness. He has taken them out of the way.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19: He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

This is the God we must know. This is the God we must comprehend. The God who is faithful to forgive.

2. God is Just

Not only is God faithful to forgive, but He is also just to forgive. Again, John does not say, God is loving and kind to forgive, but instead he says, God is just to forgive. That’s even harder to understand. How is God just to forgive? What does it mean to say God is just to forgive us our sins? It means that when God forgives us our sins, He is not violating His justice and righteousness. Why? Because God has dealt with our sins by meting out the punishment for our sins on the Lord Jesus Christ. God doesn’t simply ignore our sins and pretend they don’t exist. No, forgiveness and cleansing of sin does not come without price, and Jesus is the One who paid that price. God is just to forgive because Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sins. The just payment and penalty for our sins have been fully paid by Jesus Christ when He was crucified on the Cross. God is able to show mercy and just to forgive without violating any justice, because Jesus’ death has satisfied the strict and just requirement His holy law. Therefore, for God to forgive and to cleanse sin is in perfect harmony with His justice and righteousness. God is perfectly just to forgive the sins of those who confess them.

Before we move on, understand that humble and honest confession of sins does not earn us God’s forgiveness. Confession of sin is not the basis but only a means for us to receive and obtain the forgiveness of God that is available in Jesus Christ. In other words, we are not forgiven based on how perfect our confession is but based on the atoning work of His Son Jesus Christ. As John says in verse 7, if we confess our sins to Him, the blood of Jesus Christ which He already shed for those sins, cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Also in Ephesians 1:7 Paul states that we have redemption through Jesus Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Closing Thoughts

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this should bring comfort to you as a believer. You and I don’t have to live defeated lives because of sin. It is true that even as born-again believers we still are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love. We still are prone to sin, but we don’t have to allow sin to remain. As the Holy Spirit brings them to your remembrance, confess them and forsake them. If you desire to have unbroken fellowship with our Father, then you must confess your sins. God promises that He will forgive and cleanse everyone and anyone who confesses their sins. You may have a strained and broken fellowship with Him because of unconfessed sin in your life today, but you can have your fellowship restored if you humble yourself and confess your sins, for He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

And if you are watching today but you have never believed in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, you don’t have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ whatsoever. Your responsibility is to recognize, as the apostle puts it, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Come to Jesus Christ who died for sinners. Receive the gift of salvation. By His grace, become a member of the family of God, and then in His all-sufficient grace and power, walk in the light, and experience the great privilege of having fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ and enjoy fullness of joy!

If you want joy, real joy,

Wonderful joy, true joy,

Let Jesus come into your heart;

Your sins He’ll wash away,

Your night He’ll turn to day,

Your life He’ll make over anew.

If you want joy, real joy,

Wonderful joy, true joy,

Let Jesus come into your heart!

AMEN!