If We Confess

I John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Why is it so hard to simply confess our sins? I don’t know if it is still popular to say, “Oops, my bad.” It is like saying, “I was wrong, no big deal, let’s continue.” 

In the early seventies, Donna and I had a beautiful red and white ’65 Olds Cutlass, a gift from her dad. It was parked in the grocery store parking lot. Donna came out of the store to find the right rear-quarter panel ripped open. Someone called us later and said they saw it happen. It was done by a lady in town who was known for drinking and driving. I found her address, saw her car with a front fender crushed, giving it a sharp point sticking out the right height to slice our fender open. I called the sheriff. He called the lady out and I accused her of hit-and-run. She said, “I haven’t even driven the car for several days.” The sheriff stated, “I have to admit, the damage to this car was from an earlier accident.” Fortunately, I noticed some red paint in the tip of the crease. Quickly she said, “I was going to report it today!”

John raises a high standard for the Christian in his first epistle. 1 John 3:6 says, “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither know him.” Then in I John 1:8 he states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” John then goes on to say in I John 2:1, “…if any man sin, we have an advocate…”

Some say that after we are “saved” we still sin every day. I heard a response to that, “Are you sinning right now? Can you go five minutes without sinning? If you tried, could you go a whole day?” 

Paul talks about this in Romans chapter 7, verse 14, “For we know the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” This is the picture of the believer with a carnal nature. Though many live this way, it is not fun. Verse 15 says, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.” In verse 24 he says, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Finally in verse 25 he proclaims the deliverer to be Jesus, yet still declares the war between the mind and the flesh.

Many stop here and do not read Romans 8. Verse 1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Paul is saying we can be in a state of “no condemnation.” That state is being “in Christ Jesus” and “not walking after the flesh but after the Spirit.”

Let us ask ourselves two questions. Am I in Christ? We are if we believe in Jesus as our Saviour and have confessed our sins and repented. Am I walking after the Spirit? We are if we have died to self and His Spirit is living in our lives. Any time our step fails in that walk, He will catch us and save us from falling away, and clean us up, IF WE CONFESS!