“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 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 1:8-10 ESV)
The Christian life is not a life of sinlessness. Though through the indwelling Spirit we progressively grow in Christlikeness as we “die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24), we will never reach perfection in this life. This does not mean that we will need further purification after death before we are able to enter glory, as Roman Catholics claim in the doctrine of Purgatory. But it does mean that we will never attain righteousness by our own merit. Every believer is a saint in the truest sense, but no believer ever has or ever will earn his or her way into glory.
When we read John’s words in this passage, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,” we may recall Paul’s writing in Romans that says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We understand these realities not as contradictory, but as Martin Luther said, indications that the believer is at the same time a saint and a sinner. Through Christ’s atonement applied to us by faith, righteousness is credited to us (Romans 4:3), but that does not mean righteousness is infused into us. In our nature, we are still fallen, but we are counted righteous through imputation.
John is refuting any teaching that posits a form of perfectionism. Sin will remain with us as long as this life endures. John fully understands that we will not be freed from the presence of sin until glory, but he equally understands that we are freed from the penalty of sin at the very moment we repent and believe. He says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Notice the conditional nature of the promise. God does not simply forgive all people merely because they are sinners. He forgives if we confess our sins. There is a solution to the universal sinfulness of man (Romans 3:23), but it is found only in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those who obstinately reject the free offer of the gospel will find no other means by which they may be freed from their bondage to and the consequences of their sin. There is a way of salvation, but there is only one way.
We should also note the certainty of forgiveness upon repentance. If we confess our sins, God will forgive our sins because he is both faithful and just. John is appealing to the nature of God to assure his readers of repentance as the effectual remedy for sin. Were God unfaithful or unjust, even those who repent could not be certain of forgiveness. Yet, the God who is I AM must necessarily forgive those who repent because he cannot deny himself. Implicit in John’s statement is an affirmation of the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work. There is nothing else to be done because Jesus paid it all. Therefore, if we confess our sins, the very blood of Christ, as an acceptable sacrifice before God, assures even the vilest offender that his sins are forgiven. The God who meted out punishment for the sins of the elect upon his only begotten Son cannot also punish the sinner who repents.
Finally, John affirms the result of forgiveness, which is that God will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” As Christ was an unblemished sacrifice, so we who are united to him by faith are equally perfect in God’s sight. Though we struggle in the mire of sin in this life, as we stand before God in judgment, he will see only his perfect Son. Sin has been removed, with all its defilement and curse, because Christ became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).
John’s words are at the heart of the missionary task. There is a vital need to communicate to every man, woman, and child the dire condition in which they stand as sinners before a holy God. As sinners, they cannot do anything good enough to earn favor with God. Yet, in Jesus, there is free, full, and final forgiveness, that the sinner may be reconciled to God. That is the hope we hold out to a dying world: turn to Christ and live, for without his righteousness, you will be lost.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
In our natural condition, we stand condemned as sinners before a holy God. Remind us of the futility of our attempts to justify ourselves before you, that we may run to Christ in repentance and faith.
For Christ’s sake, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for missionaries serving in carpentry and welding ministry in Papua New Guinea.
- Wednesday: Pray for the ministry of Japan Bible Academy.
- Thursday: Pray for missionaries working with Reaching Africa’s Unreached in Uganda.
- Friday: Pray for the staff and students at a Christian International School in North Africa.
- Saturday: Pray for the ministry of the Worthy of Life Prenatal and Family Counseling Center in Peru.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries serving through camp ministry.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Mexico.
Featured Serving Opportunity:
Operating Room Manager
Location: Togo
We are looking for a registered nurse with at least two years of operating room experience to manage the operating room at the Hospital of Hope, in Togo, Africa.
