The verse 1 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.” This is a powerful promise that if we confess our sins to God, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Here is an explanation of what this verse means:
We Must Confess Our Sins
The first part of the verse tells us that we must confess our sins. To confess means to admit or acknowledge our sins before God. This implies several things:
- We must be specific in confessing our sins. Vague generalities won’t do. We need to name the specific sins we have committed.
- We must take personal responsibility for our sins. No excuses or blaming others.
- Confession requires humility. We must come before God without pride or self-justification.
- True confession involves repentance. We turn away from that sin and seek to follow God’s ways.
So confessing our sins is more than just intellectually admitting we have sinned. It requires grieving over our sin, taking responsibility for it, and turning from it. When we confess our sins in this wholehearted way, we can be assured of God’s gracious response.
God is Faithful and Just
How does God respond when we confess our sins? The verse says “He is faithful and just.” What does this mean?
God is faithful in that He keeps His promises. When we confess our sins, God acts consistently with His character and His promises. We can depend on Him to respond in a faithful manner. Specifically, He promises to forgive us and cleanse us from unrighteousness when we confess. Because God is faithful, He will surely do what He has promised.
God is just. How is it just for God to forgive sins? Because the penalty for sin was paid for by Christ on the cross. Justice demands that sins be paid for. Christ took the punishment we deserved on Himself. When we confess our sins and believe in Christ, we receive the benefits of what He did for us. It is just for God to forgive us because our debt has been paid already.
So because God is faithful and just, He can and will forgive our sins when we confess them and turn to Him in faith. We can count on Him to do what is right.
He Will Forgive Our Sins
What exactly does God promise to do when we confess our sins? First, He promises to forgive us. To forgive means to pardon or cancel a debt. When we wrong someone, we incur a debt that needs to be repaid. Forgiveness removes that debt and restores the relationship.
When we confess our sins, God chooses to wipe away our moral debt before Him. Though we deserve punishment, He removes our guilt and obligation to pay the penalty for our sins. This is an act of amazing grace. He lifts away the weight and burden of our failures and wrongdoings. We are freed from sin’s penalty.
He Will Cleanse Us from Unrighteousness
Not only does God forgive, He also promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To cleanse means to wash and purify from dirt, contamination, and defilement. While forgiveness deals with sin’s penalty, cleansing deals with sin’s pollution.
When we sin, it stains our conscience, distorts our character, and infects our hearts. Only God’s cleansing can thoroughly wash away this defilement within us. He scrubs away the deep residue that sin leaves behind. As a result, we experience spiritual renewal, a refreshed heart, and a revived conscience.
God’s cleansing also empowers us to live righteously. Having been purified from past sins, we have power through the Spirit to resist sin and to love and serve God wholeheartedly. Forgiveness and cleansing free us from both the penalty and power of sin.
We Must Confess Our Sins to the Father
To whom do we make this confession of our sins? The verse says “If we confess our sins…” This confession is made to God the Father, who is the offended party when we sin. The prophet Nathan told David “You have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). All our sins are ultimately against the Lord God. So we must confess specifically to Him.
Some good ways to confess our sins to God include:
- Prayers of confession made in solitude before God.
- Prayers of confession made in corporate worship services.
- Confessing privately to a pastor or trusted friend who can help us pray to God (see James 5:16).
The main point is that we confess personally and directly to God, who alone has the power and grace to forgive and cleanse us.
Confession Should Lead to an Upright Walk
This promise of forgiveness and cleansing is not a blank check to sin freely. John makes clear elsewhere in the letter that genuine confession and faith will result in a righteous life. As we walk in the light and seek to obey God’s commands, our life will give evidence that we belong to Him:
“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin…By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 1:6-7, 2:3-4).
While we never perfectly obey God in this life, our confession of sin should lead to increasingly walking in God’s ways by the power of the Spirit. The desire and pattern of righteous living gives evidence that our confession is genuine.
We Must Confess Our Sins Regularly
This promise of forgiveness and cleansing is not just a one-time event. As we walk through life, we will continue to stumble into sin and incur defilement. That is why we must continually confess our sins and turn to God. John makes this clear in the verses leading up to 1 John 1:9:
“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).
John warns against claiming we have no sin. But he gives the ongoing remedy – if we continually confess our sins, God will continually forgive and cleanse us. This promise is for the daily grind of battling sin and striving to walk righteously before God. Confessing our sins must become a regular rhythm of the Christian life.
Confession Prepares Us for a Coming Day of Judgment
John hints at a future element to this promise of forgiveness and cleansing:
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins…” (1 John 2:1-2).
Even as forgiven believers, we still look ahead to a coming day of judgment before God:
“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:17-18).
Regular confession of sin is part of what prepares us for the day of judgment. As we continually turn from sin and receive God’s forgiveness through Christ, we gain assurance that “as he is so also are we in this world.” Our confession gives evidence that we belong to Christ and can stand cleansed before God’s judgment throne. The promise of forgiveness and cleansing in 1 John 1:9 has present and future dimensions.
This Promise is Conditioned on Our Response
This wonderful promise of forgiveness and cleansing is conditioned upon our response of confession and repentance. God does not offer a blanket amnesty for sin. We must come to Him, agree with Him about our sin, turn from it in reliance on Christ, and ask for His merciful forgiveness.
As John says, “If we confess our sins…” – not just if we sin, but if we confess our sins. The promise is activated by our honest agreement with God about our sin. This shows we understand His standards, grieve over our actions, and desire His grace to make things right. Our response of confession is essential to receiving this promise.
Christ’s Blood Makes This Promise Possible
How can a holy God forgive such sinful people? As mentioned above, it is only because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. His blood makes God’s forgiveness and cleansing possible. The book of 1 John emphasizes this:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin…He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:7, 2:2).
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The word “propitiation” means a sacrifice that appeases God’s wrath and restores favor with Him. Jesus’ blood on the cross fully turned away God’s wrath against our sin, thus enabling our confession and cleansing.
God Forgives Us as We Forgive Others
Jesus linked God’s forgiveness of our sins to our forgiveness of others who sin against us:
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).
As we confess our sins, we must guard against an unforgiving spirit toward others. God’s grace received must become grace extended. As we forgive those who wrong us, we give evidence of having truly received God’s forgiveness in our own lives.
Conclusion
The promise of 1 John 1:9 brings great comfort and assurance. When we confess our sins and turn to God in faith, we can know for certain that He will be faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This motivates us to regularly confess our sins, walk in the light, and forgive others. God’s promise of grace to the repentant gives power to live an upright life to the glory of God.