Sharing from the WORD
1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 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. 8 If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
I personally love this passage and have come back to v. 9 many times as a reassuring promise that God will forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness -- no matter how bad I've fallen.
However, upon reading this passage this past week, I was struck by v. 8 and 10. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us... If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." I think for me, when judgmental and impure thoughts pass through my mind, it's easy for me to push them away, tell myself "no" and focus on good or pure thoughts. And it's a good thing to be able to take control of my mind and the things that pass through it, and exercise self-control in that way, but what I am missing is confession. By quickly pushing the thoughts out of my mind and just willing myself to think better thoughts, I am actually avoiding facing my sinful thoughts and as a result, I am missing an opportunity to come back to the cross and experience God's grace all over again.
And v. 9 tells me of God's faithfulness in forgiving my sins. I can look to the cross and see that despite knowing all the sin in me and all the sins I would commit, Jesus still chose to lay down His life, take the punishment for my sins and ransom forgiveness for me. So actually, I shouldn't be so afraid to confess and face my sins, to bring them to the cross, because I know that what I'll find is God's grace, because of Jesus Christ.
So I encourage all of you guys, our HG, to take God at His Word, confess and face your sins and trust in the grace that He offers on the cross.
Sincerely, Jessica