1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John, in context, is talking about our fellowship with God and how to maintain it. Christians are sons of God by the new birth and as far as God the judge is concerned, sons of God don’t sin. Simply put, our sin is not “imputed” to us because of Christ’s blood atonement. (Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.)
But we do sin, even if it is not “imputed” to us. This causes us to feel guilty and our fellowship with the Father is broken. So is there a way to restore our fellowship? Yes, the good news is that God has provided a formula to clear our conscience and restore our close fellowship with Him.
1 John 1:9 provides the formula, which is simply to confess our sins to our Father. Our Father will always be faithful and just to forgive. He will always receive a son back to close fellowship. Being close to our Father brings peace, joy, love, and provision. The Prodigal son of the Luke 15 is our example. In the New Testament, we can expect forgiveness based on the blood of Christ.
Thank the Lord for His grace and faithfulness to forgive His sons.
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