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NASB | 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]. |
Bible Question:
Thank you, Sam. That does help. Other than scripture itself, do you know of any other resources that I might be able to use to help others like me with this question? Every time our church has communion we are expected to sit quietly and confess all our sins to God in order to be forgiven and stay in fellowship with God. Plus, it keeps God from striking us dead for taking communion unworthily (with unconfessed sin). But then our pastor will turn right around and preach to unbelievers that all our sins are paid for at Calvary. I have spent 30 years of my life keeping short (and not-so-short) accounts with God, trying to stay in fellowship with Him. But, on the way home from church, a careless driver cuts me off and 'Raca' is the first thing out of my mouth. Suddenly, I'm out of fellowship with God again and I can't always pull over to stop and pray for God to forgive me. Then I'm haunted by 'What if I die in this car on the way home with unconfessed sin?' 1 John 1:9 has been my 'thorn in the flesh' for a long time but I know it's God's Word and that it's inspired. Thanks again for all your help. Want to be my new pastor (ha ha)? |
Bible Answer: Lifer, let me get in on this. I want to address two things here. First 1 Jn. 1:9. This is something all Christians should do. When we sin, it hinders our fellowship with God. The meaning of confess is to agree with God. When we confess our sins to God, we are agreeing with Him that what we did or didn't do is wrong, like He says it is, and that we now agree with Him on it. All our sin was paid for on the cross, but we still have to confess our sinfulness to Him and call upon His as Savior (Rom. 10:9-10) before we can be saved. The main problem with unconfessed sin is the consequences we face here in this life and that goes farther than lost followship, you can cut off your arm, and be forgiven for it, but you want have an arm anymore. So we confess our sin to put ourselves in agreement with God and to help us see more clearly the area's of our lives we need to work and get His help. Cmpare also the teaching of Jesus to Peter in John 13:1-15, esp. verse 10. The second is the Lord's supper or communion. I think there is a bad error in our teaching here. In the context of 1 Cor. 11, Paul is pretty much scolding them about the big parties they had turned the Lord's supper into and the factions and groups that had come out of it. Remember also the problems they had the gifts of the Spirit and spiritual pride. When he tells them they are partaking in an unworthy manner, he is not talking about that they hadn't confessed every known sin, but rather the actual way they were serving the supper. Notice verse 29: (1 Cor 11:29) "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." Not discerning the Lord's body. The Lord's body is one, not many groups and factions, as they had split into. Also discerning the Lord's body is understanding why He died on the cross for our sins and shed His blood. We cannot come to the Lord's table on our own merit, even if we could confess every sin we had committed since the last time we confessed to Him, and we can't, we still would not be worthy to stand before Him. But when we come to the table, understanding that the only way we are worthy is because He took our sin and imparted to us His righteousness, 2 Cor. 5:21, and He secured this for us by giving Himself on the cross, then we can partake at the table in a worthy manner. I don't see any problem with confessing any sin you know of before the Lord's supper, but do not think you are worthy because you have done so. Know that you are only worthy because Christ is in you, and you stand by His blood and His righteousness. Notice also verse 31, "For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged." How do we judge ourselves-- not worthy of what He has done. But when by faith we stand "in Him", God sees us in the righteousness of Jesus, and we are then worthy in God's eyes. So let us never be remiss in confessing our sin, 1 John 1:9, but let us never forget that we can stand before God only because of what Jesus has done for us. Hope this helps. later...wdc |