1 John 1:8 says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
However, 1 John 3:9 says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God."
At first glance, this appears to present a glaring contradiction. Do Christians sin, or not? In one verse, John tells his Christian audience that we all sin. Then, in the very same letter, he says that if we're really Christians, we can't continue to sin.
Inadequate Explanations
I've heard many inadequate explanations for this passage. The best of these weak arguments says that the key to the interpretation is the tense of the verb used in 1 John 3:9. It says we can't "continue" to sin. In other words, this argument continues, when we sin and confess it, we won't be repeating that same sin again regularly. However, this proves of little comfort to many Christians who find they're confessing some of the same sins almost every day. In fact, this argument seems to serve only to make some true believers question their salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
To unravel this dilemma, we must start with 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Newness of Life
This is a profound verse which is often quoted but rarely thoroughly understood. It's not just saying that when I became a Christian, I underwent a great change. It's actually saying that I went away (died, Romans 6:4-11) and was replaced by a brand new creation. Romans 5:14-15 explains that when we are born physically, we are born into lives of flesh and sin, and we have Adam as our federal headship. Then when we are spiritually born again, we are born into a life in the spirit with Jesus as our federal headship. Romans 7:6 calls this the newness of the spirit. This in not unlike what happened to Saul when he was being chosen as Israel's first king. In 1 Samuel 10:6,9, when the Spirit came upon Saul, "he changed into a different person." God changed his heart. The only difference for us is that while the Spirit eventually left Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14, we Christians are indwelt with the Spirit forever. We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and what God sees when He looks at us is that new creation in His Son, rather than our old self.
Romans 7:15 - 8:1
Even Paul struggled with sin in his everyday life. In Romans 7:15, he says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Verse 18 goes on to say, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." Here is our first clue to the puzzle. Obviously, Paul was a Christian, and he sinned as a Christian. In fact, verse 19 says, "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing." Not only did Paul sin, but he kept on sinning. He continued to sin, which 1 John 3:9 says that Christians can't do.
However, verse 17 says, "As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me." Although this sounds like an excuse, it's a reality. Verse 20 says, "Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."
The Answer
In other words, when Paul was an unbeliever, and God looked at Paul, He saw Paul's soul. Paul was constituted by his soul. He was just a soul, and his body was only a tent (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). However, once Paul became a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) in Jesus Christ, when God looked at him, He saw Paul's new spirit. Paul was no longer constituted by his soul. Now "Paul" was a spirit. Unfortunately, in his earthly life, he continued to drag along his old soul and body (the flesh). Romans 7:21 says, "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Although the spirit has power over the flesh, this flesh can still sin. Furthermore, Romans 7:22-23 says, "For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." Paul's spirit wants to do good, but he sees his body sin.
Romans 7:24 says, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" So what's the answer? The answer is found in Romans 7:25 and 8:1, "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the flesh a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Remember, Paul is his spirit (and mentality), which is a slave to God's law, although his flesh (but not he, himself) is a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, since Paul is his spirit, and he is no longer his flesh,
he is not charged with any sin his old flesh might do. He is not condemned, because,
in the eyes of God, he is perfect, in Christ Jesus.
Summary
1 John 1:8 is true, because the flesh associated with each Christian still sins. However, 1 John 3:9 is also true because the new Christian cannot sin. It's only the flesh associated with him that's sinning. In Romans 7, when Paul says he sinned, he's referring to the flesh associated with him, as in 1 John 1:8. On the other hand, passages such as 1 John 3:9 are referring to the Christian himself; i.e., his spirit.
So, is it OK to continue to sin? Paul anticipated this question in Romans 6:1, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" Then, of course, he gives us the answer in verses 2 and 12, "By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? . . . Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." Since the spirit has power over sin, we are still responsible for ensuring that the flesh doesn't sin. Those sins are still our responsibility in this life and they still harm us and others, but we will suffer no condemnation for them from God now or in eternity.
Supplementary
God sees me (my essence) as "me, in the Spirit," and not "me, in the flesh." In other words, even though "I" keep sinning, it's not really me--it's the sin living in me (my flesh, which coexists with "me, in the Spirit").
Romans 8:23-25, "... we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Although we have the Spirit, we await the redemption of our bodies (flesh--which we also still have), but we do not yet have (physical) freedom from our corrupted flesh. Also, this brings into light the very definitions of these words: the relationship of our bodies to our flesh. Our bodies are our literal flesh.
From Do Christians Sin (1 John 1:8 vs. 1 John 3:9)? by Owen Weber
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Worshipping the Bible by Darin Hufford
At the end of Gideon's "deliverance career" the Israelites wanted to make him their king. Gideon refused, and said that instead of becoming their king he would like them to each bring him a gold ear ring from the plunder. Everyone brought a portion of gold and Gideon melted it down and made a "golden Ephod". The Ephod was the vest that the priests put on when they entered the holy of holies. In the pocket of the Ephod were the lots, which were used when they "caste lots" in order to determine God's will in a certain situation. When the priest entered the temple wearing the golden Ephod, he could actually hear the voice of God audibly. You might remember one time when King David told the priests to "bring him the golden Ephod". David put it on and went into the temple to ask God whether or not he should attack the Amalekites. David heard the audible voice of God tell him to attack.
The story of Gideon goes on to say that after the golden Ephod was made, "all of Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping the Ephod". Think of this for a moment. They actually worshiped the way in which to determine God's will over worshiping God Himself. The story later goes on to say that it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
So what does this have to do with the Bible? One of the things we are taught about the Bible is that it is the way in which to determine the will of God. Just as the Israelites prostituted themselves after the golden Ephod, I believe that modern day Christianity is doing the exact same thing with the Bible. We have prostituted ourselves after the Bible and there is no doubt in my mind that it has become a thorn and a snare to almost every Christian in America. In fact I think many Christians have actually traded God for the Bible. Many others have even come to the point where they think God IS the Bible. I truly believe that the Bible has become the golden Ephod of our time.
Excerpted from Christians and the Bible by Darin Hufford
See my additional notes from that post.
The story of Gideon goes on to say that after the golden Ephod was made, "all of Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping the Ephod". Think of this for a moment. They actually worshiped the way in which to determine God's will over worshiping God Himself. The story later goes on to say that it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
So what does this have to do with the Bible? One of the things we are taught about the Bible is that it is the way in which to determine the will of God. Just as the Israelites prostituted themselves after the golden Ephod, I believe that modern day Christianity is doing the exact same thing with the Bible. We have prostituted ourselves after the Bible and there is no doubt in my mind that it has become a thorn and a snare to almost every Christian in America. In fact I think many Christians have actually traded God for the Bible. Many others have even come to the point where they think God IS the Bible. I truly believe that the Bible has become the golden Ephod of our time.
Excerpted from Christians and the Bible by Darin Hufford
See my additional notes from that post.
Monday, January 23, 2012
God’s Definitions of Sin by Harold from Brisbane, Australia
I find most Christians follow some vague/ambiguous definition of sin instead of referring to God’s definitions given in His word. Unfortunately many professing Christians then fail to grasp that Jesus set us free from sin (John 8:36) simply because they do not understand what “sin” is.
I’ll offer a concise explanation below.
God’s definitions of sin are basically covered by the following examples:
1: Mark 3:29 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This sin will not be forgiven. Christians do not commit this sin.
2: John 16:9 Unbelief in Jesus. This is the sin the world is convicted of. Christians do not commit this sin either.
3: 1 John 5:17 “all unrighteousness is sin”. Christians are righteous in Christ so here we do not sin.
4: 1 John 3:4 “Sin is transgression of the law”. This is breaking the old covenant commandments resulting in a death penalty for transgression.
Christians cannot be accused of sin here as we are not under the law of sin and death. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus SETS FREE from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
Regarding the law of sin and death it should be noted that “whatever the law says it says to those who are UNDER IT” (Romans 3:19,20).
And “the law was NOT MADE for a righteous person (Christians), but for…the ungodly and for sinners” (1 Timothy 1:9).
Also, “where there is NO LAW there is NO TRANSGRESSION (SIN)” (Romans 4:15).
We know sin was dealt with once and for all on the cross.
And “Our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed” Romans 6:6.
Hence we see in 1Peter 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ suffered (crucified) for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind (our old man crucified with him, Romans 6:6), for he who has suffered in the flesh (Romans 6:6) has CEASED from sin,”
Of course we still see Christians doing wrong (erroneously referred to as sin under man’s ambiguous definitions), but as sons of God we are chastised for our wrong.
Romans 6:2 asks “HOW shall we that are dead to sin, live in it any longer?”
1 John 3:9 answers this question. “Whoever has been born of God DOES NOT SIN, for His seed remains in him; and he CANNOT sin, because he has been born of God”.
Also see 1 Peter 4:18 “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear”.
Clearly there are 2 different groups described here.
Group 1: Righteous (and saved)
Group 2: Ungodly/Sinner (unsaved)
Either we are righteous (in Christ) OR we are sinners. We can’t be both.
I’ll offer a concise explanation below.
God’s definitions of sin are basically covered by the following examples:
1: Mark 3:29 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This sin will not be forgiven. Christians do not commit this sin.
2: John 16:9 Unbelief in Jesus. This is the sin the world is convicted of. Christians do not commit this sin either.
3: 1 John 5:17 “all unrighteousness is sin”. Christians are righteous in Christ so here we do not sin.
4: 1 John 3:4 “Sin is transgression of the law”. This is breaking the old covenant commandments resulting in a death penalty for transgression.
Christians cannot be accused of sin here as we are not under the law of sin and death. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus SETS FREE from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
Regarding the law of sin and death it should be noted that “whatever the law says it says to those who are UNDER IT” (Romans 3:19,20).
And “the law was NOT MADE for a righteous person (Christians), but for…the ungodly and for sinners” (1 Timothy 1:9).
Also, “where there is NO LAW there is NO TRANSGRESSION (SIN)” (Romans 4:15).
We know sin was dealt with once and for all on the cross.
And “Our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed” Romans 6:6.
Hence we see in 1Peter 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ suffered (crucified) for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind (our old man crucified with him, Romans 6:6), for he who has suffered in the flesh (Romans 6:6) has CEASED from sin,”
Of course we still see Christians doing wrong (erroneously referred to as sin under man’s ambiguous definitions), but as sons of God we are chastised for our wrong.
Romans 6:2 asks “HOW shall we that are dead to sin, live in it any longer?”
1 John 3:9 answers this question. “Whoever has been born of God DOES NOT SIN, for His seed remains in him; and he CANNOT sin, because he has been born of God”.
Also see 1 Peter 4:18 “If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear”.
Clearly there are 2 different groups described here.
Group 1: Righteous (and saved)
Group 2: Ungodly/Sinner (unsaved)
Either we are righteous (in Christ) OR we are sinners. We can’t be both.
Sins of God's People are Recorded in Scripture Does God Really Forget Sins? Answered by Paul Ellis
Q: God says He will remember the sins of His people no more yet the bible records sins of His people such as Paul, David, Abraham. The word of God lasts forever. Does God choose to forget His own word? How can He no longer remember their sins if they are recorded in scripture?
A: by Paul Ellis
That is a really good question! When Isaiah said the word of the Lord stands forever, he was not referring to the Bible. The Bible is not God’s diary and it was not written to remind Him of stuff; it was written for us: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us” (Rom 15:4). Teach us to what purpose? That we might be trained in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). The works of the flesh are recorded to show us the dreadful consequences of a life of independence. We’re the ones who need reminding. Yes, God chooses to forget our sin. And then He reminds us that He has chosen to forget just in case we had forgotten!
Visit Paul's Site http://escapetoreality.org
A: by Paul Ellis
That is a really good question! When Isaiah said the word of the Lord stands forever, he was not referring to the Bible. The Bible is not God’s diary and it was not written to remind Him of stuff; it was written for us: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us” (Rom 15:4). Teach us to what purpose? That we might be trained in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). The works of the flesh are recorded to show us the dreadful consequences of a life of independence. We’re the ones who need reminding. Yes, God chooses to forget our sin. And then He reminds us that He has chosen to forget just in case we had forgotten!
Visit Paul's Site http://escapetoreality.org
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Paul Ellis on Confessing Sins in 1 John 1:9 and More
The Following Are Excerpts from Paul Ellis' 12 Reasons Why Christians Don’t Need to Confess-to-be-Forgiven
From Part 1
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9)
This is the only verse in the Bible where our confession is connected with His forgiveness. The Greek word for confess is homologeo which means to acknowledge, concede or agree with. In this passage John is writing to unbelievers who were deceived because they thought they were without sin (see v.8). How do I know that John is talking to unbelievers and not Christians? Because he is addressing people who are walking in darkness (v.6), who need to be purified from all unrighteousness (v.9) and who, by insisting that they have never sinned, are making God out to be a liar (v.10).
What message does John have for sinners who don’t think they’re sinners? “Acknowledge your sinful state, turn to God and receive His gift of forgiveness.” There’s only one thing that stops a sinner from receiving God’s grace and that’s unbelief. If you don’t see your need for forgiveness, you are well and truly lost. You may claim to know God but He doesn’t know you. There’s only one way to the Father and that’s through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. God made provision for your redemption and forgiveness at the cross, but you will never see it unless you acknowledge (ie: confess) your need for a Savior.
And what message does John have for those of us who have already turned to Jesus? Do we need to confess too? We already have! Remember, confession means agreeing with God. When you first surrendered to the Lord, you might have prayed “thank you for forgiving me.” That’s confession. You were acknowledging that you had a sin problem and in need of God’s forgiveness. In the New Testament people sometimes confessed their sins when they were baptized (Mt 3:6). How many times do you need to be baptized before you are baptized? Just once. How many times do you need to say yes to God before you are in agreement with God? Just once. And how many times do you need to receive God’s free gift of forgiveness before you have received it? Just once.
1 John 1 was written for unbelievers who don’t see their need for forgiveness. In the second chapter John writes for the saints, and what does he tell them? “Your sins have been forgiven on account of His name” (1 Jn 2:12). If your sins have already been forgiven, what are you confessing for?
Under the old covenant law, there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). What the law prefigured, Christ fulfilled. At the Last Supper Jesus explained the basis of our forgiveness: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mat 26:28) Note the absence of any qualifiers. Jesus did not say, “…provided they confess first.” It’s His blood from start to finish. 1 John 1 may have given you the impression that sinners are only forgiven when they confess. But John makes it clear that it is not our confession but “the blood of Jesus Christ (that) cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). So why confess at all? Remember, Biblical confession is not listing everything that’s wrong with you. True confession is a positive response to something that God has already done. It is verbalizing faith. It is saying “thank you Jesus for your blood that was poured out for my forgiveness. Because of You, I am forgiven!”
Note
Any Greek lexicon will tell you that the verb tense for “confess” in 1 John 1:9 is the present tense which usually means a habitual action. The conclusion that some draw from this is that you need to habitually confess your sins to stay forgiven. But to build a doctrine of works from a single verb tense is dangerous and contradicts what John says about forgiveness elsewhere. Note that the present verb tense is also used in the New Testament to convey a sense of action (“I am confessing”) in much the same way as is meant by the English present tense. Why did John write it this way? He was possibly thinking of Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” At any point in time, a sinner is either concealing his sins or he is agreeing with God about them and forsaking them. A sinner who conceals his sins remains a sinner, but a sinner who confesses and turns to Jesus is a sinner no longer: He has been purified from “all sin” (1 Jn 1:7) and cleansed from “all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). A sinner might weigh it up like this: If I change my mind and agree with God now, I will experience today the forgiveness that He provided for me 2000 years ago at the cross. Incidentally, if you like a bit of Greek salad with your meat, then feast your eyes on 1 John 1:7 which talks about the blood of Jesus that cleanses and continually goes on cleansing us.
Additional Comments from Part 1
Three reasons why I believe this verse is written for sinners: (i) John is talking about those who walk in darkness (v6), (ii) who need to be purified from all unrighteousness (v9), and (iii) who, by insisting that they have never sinned (v8), are making God out to be a liar (v10). None of these attributes applies to someone who is born again. Look at v3: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” John is writing to people who neither have fellowship with us, the Father or the Son. Like a true apostle, John has good news for all the world; chapter 1 was largely written for those who weren’t born again.
But irrespective of whether this passage was written primarily for saints and sinners, I agree that John is not calling anyone to review their sins. To confess (homologeo) is to agree with God. Sinners need to agree that they are in need of a Savior; saints need to agree that they were forgiven 2000 years ago, just as the Bible declares (Col 2:13).
You may say that we’re not cleansed from unrighteousness unless we confess nagging sins. But Heb 10:22 tells us the blood of Jesus is the cure for a guilty conscience.
From Part 1
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9)
This is the only verse in the Bible where our confession is connected with His forgiveness. The Greek word for confess is homologeo which means to acknowledge, concede or agree with. In this passage John is writing to unbelievers who were deceived because they thought they were without sin (see v.8). How do I know that John is talking to unbelievers and not Christians? Because he is addressing people who are walking in darkness (v.6), who need to be purified from all unrighteousness (v.9) and who, by insisting that they have never sinned, are making God out to be a liar (v.10).
What message does John have for sinners who don’t think they’re sinners? “Acknowledge your sinful state, turn to God and receive His gift of forgiveness.” There’s only one thing that stops a sinner from receiving God’s grace and that’s unbelief. If you don’t see your need for forgiveness, you are well and truly lost. You may claim to know God but He doesn’t know you. There’s only one way to the Father and that’s through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. God made provision for your redemption and forgiveness at the cross, but you will never see it unless you acknowledge (ie: confess) your need for a Savior.
And what message does John have for those of us who have already turned to Jesus? Do we need to confess too? We already have! Remember, confession means agreeing with God. When you first surrendered to the Lord, you might have prayed “thank you for forgiving me.” That’s confession. You were acknowledging that you had a sin problem and in need of God’s forgiveness. In the New Testament people sometimes confessed their sins when they were baptized (Mt 3:6). How many times do you need to be baptized before you are baptized? Just once. How many times do you need to say yes to God before you are in agreement with God? Just once. And how many times do you need to receive God’s free gift of forgiveness before you have received it? Just once.
1 John 1 was written for unbelievers who don’t see their need for forgiveness. In the second chapter John writes for the saints, and what does he tell them? “Your sins have been forgiven on account of His name” (1 Jn 2:12). If your sins have already been forgiven, what are you confessing for?
Under the old covenant law, there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). What the law prefigured, Christ fulfilled. At the Last Supper Jesus explained the basis of our forgiveness: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mat 26:28) Note the absence of any qualifiers. Jesus did not say, “…provided they confess first.” It’s His blood from start to finish. 1 John 1 may have given you the impression that sinners are only forgiven when they confess. But John makes it clear that it is not our confession but “the blood of Jesus Christ (that) cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). So why confess at all? Remember, Biblical confession is not listing everything that’s wrong with you. True confession is a positive response to something that God has already done. It is verbalizing faith. It is saying “thank you Jesus for your blood that was poured out for my forgiveness. Because of You, I am forgiven!”
Note
Any Greek lexicon will tell you that the verb tense for “confess” in 1 John 1:9 is the present tense which usually means a habitual action. The conclusion that some draw from this is that you need to habitually confess your sins to stay forgiven. But to build a doctrine of works from a single verb tense is dangerous and contradicts what John says about forgiveness elsewhere. Note that the present verb tense is also used in the New Testament to convey a sense of action (“I am confessing”) in much the same way as is meant by the English present tense. Why did John write it this way? He was possibly thinking of Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” At any point in time, a sinner is either concealing his sins or he is agreeing with God about them and forsaking them. A sinner who conceals his sins remains a sinner, but a sinner who confesses and turns to Jesus is a sinner no longer: He has been purified from “all sin” (1 Jn 1:7) and cleansed from “all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). A sinner might weigh it up like this: If I change my mind and agree with God now, I will experience today the forgiveness that He provided for me 2000 years ago at the cross. Incidentally, if you like a bit of Greek salad with your meat, then feast your eyes on 1 John 1:7 which talks about the blood of Jesus that cleanses and continually goes on cleansing us.
Additional Comments from Part 1
Three reasons why I believe this verse is written for sinners: (i) John is talking about those who walk in darkness (v6), (ii) who need to be purified from all unrighteousness (v9), and (iii) who, by insisting that they have never sinned (v8), are making God out to be a liar (v10). None of these attributes applies to someone who is born again. Look at v3: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” John is writing to people who neither have fellowship with us, the Father or the Son. Like a true apostle, John has good news for all the world; chapter 1 was largely written for those who weren’t born again.
But irrespective of whether this passage was written primarily for saints and sinners, I agree that John is not calling anyone to review their sins. To confess (homologeo) is to agree with God. Sinners need to agree that they are in need of a Savior; saints need to agree that they were forgiven 2000 years ago, just as the Bible declares (Col 2:13).
You may say that we’re not cleansed from unrighteousness unless we confess nagging sins. But Heb 10:22 tells us the blood of Jesus is the cure for a guilty conscience.
From Part 2
You were forgiven completely for all time
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb 10:12)
Jesus’ death on the cross was a once-off sacrifice offered for all time. It was perfectly perfect in every respect and there is nothing you can do to improve upon it. Those who take 1 John 1:9 as their justification for trying to earn what we’ve already been given, need to pay more careful attention to what John is saying: the blood of Jesus purifies us from “all sin” (1:7) and cleanses us from “all unrighteousness” (1:9). All means all. “All sin” includes the sins we haven’t done yet and all the sins we have never confessed.
Jesus went to the cross as humanity’s sinless representative. With His dying breath God the Son asked God the Father to forgive us (Lk 23:34). Then having fully satisfied the requirements of the law that stood against us, and having forged a new covenant in His blood, Jesus declared “it is finished” and gave up His spirit. His redemptive work complete, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God waiting for His saints to rise up boldly in their forgiven-ness.
Jesus will never go to the cross again. If you sin today, He is not going back to Calvary tomorrow. Asking Him to forgive you again is like saying His first sacrifice was not enough – that you really need Him to get back up on the cross. This is disgraceful (Heb 6:6), but “we are confident of better things in your case” (Heb 6:9). Rejoice that His one-time sacrifice paid for it all and you are eternally forgiven.
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb 10:12)
Jesus’ death on the cross was a once-off sacrifice offered for all time. It was perfectly perfect in every respect and there is nothing you can do to improve upon it. Those who take 1 John 1:9 as their justification for trying to earn what we’ve already been given, need to pay more careful attention to what John is saying: the blood of Jesus purifies us from “all sin” (1:7) and cleanses us from “all unrighteousness” (1:9). All means all. “All sin” includes the sins we haven’t done yet and all the sins we have never confessed.
Jesus went to the cross as humanity’s sinless representative. With His dying breath God the Son asked God the Father to forgive us (Lk 23:34). Then having fully satisfied the requirements of the law that stood against us, and having forged a new covenant in His blood, Jesus declared “it is finished” and gave up His spirit. His redemptive work complete, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God waiting for His saints to rise up boldly in their forgiven-ness.
Jesus will never go to the cross again. If you sin today, He is not going back to Calvary tomorrow. Asking Him to forgive you again is like saying His first sacrifice was not enough – that you really need Him to get back up on the cross. This is disgraceful (Heb 6:6), but “we are confident of better things in your case” (Heb 6:9). Rejoice that His one-time sacrifice paid for it all and you are eternally forgiven.
Additional Comments from Part 3
If you have been born again, you do not need to be born again again. If you are already in Christ, you do not need to confess your sins to receive a gift you have already received.
If I was writing this series for unbelievers, I would definitely quote 1 Jn 1:9 and Rms 10:9. I would say something like, “Confession is agreeing with God. You need to agree that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and that Jesus is the Risen Lord whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.”
As I said before, confessing is agreeing with God. I am for confession. I am against confessing as true things that God says are false. If God declares us forgiven, then we are second-guessing Him when we declare that we are in need of forgiveness.
Jesus washed Peter’s feet – you could look at this and see Peter but I see Jesus. Peter was resting; Jesus was serving. How can you build a theology of confessing sins here when (a) it was Jesus doing the washing, not Peter and (b) Jesus said Peter was already clean (Jn 13:10)? We are cleansed (and continually cleansed) from sin by the blood of Jesus (1 Jn 1:7). If Jesus blood is not enough, then there is no hope of forgiveness.
If I was writing this series for unbelievers, I would definitely quote 1 Jn 1:9 and Rms 10:9. I would say something like, “Confession is agreeing with God. You need to agree that you are a sinner in need of a Savior and that Jesus is the Risen Lord whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins.”
As I said before, confessing is agreeing with God. I am for confession. I am against confessing as true things that God says are false. If God declares us forgiven, then we are second-guessing Him when we declare that we are in need of forgiveness.
Jesus washed Peter’s feet – you could look at this and see Peter but I see Jesus. Peter was resting; Jesus was serving. How can you build a theology of confessing sins here when (a) it was Jesus doing the washing, not Peter and (b) Jesus said Peter was already clean (Jn 13:10)? We are cleansed (and continually cleansed) from sin by the blood of Jesus (1 Jn 1:7). If Jesus blood is not enough, then there is no hope of forgiveness.
If talking about things and being open and honest releases life, then do it. But if talking is going to embarrass and bring shame to others, then maybe you should hold your tongue. I hate the darkness. I love bringing things into the light. If I have sinned against my wife and kids or friends I’m generally going to want to talk about it. This is not sin management. This is life! I want my relationships to prosper. They’re not going to prosper if we’re holding onto silly nonsense that could be easily dealt with.
I believe this is why James says we need to confess our sins to each other. 99% of relational hurts exist because people don’t talk to each other. If we read these scriptures with religious lenses we’ll come away with religious duties. But if we read them as secure sons and daughters standing firm on the unshakeable foundation of Christ and His love for us, we’ll find life in them.
I imagine what happened in Acts 19 was wonderfully liberating. These guys were burning their occultic tools of the trade. Evil-doers love the darkness. By bringing things into the light they were making a bold statement. They were submitting to God and resisting the devil. The word of the Lord didn’t grow in power because they were confessing sins but because dead sinners were being transformed into living saints. Each person had a story to tell of how God had transformed them.
I believe this is why James says we need to confess our sins to each other. 99% of relational hurts exist because people don’t talk to each other. If we read these scriptures with religious lenses we’ll come away with religious duties. But if we read them as secure sons and daughters standing firm on the unshakeable foundation of Christ and His love for us, we’ll find life in them.
I imagine what happened in Acts 19 was wonderfully liberating. These guys were burning their occultic tools of the trade. Evil-doers love the darkness. By bringing things into the light they were making a bold statement. They were submitting to God and resisting the devil. The word of the Lord didn’t grow in power because they were confessing sins but because dead sinners were being transformed into living saints. Each person had a story to tell of how God had transformed them.
From Part 4
Nowhere in the New Testament do you find believers confessing their sins to be forgiven. Confessing-to-be-forgiven is an extra-Biblical church tradition. It is one of those things that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death (Pro 14:12). It is a work of the flesh that kills faith, nullifies grace, and treats as unholy the blood of the covenant that sanctifies us. You don’t have to do something you’ve already done to gain something you already have.
Additional Comments from Part 4
James 5 suggests keeping short accounts and confessing our shortcomings to one another is a key to healing relational hurts. So I would definitely lean towards being open and honest. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and He will show you the way that brings life (or avoid death!). You really have an opportunity to cast your care on Him. He loves you. Trust Him.
If you think you must do it to earn what God freely gives, you have set aside grace and made the cross of Christ of no effect.
How many times do you have to receive a gift before you have received it? Just once. You have either received forgiveness or you haven’t. If you have to ask for forgiveness for every single sin you commit every day of your life, then yes, it is a work. By your reckoning if you fail to ask, you are not acceptable to God. A more mannish-definition of works I could not think of. When I preach to the lost I use “we” and “us” as a means of identifying with them. I don’t preach at them. I speak just like John: we all need a Savior and Jesus is indeed the propitiation for all our sins.
Additional Comments from Overview
This is against the extra-Biblical idea that our forgiveness hangs upon our confession, where confession is defined as listing sins. The truth is our forgiveness is based on the blood of Jesus; nothing more, nothing less (Eph 1:7, Col 1:14). In the New Testament church there is no evidence of believers ever confessing their sins to be forgiven. Confession has come to mean something very different from what is discussed in 1 John 1:9. I do not doubt that being honest and keeping short accounts is very healthy in our relationships with others (see James 5:16), but again, this has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins.
From Overview
To confess (homologeo) is to agree with God. Sinners need to agree that they are sinful and in need of a Savior. Saints need to agree that their sins have been dealt with and they are forgiven.
I am not against confession. True confession is putting trust into words; it is articulating God’s promises, God’s declarations, and God’s will. But confessing-to-be-forgiven is a work of the flesh. Whether you confess to a priest or directly to God makes no difference. If you do it because you believe it makes you righteous or acceptable to God, then what need have you of a Savior? You have set aside grace and put yourself under law.
You won’t find any believer in the New Testament confessing their sins to be forgiven. So why do we do it? Why do we spend so much time and energy on a death-dealing extra-Biblical practice? I can think of at least 4 reasons. We do it simply because we’ve always done it. (So read your Bible, renew your mind and live free.) We do it because we think our sin is greater than God’s grace. (It isn’t.) We do it because we are fearful of “unconfessed sin.” (Sin is sin and on the cross Jesus dealt with it all – big sin, small sin, secret sin and unconfessed sin. There is no sin that escaped His perfect redeeming work.) Or we do it because we are fearful of judgment day and uncertain about our forgiveness. We hope we’ve been forgiven, but we worry that might not be. If this is you, listen to the words of Jesus: “My friend, don’t worry! Your sins are forgiven.” (Mt 9:2, CEV)
At some point you’re just going to have to step out in faith and trust that when Jesus said “it is finished” that it really was finished. At the cross, your sin was dealt with once and for all time. Look at Jesus and cheer up!
Nowhere in the New Testament do you find believers confessing their sins to be forgiven. Confessing-to-be-forgiven is an extra-Biblical church tradition. It is one of those things that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death (Pro 14:12). It is a work of the flesh that kills faith, nullifies grace, and treats as unholy the blood of the covenant that sanctifies us. You don’t have to do something you’ve already done to gain something you already have.
Additional Comments from Part 4
James 5 suggests keeping short accounts and confessing our shortcomings to one another is a key to healing relational hurts. So I would definitely lean towards being open and honest. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and He will show you the way that brings life (or avoid death!). You really have an opportunity to cast your care on Him. He loves you. Trust Him.
If you think you must do it to earn what God freely gives, you have set aside grace and made the cross of Christ of no effect.
How many times do you have to receive a gift before you have received it? Just once. You have either received forgiveness or you haven’t. If you have to ask for forgiveness for every single sin you commit every day of your life, then yes, it is a work. By your reckoning if you fail to ask, you are not acceptable to God. A more mannish-definition of works I could not think of. When I preach to the lost I use “we” and “us” as a means of identifying with them. I don’t preach at them. I speak just like John: we all need a Savior and Jesus is indeed the propitiation for all our sins.
Additional Comments from Overview
This is against the extra-Biblical idea that our forgiveness hangs upon our confession, where confession is defined as listing sins. The truth is our forgiveness is based on the blood of Jesus; nothing more, nothing less (Eph 1:7, Col 1:14). In the New Testament church there is no evidence of believers ever confessing their sins to be forgiven. Confession has come to mean something very different from what is discussed in 1 John 1:9. I do not doubt that being honest and keeping short accounts is very healthy in our relationships with others (see James 5:16), but again, this has nothing to do with the forgiveness of sins.
From Overview
To confess (homologeo) is to agree with God. Sinners need to agree that they are sinful and in need of a Savior. Saints need to agree that their sins have been dealt with and they are forgiven.
I am not against confession. True confession is putting trust into words; it is articulating God’s promises, God’s declarations, and God’s will. But confessing-to-be-forgiven is a work of the flesh. Whether you confess to a priest or directly to God makes no difference. If you do it because you believe it makes you righteous or acceptable to God, then what need have you of a Savior? You have set aside grace and put yourself under law.
You won’t find any believer in the New Testament confessing their sins to be forgiven. So why do we do it? Why do we spend so much time and energy on a death-dealing extra-Biblical practice? I can think of at least 4 reasons. We do it simply because we’ve always done it. (So read your Bible, renew your mind and live free.) We do it because we think our sin is greater than God’s grace. (It isn’t.) We do it because we are fearful of “unconfessed sin.” (Sin is sin and on the cross Jesus dealt with it all – big sin, small sin, secret sin and unconfessed sin. There is no sin that escaped His perfect redeeming work.) Or we do it because we are fearful of judgment day and uncertain about our forgiveness. We hope we’ve been forgiven, but we worry that might not be. If this is you, listen to the words of Jesus: “My friend, don’t worry! Your sins are forgiven.” (Mt 9:2, CEV)
At some point you’re just going to have to step out in faith and trust that when Jesus said “it is finished” that it really was finished. At the cross, your sin was dealt with once and for all time. Look at Jesus and cheer up!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Andrew Farley on Confessings Sins in 1 John 1:9 & James 5:16
1 John 1:9 ~ At first glance, this well-known verse appears to muddy the waters concerning once-for-all forgiveness. In many books and articles on the topic of forgiveness, this verse often serves as the foundation on which the author's belief system is constructed.
Theologians and Christian authors will often agree with John that "your sins have been forgiven on account of Jesus' name" (1 John 2:12). But later you find them essentially saying that confession is needed to "cause" God to forgive you. The problem is that both statements can't be true at the same time. EITHER WE'VE BEEN FORGIVEN, OR THERE'S A CONDITION FOR US TO BE FORGIVEN.
To resolve this dilemma, some have proposed the following: Christians are forgiven eternally in God's heavenly record books. However, unless Christians keep short accounts with God through daily confession of sins, they can't experience God's cleansing during life on earth. Hence, they claim that 1 John 1:9 is the believer's "bar of soap" to maintain daily fellowship with God. And they use terms such as judicial, patriarchal, and forensic as they delicately dance around the reality of once-for-all forgiveness and push the idea of a two-tiered forgiveness system in which eternally God is satisfied, but right now we somehow maintain our own daily cleansing through a confession ritual.
I frequently come across this line of thinking in which 1 John 1:9 is the one and only hallmark verse. But we know we shouldn't develop theologies based principally around one verse. It's important to recognize that this verse stands as the ONLY one of its kind. No other verse in the epistles appears to place a conditional "if" on forgiveness and cleansing.
So if there was a method for maintaining daily cleansing, the Romans were apparently unaware of it. If there was a prescription for keeping short accounts with God, the Galatians seemed to have had no exposure to it. If there was a need to ask God for forgiveness, the Ephesians were apparently not privy to it. Similarly, the Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians also seemed to have missed this teaching.
If there were a DAILY method to maintain good status (fellowship) with God through ongoing confession of sins or pleas for forgiveness, wouldn't you think it'd be mentioned in at least ONE epistle? Did God accidentally leave it out? Certainly NOT!
CONFESSION CLARIFIED: Let's clarify an important point. The meaning of confess is "to say the same as" or "to agree". Christians should agree with God on ALL accounts... not just about sins but about everything. We're his children, and it is only His ways that fulfill. We're designed from the ground up to agree with Him, depend on Him, and live from Him.
But it's equally important to recognize that we don't impel God or put him into motion through our confession. He's NOT waiting to dole out forgiveness or cleansing. We don't need to keep "short accounts" with God, since he has destroyed the record book!
God has taken away our sins. He remembers them no more. As Christians, our forgiveness and cleansing aren't dependent on our memory, our confession, or our asking. Our forgiveness and cleansing are solely because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
THE "OTHER" CONFESSION:
What about James 5:16? James talks about confessing our sins to each other and praying for each other. But he's saying we should listen to each other's struggles, offer counsel where appropriate, and pray for each other. The context of James's exhortation to confess our sins to each other has nothing to do with God's forgiving or cleansing us.
Confession to trusted friends and to God is healthy. It's normal and natural to talk about your struggles with people who care about you. The indispensable truth to grasp, however, is that confession does NOT initiate cleansing in your life. We've already been cleansed "once for all" through the onetime blood sacrifice that needs no repenting.
Let's be honest about our struggles, but let's also be clear about what the cross accomplished. The Catholic goes to a priest and the Protestant thinks he does better by appealing directly to God. But any system that doesn't factor in once-for-all forgiveness is intrinsically flawed.
God doesn't want us to think that human priests apportion forgiveness to us. Nor does he want us to envision his doling out forgiveness from heaven on a "first come, first serve" basis. Instead, he wants us to ascribe real meaning to Jesus' declaration, "It is finished!"
We're ALREADY forgiven and cleansed children of the living God! Our motivation should be the fulfillment that comes from truly being ourselves. AMEN!
Theologians and Christian authors will often agree with John that "your sins have been forgiven on account of Jesus' name" (1 John 2:12). But later you find them essentially saying that confession is needed to "cause" God to forgive you. The problem is that both statements can't be true at the same time. EITHER WE'VE BEEN FORGIVEN, OR THERE'S A CONDITION FOR US TO BE FORGIVEN.
To resolve this dilemma, some have proposed the following: Christians are forgiven eternally in God's heavenly record books. However, unless Christians keep short accounts with God through daily confession of sins, they can't experience God's cleansing during life on earth. Hence, they claim that 1 John 1:9 is the believer's "bar of soap" to maintain daily fellowship with God. And they use terms such as judicial, patriarchal, and forensic as they delicately dance around the reality of once-for-all forgiveness and push the idea of a two-tiered forgiveness system in which eternally God is satisfied, but right now we somehow maintain our own daily cleansing through a confession ritual.
I frequently come across this line of thinking in which 1 John 1:9 is the one and only hallmark verse. But we know we shouldn't develop theologies based principally around one verse. It's important to recognize that this verse stands as the ONLY one of its kind. No other verse in the epistles appears to place a conditional "if" on forgiveness and cleansing.
So if there was a method for maintaining daily cleansing, the Romans were apparently unaware of it. If there was a prescription for keeping short accounts with God, the Galatians seemed to have had no exposure to it. If there was a need to ask God for forgiveness, the Ephesians were apparently not privy to it. Similarly, the Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians also seemed to have missed this teaching.
If there were a DAILY method to maintain good status (fellowship) with God through ongoing confession of sins or pleas for forgiveness, wouldn't you think it'd be mentioned in at least ONE epistle? Did God accidentally leave it out? Certainly NOT!
CONFESSION CLARIFIED: Let's clarify an important point. The meaning of confess is "to say the same as" or "to agree". Christians should agree with God on ALL accounts... not just about sins but about everything. We're his children, and it is only His ways that fulfill. We're designed from the ground up to agree with Him, depend on Him, and live from Him.
But it's equally important to recognize that we don't impel God or put him into motion through our confession. He's NOT waiting to dole out forgiveness or cleansing. We don't need to keep "short accounts" with God, since he has destroyed the record book!
God has taken away our sins. He remembers them no more. As Christians, our forgiveness and cleansing aren't dependent on our memory, our confession, or our asking. Our forgiveness and cleansing are solely because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.
THE "OTHER" CONFESSION:
What about James 5:16? James talks about confessing our sins to each other and praying for each other. But he's saying we should listen to each other's struggles, offer counsel where appropriate, and pray for each other. The context of James's exhortation to confess our sins to each other has nothing to do with God's forgiving or cleansing us.
Confession to trusted friends and to God is healthy. It's normal and natural to talk about your struggles with people who care about you. The indispensable truth to grasp, however, is that confession does NOT initiate cleansing in your life. We've already been cleansed "once for all" through the onetime blood sacrifice that needs no repenting.
Let's be honest about our struggles, but let's also be clear about what the cross accomplished. The Catholic goes to a priest and the Protestant thinks he does better by appealing directly to God. But any system that doesn't factor in once-for-all forgiveness is intrinsically flawed.
God doesn't want us to think that human priests apportion forgiveness to us. Nor does he want us to envision his doling out forgiveness from heaven on a "first come, first serve" basis. Instead, he wants us to ascribe real meaning to Jesus' declaration, "It is finished!"
We're ALREADY forgiven and cleansed children of the living God! Our motivation should be the fulfillment that comes from truly being ourselves. AMEN!
Excerpted from The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley
Friday, December 2, 2011
Notes on Confessing Sins from Andre van der Merwe & Cornel Marais
Cleansed from All Unrighteousness in John 1
At the point of salvation, we merely accepted and trusted that Christ took our punishment already. When we believed that, we were reborn and created as new beings. We were made the righteousness of God in Christ. All our unrighteousness was taken away and we now have the same right standing before God as Jesus has. How can that be? Because when Jesus became sin for us, the righteousness He had from perfectly keeping the law, was given as a free gift to all mankind.
Rom 5:18-19 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. (NKJV)
In light of this, let us look again at 1 John 1:9.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
Have you been cleansed from all unrighteousness? Yes. So if you have been cleansed, does that mean you have been forgiven? Logically, yes. If you were forgiven, when did you confess your sins? The day you said, “Jesus, I can’t do this. I trust You to save me.” That was your confession. Now that you know God doesn’t count your sins against you anymore, you can also stop counting them. God did His job perfectly. Just trust Him.
I can sow destruction in my own life. The thief on the cross next to Jesus was forgiven but he still stayed and died on his cross. Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t make you immune against consequence, it made you immune from ever falling out of right standing before God.
So when you find yourself conscious of your sins, simply say: “Thank You Jesus for the perfect work of the cross that has removed my sins completely. Thank you Holy Spirit for convincing me of righteousness, not my own, but the righteousness given to me as a gift (2 Cor 5:21) and I praise You that nothing that I do can ever change that or ever separate me from your love!!!”
So in closing, the Bible teaches all unbelievers to confess their sins to God to be born again and come into Christ, but the Bible does not teach New Covenant Christians to confess their sins to God.
Confessing Sins in 1 John
1 John was written to a group of Christians whose ranks had been infiltrated by teachers of Gnosticism. In some parts of his letter he is countering the teachings of the Gnostics. At the time John wrote this letter, the Gnostics had already left the ranks of the Christians [1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us], but remnants of the Gnostisism teaching were still confusing the Christians that remained.
Gnostics are people who believe that creation is flawed and was created by a flawed creator. They also believe that there is no such thing as sin in the world thus as an lost person you do not have admit to being a sinner to God to be born again.
1 John 1:9 was NOT a command for people to grovel in sack cloth & ash, instead it is simply a statement to contradict the false teachings of the Gnostics. There were people in John’s assembly (who had not been born again yet) who were self righteously claiming that they did not need to admit to being sinners to receive eternal life. They were still confused by the teaching of the Gnostics, even though the Gnostics had already left. John countered this lie and said the following: [1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us].
And then in the next verse he reveals how to be saved: [1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness]. God will cleanse them from ALL unrighteousness if they will only confess that they need to be forgiven of their sins. If 1 John 1:9 were addressed to the believing Christians (the ones who were already saved), it would then contradict the following verse: [1 John 2:12 Little children, I write to you because you have been forgiven your sins through His name]. Why would John command people to confess their sins if He says a few verses later that they HAVE been forgiven? If confessing our sins was such an important practice in the life of a Christian, why did the writer of the biggest part of the New Testament, Paul the apostle, not command us to do it once??
Countless doctrines have been formulated about confessing our sins to God, all based on this one verse (1 John 1:9). It’s quite amazing if we realize there are no other verses in the entire New Covenant that tells us we should confess our sins to God! It’s even more amazing if we realize that this verse was not even intended for Christians who trust in the forgiveness of God, but for self righteous people!
But you may ask, “Why would God not want us to confess our sins to Him? After all, we do make mistakes!” The answer is simple: Because walking around the whole day remembering all the bad things we have done will not bring us closer to God! Jesus already paid the full price so that we could have unbroken fellowship with the Father. This means that when we make a mistake, it does not break our fellowship or right standing with God. God wants us to have confidence before Him, and to be more aware of our righteousness and His grace than of our shortcomings & mistakes.
How can we have boldness before God if we have to grovel on our knees and plead for the forgiveness of our sins every time we pray? No amount of crying, confessing, remembering your sins, emotional torment or anything we can do can add to the finished work of the cross, where our sins were forgiven, once and for all.
Confessing Sins in James 5:16
The real question that we should ask when talking about confessing our sins is this: “When a Christian sins (makes a mistake), is their right standing with God lost, and can that right standing only be restored if the person confesses the sin?” If we can forget for a few minutes all the things we have heard people say, including the traditions of men that have been passed down to us, as well as the way we “think” we should react when we make a mistake, then let’s see what the Word says.
There are only 2 verses in the new covenant (1 John 1:9 and James 5:16) that deals with confessing sin, and both are mostly misunderstood.
James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the older men of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of trust will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Under the new covenant, God has forgiven ALL our sins (past, present & future). Heb 10:17 “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” And also Col 3:13 … even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
The only sins (mistakes) that we as new covenant Christians need still forgiveness for, is from the people we have sinned against (God has already forgiven us for these sins as well). Since none of us are perfect in all we do, we sometimes offend, hurt or harm people. And since people are not as gracious and merciful as God, we need to make amends with them. And that’s where James 5:16 comes in: Confess your sin to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed… Our right standing with God does not change, but our relationship with others can be damaged and needs to be restored – when we humbly confess to those we have wronged (and if they will receive us in humility) it opens the door for that restoration to happen.
James is telling people who have wronged and hurt others to make amends, to be reconciled with each other, to confess their faults to each other.
Read More about Confessing Sins
Notes taken from the following links: 1 2 3
At the point of salvation, we merely accepted and trusted that Christ took our punishment already. When we believed that, we were reborn and created as new beings. We were made the righteousness of God in Christ. All our unrighteousness was taken away and we now have the same right standing before God as Jesus has. How can that be? Because when Jesus became sin for us, the righteousness He had from perfectly keeping the law, was given as a free gift to all mankind.
Rom 5:18-19 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. (NKJV)
In light of this, let us look again at 1 John 1:9.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
Have you been cleansed from all unrighteousness? Yes. So if you have been cleansed, does that mean you have been forgiven? Logically, yes. If you were forgiven, when did you confess your sins? The day you said, “Jesus, I can’t do this. I trust You to save me.” That was your confession. Now that you know God doesn’t count your sins against you anymore, you can also stop counting them. God did His job perfectly. Just trust Him.
I can sow destruction in my own life. The thief on the cross next to Jesus was forgiven but he still stayed and died on his cross. Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t make you immune against consequence, it made you immune from ever falling out of right standing before God.
So when you find yourself conscious of your sins, simply say: “Thank You Jesus for the perfect work of the cross that has removed my sins completely. Thank you Holy Spirit for convincing me of righteousness, not my own, but the righteousness given to me as a gift (2 Cor 5:21) and I praise You that nothing that I do can ever change that or ever separate me from your love!!!”
So in closing, the Bible teaches all unbelievers to confess their sins to God to be born again and come into Christ, but the Bible does not teach New Covenant Christians to confess their sins to God.
Confessing Sins in 1 John
1 John was written to a group of Christians whose ranks had been infiltrated by teachers of Gnosticism. In some parts of his letter he is countering the teachings of the Gnostics. At the time John wrote this letter, the Gnostics had already left the ranks of the Christians [1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us], but remnants of the Gnostisism teaching were still confusing the Christians that remained.
Gnostics are people who believe that creation is flawed and was created by a flawed creator. They also believe that there is no such thing as sin in the world thus as an lost person you do not have admit to being a sinner to God to be born again.
1 John 1:9 was NOT a command for people to grovel in sack cloth & ash, instead it is simply a statement to contradict the false teachings of the Gnostics. There were people in John’s assembly (who had not been born again yet) who were self righteously claiming that they did not need to admit to being sinners to receive eternal life. They were still confused by the teaching of the Gnostics, even though the Gnostics had already left. John countered this lie and said the following: [1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us].
And then in the next verse he reveals how to be saved: [1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness]. God will cleanse them from ALL unrighteousness if they will only confess that they need to be forgiven of their sins. If 1 John 1:9 were addressed to the believing Christians (the ones who were already saved), it would then contradict the following verse: [1 John 2:12 Little children, I write to you because you have been forgiven your sins through His name]. Why would John command people to confess their sins if He says a few verses later that they HAVE been forgiven? If confessing our sins was such an important practice in the life of a Christian, why did the writer of the biggest part of the New Testament, Paul the apostle, not command us to do it once??
Countless doctrines have been formulated about confessing our sins to God, all based on this one verse (1 John 1:9). It’s quite amazing if we realize there are no other verses in the entire New Covenant that tells us we should confess our sins to God! It’s even more amazing if we realize that this verse was not even intended for Christians who trust in the forgiveness of God, but for self righteous people!
But you may ask, “Why would God not want us to confess our sins to Him? After all, we do make mistakes!” The answer is simple: Because walking around the whole day remembering all the bad things we have done will not bring us closer to God! Jesus already paid the full price so that we could have unbroken fellowship with the Father. This means that when we make a mistake, it does not break our fellowship or right standing with God. God wants us to have confidence before Him, and to be more aware of our righteousness and His grace than of our shortcomings & mistakes.
How can we have boldness before God if we have to grovel on our knees and plead for the forgiveness of our sins every time we pray? No amount of crying, confessing, remembering your sins, emotional torment or anything we can do can add to the finished work of the cross, where our sins were forgiven, once and for all.
Confessing Sins in James 5:16
The real question that we should ask when talking about confessing our sins is this: “When a Christian sins (makes a mistake), is their right standing with God lost, and can that right standing only be restored if the person confesses the sin?” If we can forget for a few minutes all the things we have heard people say, including the traditions of men that have been passed down to us, as well as the way we “think” we should react when we make a mistake, then let’s see what the Word says.
There are only 2 verses in the new covenant (1 John 1:9 and James 5:16) that deals with confessing sin, and both are mostly misunderstood.
James 5:14-16 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the older men of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of trust will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
Under the new covenant, God has forgiven ALL our sins (past, present & future). Heb 10:17 “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” And also Col 3:13 … even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
The only sins (mistakes) that we as new covenant Christians need still forgiveness for, is from the people we have sinned against (God has already forgiven us for these sins as well). Since none of us are perfect in all we do, we sometimes offend, hurt or harm people. And since people are not as gracious and merciful as God, we need to make amends with them. And that’s where James 5:16 comes in: Confess your sin to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed… Our right standing with God does not change, but our relationship with others can be damaged and needs to be restored – when we humbly confess to those we have wronged (and if they will receive us in humility) it opens the door for that restoration to happen.
James is telling people who have wronged and hurt others to make amends, to be reconciled with each other, to confess their faults to each other.
Read More about Confessing Sins
Notes taken from the following links: 1 2 3
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