1 John 1:9

NASB – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

NLT – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 

VOICE – But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. 

The Path of Cleansing

Confession is acknowledging our sins before God. In the Old Testament, the practice of confession was connected to repentance and sacrifice. It wasn’t just vocalizing our sinful behavior, but having a true acknowledgment of our wrongdoing and turning away from sin. In the New Testament, confession is connected through forgiveness in Christ. It focuses on the importance of honesty and humility in your relationship with Christ. 

God’s response to our confession is faithful and just. God is committed to His promises. God acts in accordance with His righteous nature. God forgives because of Christ’s work; confession is the way we openly acknowledge and receive that forgiveness. God won’t overlook our sin, but will address it in ways that aligns with who He is. In the Old Testament, forgiveness was connected with the sacrificial system. The New Testament shows us that through Jesus’ death and resurrection (the ultimate sacrifice), we receive total forgiveness and freedom from the penalty of sin. To be cleansed goes beyond forgiveness. It’s a transformation process of our minds, bodies, and souls. In the Old Testament, it was about purification rituals. In the New Testament, the purification is done through Christ and we spend the rest of our Christian journey going through the cleansing process.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: In the New Testament, we see a pattern that includes confession, repentance, forgiveness and cleansing, but these are not steps that we have to perform in order to receive what God freely gives. When you think of your recent confessions, where are you on your journey? 

The Power of Confessing

The key with confession is the heartfelt acknowledgment. To honestly and purposely acknowledge that your past behavior was wrong, you understand how it was wrong, and that you are wanting to move forward with better behavior. You might question: “If God knows my heart, then why do I need to acknowledge it.” It’s a valid question, and one that I have personally investigated myself in my journey with Christ. What I’ve learned is that mind-reading is difficult. When someone hurts us, we want them to see and comprehend that we are hurting. We want them to see how they hurt us and want them to apologize and reconcile this. When they don’t and try to move forward and not naming the elephant in the room, we get frustrated. God wants us to name that elephant. To own up to our mistakes and work towards a place of acting and thinking better in our everyday life. The goal is to align ourselves with God’s plan for the world, and to be more Christ-like every day. Confession, at the end of the day, is not about giving God new information; it’s about naming the truth, aligning with God, and restoring the relationship.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you confess your sins? How can it help you become more like Christ?