Walking in God’s Light/Living in Fellowship With Him (Conclusion)

John tells the believer, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Instead of denying our sinfulness, we should be prepared to acknowledge it! As long as we’re walking in that light, we’re in a position to be shown our failures and when that happens, we should confess them. This is the believer’s way back into blessed joy and fellowship with his Lord, and should never be confused with the establishment of salvation. The unregenerate are not saved by confessing, but by believing. Believers who desire to walk with God confess their sin openly and frankly to God. Confession isn’t pleading with God for forgiveness. It means to make the judgment that our sins are awful before God. We agree with God in condemning sin. Those who confess sins are reassured that God will forgive, and remove that sin's impact on fellowship. Note that even though this passage is written to believers, John states that those who confess sins are both forgiven and cleansed. Though believers are forgiven at the point of salvation, there is also an ongoing sense in which believers need to confess sin and experience forgiveness and cleansing. Since a barrier to fellowship between us and God will always be our fault, our need for confession is important for our fellowship with God. The point of this verse, of course, is that when we honestly acknowledge whatever sins we’re aware of, the cleansing that follows is “from all unrighteousness” which covers everything that needs covering! Walking in the light involves increased consciousness of our sinful unrighteousness and taking active steps to rid ourselves of that sin by claiming God’s forgiveness and cleansing through open confession of sin before God. Be encouraged!

Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible teacher & expositor