1John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The first five words of this verse are jumping out at me this morning. Even though we don't have "confession" in our Protestant churches, we still need to confess our sins to God, and repent. We don't require a priest or any intermediary. By thinking back over our day and recounting our actions we may see sins we have conveniently forgotten about. The endpoint is not to have us feel guilty, but to know we are forgiven and are still loved.
Holy Lord, I know I am a sinner. I can do better. I am sorry for the times I behave in ways which do not reflect your glory and your love. You tell me I need not wallow in guilt, and you forgive me. For this I am eternally grateful. Amen
Becky, transforming
1 John 1:9
When I read this verse, I thought of the Catholic practice of confession. Although they use an intermediary priest, they do stress the importance of confessing our sins. Our practice is different. We can confess directly without an intermediary, but I wonder if we stress enough the need for confession as the Catholics do. It is certainly part of some of the prayers we say regularly, but is that really a confession. If we talk regularly to God, we should also talk about our sins, not just asking for prayers thanking him for all we have.
Prayer: gracious God, I need to remember my sins and confess them daily to you when we talk. Amen
Thursday April 27th, 2023
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.
What is Confession? To confess means to agree or admit something. When we sin, we should agree with God that the sin we are about to do or have done was wrong. If confession of sins brings about God's forgiveness, then it was unnecessary for Jesus Christ to shed his blood and die on the cross . It was the blood of Jesus, which took away our sins, not our confession. He is the final sacrifice for our sins. There is still the need for daily confession in the believer’s life…
1John 1:9 Grace trumps guilt. Grace is an amazing and complex concept. Prevenient grace reminds me of what is called “potential energy” in physics. We must yield to the Holy Spirit’s invitation to believe to put that energy to work as justifying grace. There are no perpetual motion machines. All need to be refueled and have their energy renewed. Our spiritual machine loses energy in the propensity to sin, but in confessing our sin to God with a repentant heart and a desire to sin no more we are refueled by sanctifying grace and are given the opportunity to keep going back to the pump as long as we live. Praise God.
Prayer - Forgiving God, I set my sins before…