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1 John 1:9 - Confession Brings Forgiveness and Cleansing.

1 John 1:9 (KJV) If we confess our sins, he 
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

The Road of Denial
   Denial is a refusal to admit the truth or 
accept reality - most often of something 
unpleasant. The defense mechanism of denial kicked in 
right after our first parents disobeyed God and 
tried to hide; Adam denied reality, blaming his 
sin on Eve (Genesis 3:1-13). Now it is common to 
see children denying a disobedient deed, or 
perpetrators pleading not guilty; or even people denying 
life-threatening illnesses. But although those in denial seem 
to succeed in avoiding their issues, sooner or 
later, as John Bunyan wrote, "the road of denial 
leads to the precipice of destruction. 
   The apostle John explained the grave 
consequences of denial by introducing five hypothetical 
rebukes in 1 John 1. These "if/then" conditional 
statements unveil illogical conclusions created by the 
denial of truth: "If we say that we have no sin, 
[then] we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not 
in us" (v. 8) is one example. Another is: "If 
we say that we have not sinned, [then] we make 
Him a liar, and His word is not in us" (v. 10). 
   But tucked in between these two examples 
is a promise repeated by millions in moments of 
honesty: today's verse. If we don't deny - but 
confess - the truth that we are sinners, God 
promises to not only forgive our wrongs but also 
cleanse us. That is, He's going to help us cease 
from "all unrighteousness" (emphasis added) - 
from ever doing wrong again. Denying denial is 
the means to receiving God's richest promise: He 
will wipe your slate clean and keep it clean. 
   So turn around if you're on "the road of 
denial. There's still time to experience God's 
promise of full rehabilitation. 
   Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in desperate 
need of forgiveness. I confess freely that I have 
broken Your law. Please forgive me. [The Most 
Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] 

COMMENTARY

   All people are sinners by nature and by 
practice. At conversion all our sins are forgiven - 
past, present, and future. Yet even after we 
become Christians, we still sin and still need to 
confess. This kind of confession is not offered to 
gain God's acceptance, but to remove the barrier 
to fellowship that our sin has put between us 
and him. It is difficult, however, for many 
people to admit their faults and shortcomings, even 
to God. It takes humility and honesty to 
recognize our weaknesses, and most of us would rather 
pretend that we are strong. But we need not fear 
revealing our sins to God - he knows them already. He 
will not push us away, no matter what we've done. 
Instead, he will draw us to himself.  
   We don't need to confess the sins of the 
past all over again, and we don't need to fear 
that God will reject us if we don't keep our 
slate perfectly clean. Of course, we should 
continue to confess our sins, but not because failure 
to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our 
relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should 
confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and 
joy with him.  
   True confession also involves a 
commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn't be 
genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to 
commit them again and just wanted temporary 
forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat 
temptation the next time we face it. [Life Application 
SB] 

CLOSING THOUGHT

   Confess your sins to God, who only can 
forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you 
have given offense to your friend or neighbor, 
you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his 
duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek 
the forgiveness of God, because the brother you 
have wounded is the property of God, and in 
injuring him you sinned against his Creator and 
Redeemer  
   True confession is always of a specific 
character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may 
be of such a nature as to be brought before God 
only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed 
to individuals who have suffered injury through 
them; or they may be of a public character, and 
should then be as publicly confessed. But all 
confession should be definite and to the point, 
acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.  
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LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

1 John 1:9 - Confession Brings Forgiveness 
and Cleansing. 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230731-1057.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230131-0945.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/