Confessing Our Sins (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.
– 1 John 1:9

This is a pretty well-known verse in 1 John, and it’s such a good verse. It’s a promise from God: that as we confess our sins, he is faithful. Just let that soak in for a moment. As we confess our unfaithfulness, God is faithful. Oh, praise God that he is faithful despite our unfaithfulness.

1 John 1:9 teaches how God can be both just and forgiving.

And not just faithful, but just. Like, you expect 1 John 1:9 here to say he is merciful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But instead, it says he is just. How is that possible for a holy God—a perfectly righteous God—to forgive us of our sins in his justice?

And the gospel is the only answer to that question. Jesus has paid the price for our sins. We are guilty—that’s the whole point. We have sin to confess. And Jesus has taken our guilt upon himself. He has paid the price for our sins so that, yes, God is just. Judgment has been poured out on our sins through Jesus instead of us. This is amazing. He’s faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Just let that soak in in a fresh way today.

One of the dangers in a verse like this being so common and well-known and familiar is that we lose sight of how wonderful it is. We have been forgiven of our sins. God has said to us—just think about all your sinful thoughts, desires, words, deeds—God says, “I forgive all of them, and I cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” All unrighteousness. You are cleansed—clean.

Now, all this hinges on the beginning of 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins.” And this is where I just want to encourage you, if you have a couple of moments after this, to just spend time in specific confession of sin in your life. I want to encourage you to do that.

1 John 1:9 teaches the promise of forgiveness through confession.

So I want to pray for us generally—I hope in a way that sets up an opportunity for the Spirit to lead you in a time of much more personal confession.

Oh God, we praise you for your Word. We praise you for this promise that when we confess our sins, you are faithful. God, we praise you for your faithfulness to us. We praise you that you have always been faithful to us and you always will be faithful to us—even when we have been unfaithful and will be.

God, we grieve over the reality that we’re so prone to sin, to be unfaithful. We praise you for your faithfulness and for your justice. Jesus, we exalt you as our Savior, as the one who laid down your life on a cross for our sins so that we could be forgiven of our sins. All glory be to your name, our Savior and Lord.

And so we pray now: search our hearts, our minds, our motives, every facet of our lives, and open our eyes to the sin within us. And we pray that you would lead us by your Holy Spirit—by conviction from your Holy Spirit—to confess our sins now and to do this continually, that we might experience the wonder and the beauty of your forgiveness and your cleansing from all unrighteousness.

God, cleanse us; make us righteous; make us holy, we pray.

And God, we pray that you’d help us to share this good news with somebody around us today—that they can be forgiven of all their sins through faith in Jesus.

A Prayer for the Deshwali People

And God, we pray for the spread of this good news around the world. We pray for the Deshwali people of India—for 185,000 Deshwali men, women, and children. Please, God, may the good news of your faithfulness and justice in Jesus—to offer forgiveness of all sins, cleansing from all unrighteousness—reach the nations. God, we pray that the Deshwali people would experience the truth of 1 John 1:9.

We pray this in Jesus’ name, and we pray that you would lead us, even now, to confess our sins and experience your faithful justice to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Jesus’ name, amen.