Read1 John 1:5-10
If we confess our sins, Heis faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from allunrighteousness. (v. 9)
Itis foolish to try and deceive God about your spiritual life!
Howeasy it is to try to pretend to ourselves and others that things are great inour spiritual life, when they really aren’t. But when we are dishonest withourselves and with God about our spiritual lives, it leads to our heartsbecoming hard.
Thispassage tells us that we can either walk in the darkness or in the light. Ittells us that if we walk in the darkness, we have zero chance of reallyfellowshipping with God, but if we walk in the light—confessing our sins, beingopen with God, ourselves and each other, not hiding our struggles—then we willhave fellowship with God and with one another, and we will find totalforgiveness and cleansing.
Yes,even as Christians we need forgiveness. Not the forgiveness of God as the judgedeclaring us “not guilty” and giving us eternal life. That forgiveness has beengranted once and for all when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. The kind offorgiveness we need today is the forgiveness a child needs when they havedisobeyed their loving father. They need to bring their disobedience into thelight and ask forgiveness and make the relationship joyful again.