The Lord is awe-inspiring, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in 1 John 1:8-10,
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
The apostle John makes the point that those who do not confess their sins are not truthful, they make God out to be a liar and that God’s “word has no place” in their lives. This is the second of a series of what we might call litmus tests to determine who is saved and who isn’t. Who is the genuine article when it comes to being a child of God and who is not. Who are false teachers and who are not. False teachers have infiltrated the ranks of believers in the church and are now attempting to draw the faithful away from apostolic teaching to themselves and John is providing the tests to expose them.
Embedded in this test is a wonderful promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” This brings to mind a passage in Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, Ephesians 2:1-9,
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
How wonderful is this! Although we were dead in our transgressions “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions”. Our God is faithful and just to forgive our sins as we confess them to him when we embrace his Son, Jesus Christ, in faith! Because the punishment we deserved was taken by him, God purifies us “from all unrighteousness”!
It is often these basic truths of the faith that get me excited when I think of our wonderful God!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your theme of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We’d love to hear from you!
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