January 4
1 John 1.5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Yesterday we saw that Paul says Christ is faithful, even when we are unfaithful. Today we have John showing us that as we confess our sin, we are forgiven and justified by Christ. This should bring us all great comfort. Because we find that none of us have yet stopped sinning. We might even remember what Paul said in his first letter to Timothy:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.
Paul was still seeing himself with sin happening, well into his last missionary journey and into his imprisonment. And he didn’t say I was, the worst, he said I am the worst. Still active. Certainly using hyperbole, but we see the point between John and Paul. We take comfort in knowing that we can confess our sin and know that we are forgiven and made right with God in the grace of Jesus. Seeing his faithfulness and mercy intersect.
Take time to pray in confession, whether just for the day, or as we reflect on the past year. Knowing that we are forgiven in his unending grace.
Song – Amazing Grace
Prayer
Loving Father, we confess that sometimes we think we can do things all by ourselves and sometimes we are worried about things. We forget that you give us everything we have and that you make us who we are. Please forgive us for thinking about ourselves first. Please forgive us for not trusting you to take care of us. Thank you for always loving us even when we forget that we need you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.