Forgiveness
Is God a Liar?
Do you ever think you don’t deserve to have God forgive you?
Perhaps you worry that something you did was so bad that, even though you confessed and repented, God wouldn’t forgive you?
Are you still agonizing over sinful events in the past that you confessed, but still haunt you?
I’ve been there.
Repeat after me:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)
Our part
For this verse to apply to us, we have to be children of God. That is, we have to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and have received Him as Lord and Savior.
Then we have to confess.
Confession isn’t a throw away, casual, “I’m sorry.” Confession is agreeing with God that what we did was sinful. And sin is lawlessness, rebellion against the almighty, creator God.
God’s part
We confess to a faithful, righteous God. He is always faithful. He is always righteous.
He has promised, if we confess, to forgive us and to cleanse us.
He always keeps His promise.
But…But…
If we confess, God’s forgiveness comes from His faithfulness and His righteousness.
I think it helps to really grasp His promise when we realize He can righteously forgive us.
Christ died for us. When we believed, our status changed. We were seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Christ is in us. The Holy Spirit dwells in us.
Christ, justice, is now on our side. We are accepted in the beloved.
Is God a liar?
If we say we haven’t sinned, we make Him a liar. (1 John 1:10)
If we say we have confessed but He hasn’t forgiven us, we also make Him a liar. He promised and He always keeps His promises.
Review your worries in light of God’s faithfulness.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
~~~
Praise to our faithful and righteous God.
