The Scripture plainly states: “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:6-9).
Only God has the divine authority to forgive sins and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. The Christian’s allegiance is to God. “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
The Christian’s fellowship with the Lord begins the moment he comes to a knowledge of the truth and accepts Christ as his personal Savior.
Light and darkness will never coexist. Therefore, a person cannot claim to have fellowship with God and walk in darkness at the same time. The Scripture teaches, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). This means a person is either living in darkness or in the light.
“Whenever there is light,” writes Dr Charles Stanley, “the darkness scatters. Likewise, when we have a relationship with the Lord, sin cannot continue in our lives (Is. 6:5-7). We are reconciled to Him by the cleansing blood of Jesus, and we continue in our fellowship with Him when we acknowledge our transgressions, turn from our sin, and follow Him in righteousness (Gal. 5).” (Charles F Stanley Life Principles Bible p. 1532).
Without exception, every human being on the face of the earth has the sin nature which we were born with (Psalm 51:5). That’s why the Bible declares, “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23). Hence the Biblical text says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
We must be truthful and honest with God, because our fellowship with Him demands such. In response to our truthfulness and honesty, confession and forgiveness will take place. The text says, “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). God remains faithful and true to His word.
It is noteworthy that in First John 1, Scripture distinguishes between sin (singular, as in verse 8), and sins (plural, as in verse 9). The reason is sin refers to the sin nature man was born with. And sins refer to practice—the things we do that’s sinful and require confession to God.
What are the type of sins we commit? William MacDonald gives some insights. He writes: “In order for us to walk day by day in fellowship with God and with our fellow believers, we must confess our sins: sins of commission, sins of omission, sins of thought, sins of act, secret sins, and public sins. We must drag them out in the open before God, call them by their names, take sides with God against them and forsake them. Yes, true confession involves forsaking of sins: “He who covers his sins will not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Pro. 28:13)” (Believer’s Bible Commentary p. 2310 Thomas Nelson Publishers).
We have the gracious and merciful God, who is always willing to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And the Lord Jesus Christ “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). And the Bible also says, ”For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Confession is absolutely required to obtain God’s forgiveness; hence “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). When a person truly turns to God in genuine repentance and faith, God will definitely have mercy and forgive.
Confession means admitting or acknowledging that one is guilty of the sin. Here is Daniel’s confession to God: “To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belongs mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets” (Daniel 9:8-10).
There’s an old Scottish proverb that says, “confession is good for the soul.” This is absolutely true. Confession helps us get back on track and live the Christian life in obedience to God.
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, why not ask Him to come into your heart and save you by His grace, and enjoy His forgiveness for all your sins, failures, and shortcomings. The Bible says, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Christ came into the world to save sinners.