“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9)
One of God’s most wonderful attributes is His faithfulness. Unlike man, God never fails to do what He says He will do. The Bible is full of examples of GOD’s promises to man, each one designed for God’s glory and man’s best good and happiness.
After an elderly Christian lady passed away, her children and grand-children gathered in her house. They found her Bible in her room. The old woman had never been without her old copy of God’s Word while she was alive. When her children and grandchildren opened it up, they found it was marked all over with these two little letters:
T. P.
At first, the woman’s family could not figure out what all the “T”s and “P”s could mean. They were written there, in her careful handwriting, next to so many verses!. But then, in the back page of her Bible, they finally found an explanation for them: “T” stood for “Tested” and “P” stood for “Proved.”
Slowly, the children and grandchildren of the woman began to understand what had happened. Over the years, this Christian lady had been “testing” and “proving” the promises of God. She had been reading verses, learning about the kind of God Who would write such promises, and then she would claim them in her life. She would read something like “But my God shall supply all your need” and she would pray about her needs based on that promise. Over and over again, year after year, this dear lady had put God’s promises “to the test.” And year after year, over and over again, God’s Word had “proven itself” to be faithful and true.
One of God’s greatest desires ever since He created human beings is that they would learn to trust His Word. Our unbelief is a great sadness to Him. God is faithful, which means we can put our faith in Him. We can trust Him, because His Word is true, tested and proved over and over again. Even when we cannot understand God’s thoughts and actions, we can trust Him that He knows what He is doing. Other human beings, even the greatest and strongest ones, will have to let you down sometimes. God is the One Person most worthy of our trust. Because God is faithful, we can be full of faith in Him.
In 1 John 1:9, God is inviting us to confess our sins, because they separate us (keep us apart) from Him. God promises that if we will confess (agree with Him about) our sins, then He is faithful and just (righteous, perfectly able) to forgive us of those sins and cleanse us from all our sinfulness and shortcomings. The Bible is full of examples of awful sinners (sinners who were just as we are). These sinful men and women tested this promise of God and found that it proved true for them in their lives. David was one of those sinful men. David committed adultery, lying, and murder. Even though those were serious sins against an infinite God, God was still able to wash them away. God keeps His Word. He is faithful to His Word, and He is faithful to us. We can trust that His mercy and love are great enough to cleanse us from all our sins and guilt.
God, Who is faithful, invites us to trust His promise to forgive our sins.
My Response:
» Have I ever done something that I regret so much that I wonder whether God could really forgive me of it?
» Is God ABLE to wash away my sins when I confess them to Him?
» Is God WILLING to wash away my sins when I confess them to Him?
» Is God WAITING to wash away my sins when I confess them to Him?
» What is keeping me from confessing my sins and shortcomings to God right now?