1Jn_1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This verse may be one
of the most misquoted, misunderstood and misapplied verses in the New Testament.
Why? I believe in large part due to the lingering effect within protestant
churchs of the teaching on confession by the Roman Catholic Church.
Of course our
desire to earn our own salvation and God's love and our aversion to admitting we
need God's solution to our rebellion, also feeds into this.
In considering this question of confession, we must ask and answer whether Christ's forgiveness is based on the
work of Christ or on some work we must do such as confession of sins.
I would suggest the
misunderstanding is primarily a matter of hermeneutics.
Instead of
extracting from this verse what the author meant (exegesis) we tend to
read into it what we believe (eisegesis) beforehand. To clearly
understand this verse we must understand the context of this entire letter as well as the immediate
context and also the rest of scripture.
John opens the book talking about Jesus. Who he is and John's first hand experience of seeing, hearing, touching and living with Christ while he was on earth.
The Word of Life
1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have
touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have
seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with
the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed
our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that
our joy may be complete.
John's desire in writing this letter is that his readers would come to know Jesus as John does, " ...so that
you too may have fellowship with us..." and "so that our
joy may be complete..."
John not only desires his
readers are sure of their salvation but that he is also sure of their salvation so he may find joy and assurance in knowing and having fellowship with them. In
short his desire is to help his readers be sure they truly know Christ.
He also restates this
objective in conclusion near the end of the book...
1Jn 5:13 I write these things to you who believe
in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal
life.
When you read everything in
between these opening and closing statements, John repeatedly goes on to give
ways one can know if they are truly believers or not. There are several
"if...then" scenarios John lists throughout the book indicating what a true believer looks like, how do we know if we are one and what to do if we
are not.
1Jn_2:4 Whoever
says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is
a liar, and the truth is not in him,
1Jn_2:5 but whoever
keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know
that we are in him:
1Jn_2:6 whoever
says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1Jn_2:9 Whoever
says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
1Jn_2:10 Whoever
loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for
stumbling.
1Jn_2:11 But whoever
hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not
know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
1Jn_2:17 And the world is passing away along with
its desires, but whoever does the will
of God abides forever.
1Jn_2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father
also.
1Jn_3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous,
as he is righteous.
1Jn_3:8 Whoever
makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works
of the devil.
1Jn_3:10 By this it is evident who are the children
of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever
does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love
his brother.
1Jn_3:14 We know that we have passed out of death
into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever
does not love abides in death.
1Jn_3:24 Whoever
keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that
he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1Jn_4:6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever
is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and
the spirit of error.
1Jn_4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love
is from God, and whoever loves has been
born of God and knows God.
1Jn_4:15 Whoever
confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1Jn_4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the
love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever
abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
1Jn_4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love
casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1Jn_4:21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
1Jn_5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the
Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
1Jn_5:10 Whoever
believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a
liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne
concerning his Son.
1Jn_5:12 Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not
have the Son of God does not have life.
The point being this letter is
not only to believers. In fact in great part it is seeking to help his readers
determine whether they are true believers or not and how they can know for sure.
So given this context, what
exactly is 1 Jn 1:9 telling us?
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This is one of several
"if...then" scenarios John gives in the opening part of his letter in regards to his objective of helping them to know they are true believers. He gives some preliminary scenarios on how to do so i.e. if we say or do
this, then this is what it says about us and what we need to do about it.
1Jn_1:6 If we
say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth.
1Jn_1:7 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 cleanses us from all sin.
1Jn_1:8 If we
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn_1:9 If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn_1:10 If we
say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We will come back to
these verses shortly.
After going through this introduction John lays out that the basis for our forgiveness in I John 2:1 which clearly says the work of Christ alone is how
and why we are forgiven.
1Jn 2:1 My little children, I am writing
these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He (alone) is the propitiation for our
sins...
Propitiation is simply another word for
atonement.
G2434 ἱλασμός hilasmos hil-as-mos'
atonement, that is,
(concretely) an expiator: - propitiation.
atonement:
1.
Satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.
2.
Theology. the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind,
especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ.
You will also note unlike the opening section, he starts out chapter 2 calling his readers "little children" suggesting what he's about to say is for true believers. Whereas the first chapter he's clearly attempting to convince those who are not believers why they should be, how they may not be and some ways to reassure them if they are.
In the first chapter he points out that acknowledging we are
sinners i.e. recognizing our sin, is the basis for entry into Christ's
forgiveness. This is what 1:9 is clearly telling us. It is not the basis for
ongoing forgiveness of a believer. That is addressed in the following chapter in 2:1-2 (it is also hinted at in 1:7 which we will look at more closely shortly).
Is confession important
On the matter of confession in general, it is not whether there is value in confessing/ acknowledging/repenting of our sins. Of course there is. This passage is our proof. We are also are encouraged in James 5:16 to confess our sins to one another. However outside this passage in question we don't see anywhere in the NT (and or even in the OT ) that we are told to confess our sins to God as a matter of obtaining ongoing forgiveness. This may be a shock to some. If so, I encourage you to dig into to scripture and see for yourself.
The question is on what does God base the forgiveness of our ongoing sins; the work of
Christ or on our "confession of sins." Using 1 John 1:9 to promote
the suggestion that our sins are not forgiven as God's children until confessed to God, not only does not fit the *context of I John itself but the entirety of scripture.
As true believers we must acknowledge our sins i.e. clearly admitting when and where we commit them and
turn from them in order to participate in and experience all God has for our advancement in our walk with God but not in order to be forgiven. Admitting where we blow it is for our benefit and that of others, not for God's. He's already forgiven us entirely (for sin's past, present and future) in Christ because all that is necessary to do so has already been done.
Verbal consent or true repentance
True confession (actually it would be more correct to say true repentance) includes not simply
admitting we sin but a full turning away from it, not merely verbally acknowledging
our sin. If there is no turning away (repentance) we are not truly recognizing our sin for what it is. Turning away from sin (i.e. rebellious distrust of God) is the point of true confession by a believer. Forgiveness
is not.
Simple verbal
admission of sin is actually harmful if we believe it's the grounds for a
our forgiveness or the goal of our confession. The goal of confession in this approach becomes
forgiveness only. Once we have confessed, mission accomplished...our sins are
now forgiven (or so we are told by some). Nothing else needs to be done. This allows us to not truly
address our disobedience and turn away from it (but rather an excuse to avoid it) since our obedience is not the goal of
this kind of confession, only forgiveness is... or so we think.
True confession (repentance) for the
believer is turning away from sin, not just admitting we have sinned. For the
unbeliever however admitting they are sinners who have sinned is an absolute prerequisite
to receiving forgiveness. Hence John's comments in 1:8-9.
1Jn_1:8 If we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we do, we are
promised he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse of from all
unrighteous. Why? Because in 2:1-2 we are told Christ is the basis of that
forgiveness. Confession is merely the means by which forgiveness comes to the unbeliever, not the
cause of it, even for the unbeliever.
Verses 7 - 10 are scenarios of if you are a believer or nonbeliever. The point is he is giving
hypothetical examples of what needs to happen if a particular problem presents
itself. John tells us if we claim to be a believer but do certain things,
we simply are not.
1Jn_1:6 If we say we have
fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the
truth.
1Jn_1:7 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 cleanses us from all sin.
Walking in the light (vs 6) is clearly
a reference to believers in contrast to unbelievers who walk in darkness (vs 7). Note that confession plays no role in the blood of Jesus cleansing those who walk in the
light from sin. It is ongoing merely by virtue of them being (walking) "in the light." This simply means they are believers in contrast to an unbeliever. In fact this is the only reference to a believer in these opening "if/than" scenarios. But only to make a point of contrast to the unbeliever.
If we walk in disobedience to
Christ (walk in darkness) we are not truly believers (we lie) but if we are a
believer, our walk will be characterized by faithful pursuit of God (walking in the light).
We will also love being with other believers (i.e. "...have fellowship with one another..."). And since forgiveness is based on the blood of Christ, it covers whatever sins we do commit ("...the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us [present continuous action in the Greek] from all sin..."). Being a Christian
doesn't mean we are sinless/perfect, it means we are forgiven ("it is finished" and not because of our efforts) and we therefore desire and seek to be
faithful.
1Jn_1:8 If we say we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn_1:9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
If we think we do not have a
sin issue, we are deceived. However if we admit (confess) that we do, he is
faithful to forgive our sins because of the work of Christ on our behalf (vs
2:1), not our work or confession.
1Jn_1:10 If we say we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If we deny we have a
sin issue, this is evidence we do not know him at all. Being aware of our sin
is actually evidence we know him. Again one of several "markers"
given by John to help his readers know if they are true believers or not.
So as you look closely at the context of chapter 1 it becomes clear he is appealing primarily to nonbelievers in these early verses.
In conclusion, based on
the context of the book of John, the common explanation that ongoing
forgiveness of the believer requires our confession simply doesn't fit the context of the book and is poor
hermeneutics.
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Loving parents don't chide their child when they take their first steps only
to fall down again and again. No, they applaud their child for every successful
step they make and encourage them to get up and try again and keep trying until
they are great at it. 
