Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt: Finding Security & Certainty in Christنموونە

When you were a little kid, do you remember feeling afraid to confess a wrongdoing to your parents or guardian? Or do you remember blaming your sibling, even though you were the one who did something wrong? Admitting and confessing our sins is not always easy. Having our sins exposed to someone, like a parent, can make us want to run and hide. But even though we may be able to hide our sin from our earthly parents, we can’t hide our sin from our Heavenly Father. He sees everything. But John gives us hope and peace when it comes to admitting and confessing our sins to the Lord by reminding us of God’s forgiveness.

Part of knowing that we are followers of Jesus involves the knowledge that we are sinners. John tells us in 1 John 1:8 that “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Though sin can be discouraging, acknowledging and admitting when we do wrong shows that our eyes have been opened to our sin. And the conviction we experience when we sin reveals that God has done a work in our hearts to give us understanding of the seriousness of sin and the desire to turn away from our sin.

So as followers of Christ, we can admit and confess our sins with peace. John writes this incredible truth in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If we are in Christ, we know that Christ has already forgiven us and cleansed us of our sin. So when we confess our sins to the Lord, we do not have to be afraid that God will not forgive us, because He has already done so through Christ. Therefore, we can openly confess our sins to the Lord, knowing that we will always be met with His forgiveness.

Reflect and Respond

How do you normally respond when you sin? How can God’s forgiveness comfort you when you sin and move you to confess to Him?