”If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.” I John 1:8; 10
Two things happen when we are dishonest about our sin - We deceive ourselves and we call God a liar. One of the dangers of deception is the longer we follow the lie, the further from truth we become. The fact is, we all have, and do sin, and we have fallen short of God’s standard - His holiness. To deny this means God’s Word (truth) doesn’t dwell in our life and we are, in truth, living a lie. This is where many in the world find themselves. Not us - we have chosen the grace and mercy of our Father, believing:
HE IS FORGIVING…
”…The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34:6-7
This is how God defines Himself to Moses. One who is quite generous with a people who are stingy, selfish and sinful. He is full of mercy and grace even though we deserve neither. He is slow to anger (patient), He is faithful and maintains His love for us, mostly because we are not able to maintain our love for Him. God sums up His character by telling Moses He is forgiving. And if He were not forgiving, none of these descriptions of Himself would even be possible. What we do, or do not do, does not change who He is. He is God, He is perfect.
…AND ALSO FAITHFUL.
”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
Because God is perfect and describes Himself as forgiving, He is flawless in His faithfulness to forgive. In truth, God forgave every sin when Jesus died on the cross. All the sin committed before Jesus came, was considered covered, because He was coming. The sins committed after Jesus, were paid in full because He came. They were all (past & present) paid for in one lump sum. All we need to do now is confess our sin and then just ask for His covering. Jesus did His part by being faithful. Our part, because we’ve been unfaithful, is to seek His forgiveness.
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