
The Reason We Are Forgiven // January 30, 2025
The Reason We Are Forgiven
Dear Church Family,
Hope this devotional thought blesses you—
Did you know Jesus does not forgive us because we confess our sins? That’s a confusion of 1 John 1.9. John writes that if we confess our sins, God is faithful unto us to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now a couple of verses before then (verse 7), he pinpoints exactly why we are forgiven. He says, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins.
Think of it this way, if you’re sick and you go to the doctor and you tell the doctor, “I am sick, here’s what’s wrong with me?” Does your telling the doctor that you’re sick lead to your healing? No, it’s just a necessary step in the process. If you stay home and you either don’t seek healing or if you stay home and you refuse to acknowledge that you’re sick, as sometimes men will do, then you’re not going to get well, you’re not going to get the necessary medicine that will lead to your healing.
Well, it’s kind of like that with our sin.
If we refuse to confess that we’re sick with sin, if we refuse to go to the doctor to receive the healing, well then we’re going to remain the same way that we are. So when we confess our sins, we are acknowledging our need, the fact that we have this sickness.
So acknowledging it doesn’t mean that that acknowledgement is going to then give us forgiveness. We acknowledge our sin, we confess our sins. And the reason we are forgiven is because of the blood of Jesus. Your confession of sins was not nailed to the cross, your acknowledgement of your sickness did not leave the tomb empty on that Sunday morning. No, you are acknowledging your sickness, and the reason you are forgiven is because of the One who hung on the cross, Jesus. You’re forgiven because He shed His blood for you. You’re forgiven because He left the tomb on Sunday morning.
That is why God forgives us completely for the sake of Jesus Christ. So absolutely, confess your sins. Don’t deny that reality. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you don’t have sin. Confess your sins. But don’t put your trust in your confession. Don’t put your trust in your acknowledgement that you’re sick. Put your trust in the Doctor who has the medicine. In other words, put your trust in Jesus, whose blood will cleanse and heal you. That is why you are forgiven.
Press On!