If We Confess: Gospel Today Devotional - 10th April, 2022

Blessed be the Lord who indeed has been our help and strength. It is my belief that the book of 1 John has been so very enlightening with quite a number of lessons to learn from it, isn't it? Trust you have been blessed even as I have been blessed? If you noticed, we have been considering the book of 1 John chapter one and in our study today, we shall be looking at the concluding verses. Hallelujah!

Let me quickly paint a picture for you to see so as to explain the lesson for today. If one is brought before a judge in a law court with all evidences pointing to the fact that such a person is guilty, and if asked if he is guilty or not by the judge and he says no, will you still say such a person is saying the truth? The answer is no, right? This may be due to the fact that such a one isn't remorseful such that he is unwilling to admit his offence, don't you agree?

Would anything change if the person agrees to the fact that he is guilty? Will the judge be merciful enough to forgive such a one such that he is declared not guilty and acquitted? Well, it depends as sometimes it may or may not go in the favour of the accused. Don't you think however that one who has realised his mistake and admitted it should be forgiven? Let's see the passage of scripture below,

"If we say that 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. [10] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" ( 1 John 1:8-10).

Yesterday, we learnt that the proof of our fellowship with God is that we walk in the light even as he is in the light, isn't it? And that the result of this fellowship is that the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sins, right? Would it then be true if we are convicted of our wrongs and we say that we haven't done anything wrong? No, right? How then shall we confess to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ if we say that we have done no wrong? If we deny the sins we commit being made known to us as a result of the fellowship we have with him (God), do we not deceive ourselves? Is the truth therefore in us?

Another thing to note is that unlike the judge in a law court who may sometimes decide to show mercy and sometimes not, we must understand that God is different. He is not one we should deny being guilty from because he is faithful and just to forgive. This therefore is to show to us that God is not someone we should run away from when we err. If we would confess our sins before him, in other words, if we admit to him that we are wrong having being convicted of him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The aim of the believer here is not to get saved again but to have a right standing before God. It is such that he can have a heart void of offence toward God ensuring his fellowship with God is not tampered with. He need not bear the guilt but confess before the Lord. As believers, we don't confess to be saved but that we may always stand right before him, we must constantly check ourselves and admit our faults when we are convicted of him. If we say again that we have not sinned, even after we have been convicted of it, it means that we lie (which of course is true), and the word of God is not in us because if it truly is, we would confess our sins before him. The Lord cause his word to dwell richly in our hearts. Amen.

Thought for the day: It is not a sign of weakness to admit your faults before God and tell him you're sorry when he convicts you of a particular thing by his Spirit. It only shows that your relationship with him is healthy and you want to please him with your life.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].