God is Forgiving

Jesus finished His work on earth (John 17:4)—the result of giving His life as a sacrifice for sin. Today He has an "unfinished work" in heaven. He represents us before God's throne. As our High Priest, He sympathizes with our weaknesses and temptations and gives us grace (Heb. 4:15–16; 7:23–28). As our Advocate, He helps us when we sin. God forgives us when we confess our sins to God because of Christ's advocacy.

The Old Testament contains a beautiful picture of this. Joshua (Zech. 3:1–7) was the Jewish high priest after the Jews returned to their land following their Captivity in Babylon. (Don't confuse this Joshua with the Joshua who conquered the Promised Land.) The nation had sinned; to symbolize this, Joshua stood before God in filthy garments, and Satan stood at Joshua's right hand to accuse him (cf. Rev. 12:10). God the Father was the Judge; Joshua, representing the people, was the accused; Satan was the prosecuting attorney. (The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren.) It looked as if Satan had an open-and-shut case. But Joshua had an Advocate who stood at God's right hand, which changed the situation. Christ gave Joshua a change of garments and silenced the accusations of Satan.

This is what is in view when Jesus Christ is called our "Advocate." He represents believers before God's throne, and the merits of His sacrifice make possible the forgiveness of the believer's sin. Because Christ died for His people, He satisfied the justice of God. ("The wages of sin is death.”) Because He lives for us at God's right hand, He can apply His sacrifice to our daily needs.

He asks that we confess our sins when we have failed. What does it mean to "confess"? Well, confessing sins means much more than simply" admitting" them. Confess means "to say the same thing [about]." So to confess sin means to say the same thing about it that God says about it.

A counselor was trying to help a man who had come forward during an evangelistic meeting. "I'm a Christian," the man said, "but there's sin in my life, and I need help." The counselor showed him 1 John 1:9 and suggested that the man confess his sins to God. "O Father," the man began, "if we have done anything wrong—“ "Just a minute!" the counselor interrupted. "Don't drag me into your sin! My brother, it's not 'if' or 'we'—you'd better get down to business with God!” The counselor was right.

Confession is not praying a lovely prayer, making pious excuses, or trying to impress God and other Christians. True confession is naming sin—calling it by name what God calls it: envy, hatred, lust, deceit, or whatever it may be. Confession means being honest with ourselves and God, and if others are involved, being honest with them too. It is more than admitting sin. It means judging sin and facing it squarely.

When we confess our sins, God promises to forgive us (1 John 1:9). But this promise is not a "magic rabbit's foot" that makes it easy for us to disobey God!

"I went out and sinned," a student told his campus chaplain, "because I knew I could come back and ask God to forgive me.” "On what basis can God forgive you?" the chaplain asked, pointing to 1 John 1:9. "God is faithful and just," the boy replied. "Those two words should have kept you out of sin," the chaplain said. "Do you know what it costs God to forgive your sins?” The boy hung his head. "Jesus had to die for me.” Then the chaplain zeroed in. "That's right—forgiveness isn't some cheap sideshow trick God performs. God is faithful to His promise, and God is just because Christ died for your sins and paid the penalty for you. So now, the next time you plan to sin, remember that you will sin against a faithful, loving God!"

Of course, cleansing has two sides to it: the judicial and the personal. The blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross delivers us from the guilt of sin and gives us the right standing ("justification") before God. God can forgive because Jesus' death has satisfied His holy Law.

But God is also interested in cleansing a sinner inwardly. David prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps. 51:10). When our confession is sincere, God does a cleansing work (1 John 1:9) in our hearts by His Spirit and through His Word (John 15:3).

King David's great mistake was trying to cover his sins instead of confessing them. As a result, for perhaps a whole year, he lived in deceit and defeat. No wonder he wrote (Ps. 32:6) that a man should pray "in a time of finding out" (lit.).

When should we confess our sins? Immediately when we discover it! " The one who conceals his sins will not prosper,  but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy." (Prov. 28:13). By walking in the light, we can see the "dirt" in our lives and deal with it immediately.