Do you need to confess your sins to God in order for God to forgive you? In other words, if you confess you sins to God he will forgive you, but if you don't, he won't? Or does 1 John 1:9 have a completely different meaning and purpose? Listen in as Mike and Kevin discuss the single most misunderstood verse in the New Testatment.

Transcript:

Want to discover your freedom in Christ, then listen in as Mike Stone and Kevin Smith talk about it today on Grace Coach. Welcome to Grace Coach. This is Kevin Smith and I got our cohost. Hello, Mike Stone. Welcome, Mike. Hello, Kevin. This is going to be a great podcast to talk about one John one nine, which is used by many Christians to say that they need to confess their sins in order for God to forgive them. Yes, it is definitely a huge line of thinking in the Christian world today. And we are going to talk about how we see it and how we think the Bible speaks to the truth of this very powerful verse. This one verse, one John one nine is basically the huge verse that much of this belief is talked about. So what exactly is the belief that? What is the issue that we're talking about here, Mike on first John one nine? Well, it really comes down to Kevin reading scriptures in context because like you said, that this one verse has really confused Christians with their understanding of forgiveness. And when you're constantly asking God to forgive you over and over again after every sin and I mean, how many times a day we're not just talking about the top ten in the dirty dozen. We have worry. We have coveted. We have just a list of things that we do or think of in the day. And if we're constantly asking God to forgive us in order to get forgiven, well, I think there's something wrong with that. We can never rest in the fact that we are forgiven. Children of God. Exactly. You hit the key point. What if you forget some we send so many times and do we think that God is just going to let the few ones that we forget about asking forgiveness for slide? Is that what it is? Oh, well, you had amnesia on that sin that you committed 5 million times and didn't ask for forgiveness for. Is that God's accounting? I don't think so. I think God has a better accounting system than that. And that was the system in the old Covenant Covenant that Israel had a system and it was given by God where they offered a Bull and goat once a year, and it was to not take away sin. It was to cover sins from year to year. Problem is, once that happened, once that sacrifice happened, they had the sins of the next hour or the sins of the next day. And so that was not a complete system, but it was the only system at the time. Yes. Jesus had not come into the world yet to take away the sins of the world. No, he hasn't. That's really I love how John starts this book out similar to the gospel of John. Very similar. If you've noticed that I'll read the first verse or two, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands concerning the word of life. The life was made manifest, and we have seen it and testified to it and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us. It's just like we saw Jesus in the flesh. We touched him. He was a real person, God in the flesh, God incarnate. Yeah. And that's exactly what the problem was. There was Gnosticism in those days, which is Christian Science today. It's the same belief system as what was called Gnosticism. And what John was addressing was that the Gnostic said that Jesus neither was fully God, and he did not come in the flesh. Well, here's John is writing, we've seen them, we've touched them, we've heard of him. Right. And that was the answer to Gnosticism. Kevin, the key question first John, chapter one is who is first John, chapter one written to is it written to believers or to unbelievers? And just with you reading those first four verses in first John, that tells me that John is writing to Gnostics or unbelievers in that day. So what made you say that from what those first two verses? Well, just because the Gnostics were saying that Jesus didn't come in the flesh, saying, well, we've seen him, we have heard him, we've touched him, and this we proclaim concerning the word of life. But then if we go on to these verses first John, 1819 and 110, I think this comes out much more clearly before we do that. Let me finish up here, because this is really key to this verse three, it says that which we have seen and heard. We proclaim also to you so that you may have fellowship with us single. So he's making a distinction there. He's saying you and us. All right. We want you that don't believe what we believe, to believe what we believe so that you may have fellowship with us. And then the concluding part of the verse four says so that our joy may be made complete. So John's heart, he wants these people who are not seeing Jesus for who he was, God in the flesh from heaven incarnate. And he wanted them to see it the way he sees it, so that they could have fellowship with them. And I don't know if we're going to get into it, but in the next chapter or two, it says they were not part of us because they went out from us. So it is all over the book of first John. It's an evangelistic appeal. Absolutely. It's an evangelistic appeal to non believers. This is not written. So you can go on to verse seven, eight, nine, because that's really the heart of our thing. But if you read this thing with that context, if you make that distinction, who is it written to, believers or non believers? That's right. And that will determine what you understand when you come to one John one nine. But let's read one John one eight. It says, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Now, let me ask you a few questions. Would a Christian ever claim to be without sin? No. That's actually the first thing you need to do in order to become a Christian is to admit that you are sinner, separated from God, that there is sin between you and God, and that you sin. That's right. Both. And so, yes, if you are saying in you don't have sin, there's a problem. We're saying that we're not spiritually dead in need of life, and we're deceiving ourselves, which is exactly what it says in one John one eight. And catch this. And the truth, who is Jesus is not in us, right? Yeah. So when you become born again and you ask Christ to come in your life, what happens is that Jesus comes to live inside of you, the Spirit of God comes to live inside of you and you are born again. And at that point, the truth, Jesus, the Spirit of God, all the same thing is now in you. But here one John one eight is saying, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourself and the truth is not in us. That's right. So, again, just touching back on this narcissism. It's a belief that human beings contain a peace of God, the highest good, or a divine spark within themselves, and that you have to just through knowledge, uncover this divine spark within you. So if that is your belief, then you don't need Jesus, right? You do not. You're already there divinity within yourself, and you're buying into that belief system, which if you study the New Age movement, that is a pervasive new Age thought, that we're all good and we all have this divinity within ourselves, you don't need Jesus. That's right. All right. Let's read One John 110. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar. And his word is not in us. So is this a bornagain Christian again? Does a born again Christian claim we have not sent? Absolutely not. It's a lost person who claims to be without sin. As one John one a says, and now in one John 110, same thing. If we claim we have not sinned, it's saying the same thing. And what happens? We make him, Jesus, out to be a liar. Right. You're saying you don't believe him. He says, I have come to give you life and life to the full. And you're saying, no, you're a liar. That is not true. I already have a life. I don't need you. And then it says in his word is not in us. And when you said that, this sounds like one John. One sounds like John. Well, it's the same guy, of course. But what does John one say in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with us and the Word came from God and so on and so forth. And the Word was God, the word of God that we read the Bible, these scriptures, it is God. It is Jesus. And that's why they're so powerful. Yeah. That's why they're so living and active. Yeah. There's a book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is living, inactive, sharper than a two edged sword. But his word is not in you. Jesus again is not living in you. If we say we have not sinned and that again is a lost person. Now let's go and read what's in between one eight and 110, which has confused the entire Christian world with whether they're forgiven or not. And let's read One John one nine. Do you want to read that, Kevin? Sure. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So let's read that in the context of one John 118 110, where if we claim we're claiming something, we're confessing something. Well, on the other hand, if we claim that we do have sin or agree with God because that's what this confess means here. You're just agreeing with God that you do sin, that you came into this world dead in your sins. Right? This is the answer to One John one eight and ten. Absolutely. He is faithful and just. And the problem is this will verse because here's this giant conditional thing that if I confess, he will forgive me. But really the Greek is that he has forgiven us our sins and purifies us from all unrighteousness. So it's just a problem with misunderstanding context here, which is the most powerful thing in a letter. How can you just pull out a verse and build your belief system on it? But yet unfortunately, many Christians have done that and it keeps them from ever knowing what they have. Kevin. They never know that God was in Christ reconciling the world, not counting your sins against you. Yeah. It is really sad how many pastors, they are able to talk about God's Grace, talk about relationship with him in a very clear way. But then they come to this part of the forgiveness piece and it seems like they don't have any understanding of what they just said before when they go to this forgiveness of your sins. It's a roller coaster ride. If you are on this track of first John 119 in it and your relationship with God, it's not a settled matter for you if this is your mode of operandi. Yeah. Not a good way to live the Christian life. It's finished. Jesus said it is finished. And you got to look at so many of the other verses in the Bible that talks about forget in the past tense that we are children of God, forgiven for all of our sins. And then it's a done deal. So you can't be forgiven of all of your sins and have to get the first time one nine bar soap out and try to wash up after every day. Oh, my gosh. I could tell you story after story of my journey with this with pastors of churches and just praying together. And just as single guys, we're sitting wailing about our sins of the day and asking God for our forgiveness. And just it was a roller coaster of a Christian life that we hope that people come to the understanding and are able to really see this verse for what it is. Yeah. And it's a Salvation passage, Kevin. This is not a passage that teaches a Christian to ask God to forgive you, and then he will because if you don't, he won't. Right. It goes both ways. Yeah. But this is a Salvation passage. It's answering John first John one eight and 110. Right. Read second John, which again, same guy, John, chapter one, verse one and two. Now listen to this to the elder, to the lady chosen by God and her children, whom I love and the truth, and not only I but also all who know the truth because of the truth which lives in us and will be with us forever. Now, if one John 110 is to a believer, he wouldn't say and the word or one John one eight is to a believer, he would not say the truth is not in us or in one John 110, he would not say the word is not in us and then contradict himself in second John, chapter one, one and two, where he says, because of the truth which lives in us and will be with us forever. Amen. You cannot just take one verse of scripture and build your theology on it. Right. You need to read and read and read. For a Christian to stay in the new Covenant and find out what you have in Christ, you will really be able to rest. And I know for me, Kevin, when I had to test this because in my early Christian days, I was doing this, too. I was asking God to forgive me after every sin. And I was like out of breath. And I was depressed. And I'm like, why did I even become a Christian? I'm more depressed now than I ever was. Amen to that. But when I came to this understanding, which I heard on talk radio, a Christian Colin talk show called People to People, and I heard that I was a forgiven person and that I am forgiven, that God took away my sins, he forgave all of our sins. The weight came off my shoulder and I stopped asking God and I started thanking him for taking away my sins. And that actually changes you. Amen. It changes you from the inside out. Yes, it does. And I know you went through the same thing. Yes, I did for many years of a roller coaster ride until when I met you and we started studying the word together. So, yeah, we just pray that people will come to understand First John one nine as what it is that John's heart to these people who were unbelievers not in the Church. They were not part of us. They were not in the Church. They went away from us in the Church. We don't know who exactly did was, but some of them went away from them in the second chapter of First John. So it was definitely an evangelistic appeal by John to these people who did not understand the truth. And that's our appeal to everybody that's listening to this podcast that if you've never accepted Jesus Christ and the work he's done, admit to God that you are separated from him because of sin. The sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, that separated all of mankind from God. There is a separation that exists. There's a Gulf, okay, that exists between you and God. And the only way to bridge that Gulf is not by doing good works and trying to be a good person, but it's by the work of Jesus Christ and just believing and receiving what Jesus Christ on the cross. And then you will know that you have the truth and the truth will set you free. Amen. And that's certainly what the word of God does. It sets you free. So I encourage the listeners to start testing the word of God. Read some passages in Hebrews about your complete forgiveness in God. Ephesians 432 Hebrews 727 Hebrews 926 Hebrews ten two Hebrews 1012 Read these verses test the word of God. And when you sin, rather than asking God to do what he's already done 2021 years ago, try thanking him for taking away your sins. And we'd love to hear back from you about how that went for you. Yes, friends, think of it as a sanctuary. Think of it as a temple, because God says our bodies are the temple of God. He is living inside of us. And it is a beautiful picture to be able to just as Mike just said, instead of having to dredge up all this guilt and shame and discord, but just to be able to thank God that the job is already done, the forgiveness is already done, and that we are as good as we're ever going to be in God's eyes, to us. He sees us as his beloved children. Are we going to mess up? Are we going to sin? Absolutely. But he's already taken that into account and it's all in Christ. Amen. Great show today, Kevin. Thank you for listening to Grace Coach. If you want to connect with us, we would love to to engage with you, email us at thegracecoach@gmail.com visit our Facebook page or visit our website gracecoach.org.