1st John 1:8-10 CONFESSION There are two conditions that are important to maintaining fellowship with God and those who walk in the light. One is there is a standard of life and conduct to which we must conform. We must "walk in the light as He is in the light." The second is when we sin confession of sin must be real, sincere and specific. There is a false fellowship that is evident when one walks in darkness. We can say what we want, but the reality is seen when we do not live in the light of the truth. There is also a false holiness that people claim to have when they say they do not have a sinful nature. And there is also a false righteousness that denies their conduct has any sin in it at all.
The principle of sin still remains with us. "Sinless perfection" is actually self-deception when it is claimed by mortal men. The Gnostics claimed the soul is freed from sinful flesh. To say that anyone has no natural tendency toward sin and so we are incapable of sinning is a lie. Many people refuse to take sin seriously, so they deny that the standards of divine righteousness as taught by the law of God even applies to them. "If everyone does it, it's got to be okay." Both the root of sin (the sin principle) and the practice of particular sins (the fruit) break fellowship with God when we deny their existence or try to hide or ignore it as inconsequential. False fellowship [v.6], false holiness [v.8], and false righteousness [v.10] are countered by facing the principle of sin [v.8], the particular sins we commit [v.10], and the personal sins [v.10] that we may think are hidden.
To deal with this sin problem we face daily, we need to understand what confession of sin really means. This is not some formula designed by a church in which a person makes confession to another person and is declared by that person to be forgiven. Confession of sin takes us to the only Person who can forgive sins and provide the needed cleansing. To rationalize the sin problem by saying, "I have sinned," is not confession of sin. That is simply stating a fact. True confession means I recognize the sin problem for what it is, and agree with God as to the sinfulness of sin. I will repent of that sin in a specific way and in specific words - and forsake it. It is impossible for us to realize how serious sin is because we cannot see it through God's eyes. However, our new nature will convict us and move us to act in order to regain the joy of true fellowship with God.
Justice has been served when it provided our acceptance by God. Joy and fellowship are another matter. The barrier between our Father and His child is real until we allow God to acts as a father toward us. He does not grudgingly grant forgiveness when sin is confessed, but delights to forgive so that unhindered fellowship can be restored. Not only does He forgive us in a faithful and just way, but "cleanses." purifies and purges from all unrighteousness. The cause of hindered fellowship because of sinful actions must be removed and no longer allowed. When we recognize out weakness, our faults and our shortcomings, our Father draws us to Himself. He knows who we are and what we are. After all, He is our Father. Our biggest need is to face what we are and admit our need of Him and His strength to overcome sin.
When we lie to others [v.6] we fail the test of fellowship. When we lie to ourselves [v.8] we fail the test of nature. When we lie to God [v.10] we fail the test of actions. We lose the blessing of the word of God when we stop doing the truth. When truth is not in us and truth is turned into lies, we lose fellowship with God's people and God Himself. Prayer becomes empty, worship is dull and one becomes critical in spirit. When sin is not confessed, we will actually lose a certain part of our character and reputation.
The light of God and His word exposes sin. The indwelling Spirit of God awakens the conscience when we face sin and ourselves honestly. If we think we fool others by saying we have not sinned, that makes us appear more foolish ourselves. People who know us can see for themselves what we are like. Our fellowship and joy in the Lord can be real when we nurture our relationship with God by honest confession and forsaking of sin. By agreeing with God as to what sin is and what we have done, and being open about it, we will recognize our tendency to sin and need of God to keep us from sin. How thankful we are for His gracious forgiveness.