by Ronnie Hewitt
1John 1:5-10 “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.”
Right in the middle of this passage is a beautiful promise, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (vs. 7). And then in vs. 9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Just pause and let those verses sink in… really go ahead, I’ll wait.
God’s promise is total forgiveness. This promise is for you and me. So why is it we tend to hold on to the guilt of what has already been forgiven? I wonder if it’s because we don’t truly understand His grace. Because of His love for us, He is extending to us something we absolutely do not deserve. That is sometimes hard to believe and accept. That He would love us and cleanse us the way He does is hard to accept.
But here’s the beautiful part of this: There is no stain, made by sin, that is so deep that the blood of Christ cannot take it entirely away from the soul. And let’s face it, Satan is constantly telling us, “It simply doesn’t make any sense. Why would God love you, a sinner?” We have got to stop listening to someone who is already lost, because all he wants to do is to enslave us.
If we could ever get to the point of realizing that God’s love transcends our understanding, and that our sins can be forgiven, this could be very freeing to our souls. All of this is possible because of the One promising it. God is faithful (vs. 9), all is forgiven. I pray that you will ponder these verses some more, and really consider what is God is wanting to do in your life. Your transformation and restoration are possible.