As we confess in the Divine Service, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
Our greatest need is forgiveness of sins. Without forgiveness we would remain in our sin and we would be doomed to eternal perdition. Forgiveness has already been won and paid for by Jesus on the cross. Our only option truly is to refuse and reject Jesus’ forgiveness and we do this, refuse and reject when we refuse to admit and confess our sins. Indeed, if we believe we do not have any sin and therefore do not confess, then the sin we have remains on us and in us. As we are conceived and born in sin, as every intention of our heart is evil continually, our greatest need is forgiveness.
Jesus tells us that He is truth, thus to believe we have no sin means the truth, Jesus is not in us. If Jesus is not in us, then our sin remains and we do make Him out to be a liar because He tells us we are sinners. This deception has it roots in the Devil who is the father of lies and would convince us that we are without sin.
The good news is that as we confess and admit our sins, so our Lord forgives us our sins, all our sins. He casts our sins away as David tells us about the love of God the Father, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).
Confession is admitting and confessing our sins, those we know and feel in our hearts as well as those we fail to realize we have committed. And our confidence is this, that as we confess God is faithful and just and forgives us all our sin. And our response is to give Him thanks and praise and as we pray in the Lord’s Prayer to forgive those who sin against us. And with forgiveness we know is life, eternal life in heaven, and salvation.
21 of 52 © Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Bogs (2018)
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