Devotions on 1 John 1:5-2:2—If We Confess Our Sins
Monday—If We Confess Our Sin
“God is light and in him there is no darkness” (1 John 1:5).
Abe sat in the dark, quiet solitude of the early morning, facing East. As he watched the blackness of the night sky took on shades of purple and then of dark blue. The shades turned in to tints. Rusts, oranges and then turquoise slowly appeared. The stars and the darkness retreated as the sky continued to lighten. Suddenly the first rays of the sun peaked over the horizon. The night was in full retreat, leaving only shadows where darkness once roamed freely. As Abe watched the sun continue to rise until it ruled the sky and no shadows remained.
Abe repeated the words that he had memorized as a young boy, “God is light and in him there is no darkness. As the light of the sun had conquered the tyranny of darkness, so God’s light would overpower and annihilate the world’s darkness. Abe took a sip of coffee and stood renewed in his determination to have God’s light shine through him that day lighten the darkness around him.
“Shine Jesus shine, fill this land with the Father’s glory.” Amen. (Graham Kendrick, 1987)
Tuesday—If We Confess Our Sins
“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie” (1 John 1:6).
Jose and Carlotta were concerned about their daughter, Bonita. They knew that Bonita’s mid-teen years were a formative period of her life. Their influence on her would wane while the influence of Bonita’s friends and peers would wax. Jose and Carlotta wanted Bonita to choose good friends who would have a positive impact on her life and not lead her astray. Jose and Carlotta decided to have a cookout and invite Bonita’s friends and their families, so that they could get to know each other better. The cookout went well and it was a lot of fun for everyone. During their interaction with the families, Jose and Carlotta were impressed by Bonita’s friends—their attitudes, skills and accomplishments. Their concerns were eased when they realized that their daughter would develop many similar qualities in her life.
While we journey through life in fellowship with the Lord, the Holy Spirit is moving within us, molding and shaping us into God’s image. Our lives begin to produce the “fruit of the Spirit—love, joy peace, patience, kindness, gentleness” and other such qualities (Galatians 5:22-23). God’s characteristics of love, grace and forgiveness become more evident in our lives. Sharing the characteristics of the God, with whom we fellowship, is the natural result of such fellowship. Darkness has no part of our lives when we walk with the God of light.
Thank you, Lord, that your Spirit is shaping us into your image and enabling your light to shine through us more brightly. Amen.
Wednesday–If We Confess Our Sins
“If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7).
Millard Fuller is the founder of Habitat for Humanity, an organization of volunteers whose mission statement says that it seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Habitat for Humanity has built tens of thousands of homes in communities across the world. During the several decades of its existence, Millard Fuller has observed what he calls “The Theology of the Hammer.” People come together on a “build” from different Christian backgrounds. They are separated by different Biblical teachings, theological doctrines and religious experiences. When people work on a build together, though, the barriers that these differences have erected are knocked down. The volunteers discover their likenesses, downplay their differences and experience true Christian fellowship.
The fellowship that we have with God expands when we join with others in sharing God’s love and grace through service. We are able to celebrate that we are all God’s children and rejoice in the fact that makes us family.
Lord, thank you for the gift of our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we can have true fellowship. Amen.
Thursday–If We Confess Our Sins
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8).
The first impression that people received of Tariq was that he was a proud and egotistical man. It was a facade, however. In reality, Tariq struggled with his self-worth. He had convinced himself that people would reject him if they ever saw his flaws and discovered who he really was. Tariq’s fear of rejection prevented him from ever admitting he was wrong or that he had “sinned.” During the time of confession in a worship service, Tariq would remain silent with his thoughts far removed. He couldn’t risk that God would find out what he had done and reject Tariq.
Tariq forgot that the God we worship is not a vengeful God, but rather a God of steadfast love and unconditional forgiveness. God will never reject us or punish us. Fooling ourselves into believing that we are sinless, or refusing to confess our sin does not nurture our relationship with God, but rather harms it. The Lord is always ready to forgive and to enable God’s forgiveness to provide us with guiltless, shame free lives.
Lord, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. We thank you for your forgiveness and gift of new life. Amen.
Friday—If We Confess Our Sins
“If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive our sins” (1 John 1:9).
The height, breadth and depth of God’s grace—its expanse is beyond our imagination and comprehension. We have difficulty believing that it is boundless. So in our explanations of God’s grace, we usually try to place limits on it. For example, we say that God is a merciful BUT just God. It is in God’s nature to be forgiving, especially because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, BUT God is also just and there will come a time when God will judge us and punish us. This verse from 1 John flies in the face of such limitations!
God is faithful—God is true to who God is and true to God’s promises. God has promised us God’s love, presence and forgiveness. When we approach God and confess our sins, there is no doubt that our sins will be forgiven. God is also a just God. God’s justice does not limit God’s grace. As a just judge, God pardons us—freely wiping away our sins.
Martin Luther pointed out that followers of Jesus are at the same time sinners and saints. That writer of the letter of 1 John celebrates that we are always forgiven sinners/saints, who are free to move forward and share God’s love and grace.
Lord, we stand in awe of your boundless love and grace. Thank you. Amen.
Saturday—If We Confess Our Sins
“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Lamar was a respected leader in his congregation who spent countless hours and significant amounts of money supporting and enriching the congregation’s ministries. At home, though, he and his wife struggled with their relationship. At one point, Lamar began an affair with a co-worker. When Lamar’s unfaithfulness to his wife came to light, he was removed from his leadership positions and shunned by the people of his congregation. Suddenly, Lamar was rejected and alone.
Sin separates us. People do terrible things and, when our sins come to light, frequently our family and friends flee. We are left alone to wallow in our guilt and shame. Yet, the writer of this letter proclaims that we are not totally alone. We have an advocate! Jesus remains by our side. Though judged and rejected by others, Jesus remains with us and reminds us of God’s steadfast love, overwhelming grace and unconditional forgiveness. “Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38).
Thank you that you stand by us, Lord, even in our deepest moments of shame and despair. Amen.
Sunday–If We Confess Our Sins
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
Jesus was near death and one of his final words was, “It is finished.” His work was done. Jesus had come to clearly reveal God’s love and grace and their expanse to humankind. He lived and died to reconcile everyone to God. The writer of this letter wants to emphasis that Jesus’ work was not limited to a select group who called themselves Followers of the Way, or Christians. Jesus’ work was for the whole world.
We do not need to proclaim God’s judgment—that people must believe in Jesus or face eternal damnation. Our commission is to announce to everyone that sins are forgiven and reconciliation has taken place. We are all God’s family and we can all live in the reality of God’s love, grace and forgiveness.
Anoint our words and actions, Lord, so that all may know that they are yours. Amen.