I have had several people e-mail me with verses that they wanted to see included in this series. So over the next five days we will be looking at another set of misused and abused Bible verses. As I stated a few weeks ago, our goal should be to understand and interpret Scripture accurately. Any meaning we give to a verse that is not in line with its intended meaning is an abuse and misuse of that passage.
The verse that we are looking at today is I John 1:9. I realize that this is a very familiar verse that is quoted quite often, but the context is often ignored. The verse says “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Although we should confess our sins on a daily basis, that is not what this verse is teaching. As you will see, to apply that meaning to this verse is dangerous. This verse is specifically talking about the forgiveness and cleansing that comes at the time of salvation, not daily confession. There are two ways that we can know this.
First, we must look at the context. In context this passage is clearly dealing with salvation. Verse 5 tells us about the nature of God and that He is light. Verses 6, 8, & 10 teach us about the nature of the unsaved and that they are living in darkness. Verses 7 & 9 show us the test of true salvation; confession and cleansing. The way that we move from darkness to light is through confessing our sins (vs. 9) and being cleansed (vs. 7 & 9). That is the only way to have the light of eternal life.
Second, we need to understand salvation. At the moment of salvation we are forgiven, we are cleansed, and we are declared as righteous by God. When God looks at us all He sees is the blood of Christ, not our sin. The Bible actually says that our sins are remembered no more, they are cast as the far as the east is from the west. They are gone on the basis of Christ’s perfect substitutionary sacrifice.
At the beginning of the verse there is a conditional phrase: “If we confess our sins”. This is the condition to being forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. If this verse is teaching that we need to confess our sins daily in order to be cleansed and forgiven, then the only conclusion that can be drawn is this: As a Christian, if I don’t confess my sins today then I am not forgiven and I am not cleansed.
I am going to state the danger of misapplying this verse bluntly. If you blend the misapplication of this verse with the truth found in the doctrine of salvation that I mentioned earlier you are left with the teaching that you can lose your salvation. Think about it. If I am cleansed and forgiven forever at the time of salvation as the Bible teaches, and if this verse is indeed teaching that Christians need to confess their sins daily in order to be forgiven, then if I don’t confess my sins today I am not forgiven or cleansed…I must have lost my salvation. That is the only way the misinterpretation of this verse can mesh with the truth of salvation.
Thankfully, that is not what this verse is teaching. If we confess our sins then we are mercifully forgiven, we are graciously cleansed, we are saved, we are declared as righteous forever. Nothing can cause us to lose that salvation or that forgiveness. We need to understand that seemingly small misapplications of verses can have very damaging consequences. Let’s not misuse and abuse Scripture.
thinkingwithpurpose
I have had several people e-mail me with verses that they wanted to see included in this series. So over the next five days we will be looking at another set of misused and abused Bible verses. As I stated a few weeks ago, our goal should be to understand and interpret Scripture accurately. Any meaning we give to a verse that is not in line with its intended meaning is an abuse and misuse of that passage.
The verse that we are looking at today is I John 1:9. I realize that this is a very familiar verse that is quoted quite often, but the context is often ignored. The verse says “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Although we should confess our sins on a daily basis, that is not what this verse is teaching. As you will see, to apply that meaning to this verse is dangerous. This verse is specifically talking about the forgiveness and cleansing that comes at the time of salvation, not daily confession. There are two ways that we can know this.
First, we must look at the context. In context this passage is clearly dealing with salvation. Verse 5 tells us about the nature of God and that He is light. Verses 6, 8, & 10 teach us about the nature of the unsaved and that they are living in darkness. Verses 7 & 9 show us the test of true salvation; confession and cleansing. The way that we move from darkness to light is through confessing our sins (vs. 9) and being cleansed (vs. 7 & 9). That is the only way to have the light of eternal life.
Second, we need to understand salvation. At the moment of salvation we are forgiven, we are cleansed, and we are declared as righteous by God. When God looks at us all He sees is the blood of Christ, not our sin. The Bible actually says that our sins are remembered no more, they are cast as the far as the east is from the west. They are gone on the basis of Christ’s perfect substitutionary sacrifice.
At the beginning of the verse there is a conditional phrase: “If we confess our sins”. This is the condition to being forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. If this verse is teaching that we need to confess our sins daily in order to be cleansed and forgiven, then the only conclusion that can be drawn is this: As a Christian, if I don’t confess my sins today then I am not forgiven and I am not cleansed.
I am going to state the danger of misapplying this verse bluntly. If you blend the misapplication of this verse with the truth found in the doctrine of salvation that I mentioned earlier you are left with the teaching that you can lose your salvation. Think about it. If I am cleansed and forgiven forever at the time of salvation as the Bible teaches, and if this verse is indeed teaching that Christians need to confess their sins daily in order to be forgiven, then if I don’t confess my sins today I am not forgiven or cleansed…I must have lost my salvation. That is the only way the misinterpretation of this verse can mesh with the truth of salvation.
Thankfully, that is not what this verse is teaching. If we confess our sins then we are mercifully forgiven, we are graciously cleansed, we are saved, we are declared as righteous forever. Nothing can cause us to lose that salvation or that forgiveness. We need to understand that seemingly small misapplications of verses can have very damaging consequences. Let’s not misuse and abuse Scripture.
Posted in Biblical Commentary, Christian Living, Misused Bible Verses