Confession of sin?

[Andrew]

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Question: If this verse means that Christians have to confess their sins everytime they sin to be cleansed from all unrighteousness (as is commonly taught) then:

1. Do we become unrighteous or less righteous when we sin?
2. How many times are we supposed to be cleansed of "all unrighteouness". Isn't righteousness a gift i.e. either you have it or you dont?

 

[jesusisthekeytomyheart]

Andrew, we are new creatures.We are made righteous through the of Jesus. Therefore, if we sin it is not willful. A person who has totally sold out doesn't want to be a part of sin. The more you read God's Word, spend time in prayer, spend time just fellowshipping with the Lord the more the things of our nature fall off of us. For example, whatever a person may be dealing with, they need to find every scripture about that sin and let those scriptures take deep root in their heart. Then one day at a time that sin gets flushed out of one's life.~~The enemy wants us to think if we mess up once then we have to get saved again. We just have to confess it, repent of it. God is rich in mercy and He wants to help pull us out of the YUCK that the world offers. However, it's not an overnight process for everyone. Whatever the habit is(or sin is) it didn't happen over night. I've seen some people delivered immediatly and I've seen some delivered day by day. (also, a person also needs to let the scriptures on who they are in Christ get deeply rooted in their hearts also!)

 

[riverpastor]

Our spiritual DNA under the microscope reveals the "righteousness" gene. No matter what we do, the gene remains the same. Our actions do not and can not alter the genetic formatioin of the spirit in no way, shape or form.

Any act that can be classified as sin, does not change the fact that we are righteous. Period.

And seeing how we are cleansed from ALL unrighteousness, the gift if Righteousness was given once. IT changed us in a moment, not day by day.

What we struggle with day-by-day is simply believing and appropriating what we have already been made in spirit.

But I am righteous despite whether or not I made the grade or not today...

 

[mrs.sandi]

unfortunatly we are all sinners, i have just come to realize this lately,silly as that may seem,i figured there were people who didn't go through as much as i did, i was wrong. the idea that i must rty so darn hard to be really good and pure is ridiculous.as everyone lies, everyone lusts, everyone overeacts in anger, everyone gossips, it's rather sickening but it's silly for me to try so hard to be perfect when the rest of the world is happy living a mellow life, yes every time that we sin, every day that we sin we need to cleansed, for who knows when our time will come? alot of people live in the darkness with their sin, not realizing they do it, or lieing to themselves about it, i still think it's better to confess, forgive and move on and keep doing it and each time your sin gets longer and longer time away.

 

[riverpastor]

Mrs. Sandi,

Please don't call me a sinner. That's what I used to be. I am a saint today.

Thanks.

 

[Lottedah]

good point. We are saints.. not living in our old sins.
I agree I think it means confess and share and beat urselves to a pulp spiritually for the Lord so ur demon free, and u rebuke evil thoughts and we all get sanctified hearts like david.. who God said has a heart for me!
Just pick and learn and get more revelations and share. and cry and bleed and get healed..i tihnk its how it works.

 

[riverpastor]

I used to love to get "flogged" by my former pastors on Sunday mornings.

"Rip us a new one, pastor."
"Step on our toes, preacher."
"Beat us again, pastor. It's the only way we can stay on the straight-and-narrow."

What an idiot I was!!!

 

[Adammi]

Well I think that if we confess our sins he will cleanse us from unrighteousness. I will be the first to say that I need to be cleansed.

 

[Blade]

Well I see myself as a sinner. I see myself as unrighteous. I see I always have to confess my sins. Yet I know that God does not see me like that. He sees me righteous through Jesus Christ.

 

[brinley45cal]

Our spiritual DNA under the microscope reveals the "righteousness" gene. No matter what we do, the gene remains the same. Our actions do not and can not alter the genetic formatioin of the spirit in no way, shape or form.

Any act that can be classified as sin, does not change the fact that we are righteous. Period.

And seeing how we are cleansed from ALL unrighteousness, the gift if Righteousness was given once. IT changed us in a moment, not day by day.

What we struggle with day-by-day is simply believing and appropriating what we have already been made in spirit.

But I am righteous despite whether or not I made the grade or not today...

Amen well said.I think righteousness needs to be taught more.christians just dont know who they are or where they stand in christ.People tend to get righteousness and holiness mixed up.righteouness means right standing,holiness means right living.Anyway i just thought i would throw that in.God Bless.

 

[Andrew]

thanks for all the responses. But what I would really like to know is this:

How many of you, when you fail or sin or stumble, use 1 John 1:9 to 'get right' with God again? Or how many of you, teach other Christians that when they sin, they should confess their sins (pointing them to 1 Jn 1:9) to be right with God again?

Of course, "right with God" here in the context means "cleansed of all unrighteousness".

My point is that 1 John 1:9 has been misused by the church this way and that the verse is not for Christians.

But that John was writing this to address the problem of gnosticism, a false teaching that had risen within the church, which teaches among other things, that there is no sin. Hence -- "if you say that you have no sin... but if we confess our sins..."

I wld also like to suggest that Paul never -- in his epistles to the churches -- taught about confession of sin when we Christians sin. The Corinthian church -- considered the most carnal then -- is one example. He never told them to go confess their sins to be "right with God" again, to be "cleansed of all unrighteousness", but he reminded them of who they were in Christ or that Christ was in them.

any thots?

 

[Italia]

Let me ask this.


If someone who says they are saved but whose lifestyle (in private) does not back that up, never confesses his on-going sins, where does he stand with God?

i.e he goes to church every Sunday and Wed, raises hands, sings, makes a big show of tithing and offering, etc. etc. Yet all during week cheats in business, drinks alcohol alot, yells at his kids, hits his wife.

When asked about it, he says "I am saved by grace, not by anything I do. I can do whatever I want and still be saved." and "I'll get into heaven with the door slamming on my rear end, but I'll be there"

I heard a teaching the other day by Bob George, the author of Classic Christianity. He said that asking God to forgive us again and again is like slapping God in the face. Said that He already has forgiven us.

All I know is when I do something wrong I feel no peace inside unless I make it right with God.

 

[Blade]

"All I know is when I do something wrong I feel no peace inside unless I make it right with God"

I agree. Yes God has forgiven us of any sin we will ever do but to think we could go around and keep sinning the word says "God forbid". We can not serve two masters. Even Jesus said "if you love me you will keep my commandments". So if we do not keep his sayings we do not love him. Also I think the one of the key words in 1Joh 1:9 is "IF we confess" if and we, he did not say "you" he said we. To think I can sin and not say anything and then to believe I am still walking in holiness is wrong. I know I can grieve Holy Spirit but I still have to say something if I do.

 

[brinley45cal]

Let me ask this.


If someone who says they are saved but whose lifestyle (in private) does not back that up, never confesses his on-going sins, where does he stand with God?

i.e he goes to church every Sunday and Wed, raises hands, sings, makes a big show of tithing and offering, etc. etc. Yet all during week cheats in business, drinks alcohol alot, yells at his kids, hits his wife.

When asked about it, he says "I am saved by grace, not by anything I do. I can do whatever I want and still be saved." and "I'll get into heaven with the door slamming on my rear end, but I'll be there"

I heard a teaching the other day by Bob George, the author of Classic Christianity. He said that asking God to forgive us again and again is like slapping God in the face. Said that He already has forgiven us.

All I know is when I do something wrong I feel no peace inside unless I make it right with God.

Well just going to church wont get you to heaven,It wont do you anygood to be saint suzie on sunday and freaky freda on monday.If you sin you still have to repent of it,but since we are righteous we can ask for forgivness and move on instead of having a pitty party and feel condemnation all week,and make a burn offering.Hope this helps,God Bless.

 

[Andrew]

thanks for all the responses. But what I would really like to know is this:

How many of you, when you fail or sin or stumble, use 1 John 1:9 to 'get right' with God again? Or how many of you, teach other Christians that when they sin, they should confess their sins (pointing them to 1 Jn 1:9) to be right with God again?

Of course, "right with God" here in the context means "cleansed of all unrighteousness".

My point is that 1 John 1:9 has been misused by the church this way and that the verse is not for Christians.

But that John was writing this to address the problem of gnosticism, a false teaching that had risen within the church, which teaches among other things, that there is no sin. Hence -- "if you say that you have no sin... but if we confess our sins..."

I wld also like to suggest that Paul never -- in his epistles to the churches -- taught about confession of sin when we Christians sin. The Corinthian church -- considered the most carnal then -- is one example. He never told them to go confess their sins to be "right with God" again, to be "cleansed of all unrighteousness", but he reminded them of who they were in Christ or that Christ was in them.

any thots?

anyone want to answer the question?

 

[Blade]

How many of you, when you fail or sin or stumble, use 1 John 1:9 to 'get right' with God again? Or how many of you, teach other Christians that when they sin, they should confess their sins (pointing them to 1 Jn 1:9) to be right with God again?

My point is that 1 John 1:9 has been misused by the church this way and that the verse is not for Christians.

any thots?

Thought I did anyway. How many of you? I do teach that. Now with 1 John 1:9 if we read before what we find is words like "if we" 5 times and if I am talking about sinners or someone that does not know christ I am not gona use "us" and the "WE" for that would include myself. Now in verse 8 "the truth is not in US" it is very clear and I can not see how you can ever say it is not for christians.

Jam 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Jam 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Jam 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Jam 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Jam 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Now we see here he is talking to "my brethren" and in verse 15 we see "committed sins" they will be what? Yep forgiven him.

 

[Andrew]

So Blade,

Sticking strictly to the verse in question, when we sin, we become less righteous or unrighteous, and have to be "cleansed of all unrighteousness" again and again?

Surely this cannot be so.

The use of "we":

John was writing to the church, and addressing the heresy of gnosticism that had arose within the church, hence his use of we.

"If we say that we have no sin..." how can this "we" be Christians (strictly speaking) when Christians, in order to become Christians in the first place, had to acknowledge sin?

So this whole idea of confession of sin in order to be cleansed of all unrighteousness again and again based on 1 John 1:9 is error.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not saying that when we sin, we just pretend nothing happened. No we still acknowledge it but we should not be confessing it to be made righteous again and again and again...

 

[Blade]

So Blade,
Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not saying that when we sin, we just pretend nothing happened. No we still acknowledge it but we should not be confessing it to be made righteous again and again and again...

So explaine a little more on this if you don't mind. I don't think I agree. And where do you get "gnosticism" from? So far in all my searching I don't find anyone that reads that vers like you.

 

[Andrew]

So explaine a little more on this if you don't mind. I don't think I agree. And where do you get "gnosticism" from? So far in all my searching I don't find anyone that reads that vers like you.

Sure. Some Bibles give the background to the various books in the Bible to help us understnd why what was written was written. The Spirit-Filled Life Bible for eg, gives a bit of background to 1 John. You can also look up websites to the background of 1 John. Briefly, in 1 John, John was writing to address a false teaching (gnosticism) that had arisen from within the church. Among other things, gnosticism teaches that Jesus did not come in the flesh and that there is no sin. Hence you have John declaring that Jesus came in the flesh in the gospel of John, and also he writes "if we say that we have no sin..." in 1 John, addressing the heresy of gnosticism that says there is no sin.

My pastor quoted from a Spirit-Filled Life Bible when teaching on this topic. The Bible gave a backgroung to 1 Jn and talked about gnosticism and how John was addressing the problem. If I can get hold of those notes, I'll post it one day.

So if 1 Jn 1:9 is not for Christians to use ie confess their sins to be made righteous again and again whenever they sin, then what do we do when we sin?

Well, we simply acknowledge that sin, talked to God about it, but what we should be confessing is our righteousness in Christ. IOW, I acknowledge my sin, say I'm sorry (as in any close relationship), then thank God that I already have forgiveness, that I am still righteousness by Christ's blood, and I move on in my walk with God.

This is very different from confessing our sin to be forgiven and to be made righteous again. But this is what most Christians do, becos they've been told to do this based on 1 Jn 1:9. Yet 1 Jn 1:9 is not talking about this.

Hope I made things clearer blade.

 

[Andrew]

Blade, if you know the WOF principles, its the same thing:

When we're sick, we don't confess our sickness but our healing.

Hence, when we sin, we don't confess our sin but our righteousness in Christ.