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Faithful and Just

             If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

To begin, confession isn’t just saying that we did something. It’s a “con” word, meaning that it’s doing something with someone else. In this case, it involves agreeing with someone about the nature of something we believe or have done. It’s the difference between “I took” and “I stole, it was wrong, and I regret having done it.”

The next term is “sin.” As I’ve noted recently, this word causes a lot of trouble. But, to explain it simply, it was a term taken from archery and meaning the distance from the bullseye that the arrow hit. In other words, it’s not some great big bad thing. It’s any imperfection. In some cases, we might actually be wrong about something being a sin, but the point is to talk it over with God and let Him inform you. Note: If Scripture says it’s a sin, it’s a sin. It’s not going to change.

And because of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, the penalty for our sins has been justly paid, so if we’re willing to agree with God about our sins, there’s no reason for Him not to forgive them. However, if we are like Gollum and our sins are the one ring… “It’s ours, my precious!” God will let us keep them and pay the price ourselves. The choice is ours.

All this is really old news. But let’s take a moment to consider God. I don’t think I’m good at this, but this verse says that He’s faithful and just. He promised He would provide a way, that Someone would come and save us. He did it in a way that that didn’t have to violate our personhood, His integrity, or His justice. I’ve corresponded with some people who seem to think that He should have done all this in a way that didn’t allow sin to take place while simultaneously not violating our personhood. But my praise of Him is greater because He created me to be me, knowing all the faults and sins that would fill my life. And when our myopic vision of reality and His part in our lives clears, I’ll rejoice more fully than I am able to here, whatever that looks like. 

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