Episode Details

Welcome back to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. Get a new lesson every other week on Monday at 12:00 PM Eastern.

We are now on Lesson 18.

Let’s review what we learned in Lesson 17.

We learned that the Bible teaches that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that there is a battle going on inside of us because we have a sin nature. If you say that you have no sin, you will wander from the truth, and the truth will not be in you. When you recognize that you are a sinner, you will not be deceived, and Jesus, who is the truth, will be living in you. Continue in God’s word, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

In lesson 18 we are going to learn about the result of confessing our sins.

Let’s read our verse.

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.

Let’s focus on the first part of the verse: If we confess our sins…

The word “if” is conditional.

Conditional means, provided you do this, then the following will happen.

The word “confess” means to speak the same thing as another, to voice the same conclusion, to profess that you are in full agreement with, and to align with another.

The word “sins” is the plural of the word “sin". A sin means to miss the target. The target is keeping God’s commands.

In 1 John 1:9 we are getting into the specific sins that you have committed as compared to having sin, like we saw in 1 John 1:8 from Lesson 17.

As you grow in your relationship with God, because you are walking in the light and because the truth is in you, you will recognize when you fall short of keeping God’s commands.

When you recognize a sin in your life, confess that sin to God right away. Let God know that you in agreement with Him that what you did is not in accordance with His commands.

By doing so, you are ”saying the same thing” as He is about that specific sin.

As you read the Bible and hear a commandment from God ask yourself if you are obeying what God is asking you to do.

For example, if you read “be slow to anger” in James 1:19, ask yourself if you are being quick to anger as opposed to being slow to anger.

If you are not being slow to anger, confess to God that you recognize you have sinned. By doing so, you are agreeing with God that this is a sin.

When you come across a sin that you struggle with, write down all the Bible verses related to this sin and meditate on them daily. Memorize these verses. Study them. Get clear on what God is commanding you to do. Pray that God gives you the strength to obey Him.

Confessing your sins to God will deepen your relationship with Him and will help you to mature spiritually. God doesn’t want sin to obstruct your relationship with Him.

Confessing your sins is the opposite of ignoring your sins, hiding your sins, or thinking that your