If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
John knew Jesus – he had experienced fellowship with Him and watched Him teach, serve, and minister to others. Now, concerned for a new generation of believers, John wants his readers to know the assurance of the indwelling God through their abiding relationship with Christ. He describes what it means to have fellowship with God. When a believer sins, he will not lose his relationship with God but loses fellowship with God, and to enjoy this fellowship again, we need to confess our sins which eases our consciences and lighten our burden. There are different views on what happens when a believer sins. Some feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over, some believe God forgives them when they confess, but if they died with unconfessed sins, they would be forever lost. We need to understand that God allowed His beloved Son to die just so he could offer pardon. When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don’t need to fear that God will reject us or will make us lose salvation if we don’t keep our slate perfectly clean. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.
True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again. Remember, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.