SHOULD BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS CONFESS SINS?
Slawomir Gromadzki
1 John 1:9 seems to be the only clear verse in the entire New Testament where we read that Christians need to confess their sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
TRUE MEANING OF 1 JOHN 1:9
Reading this statement in its context we see that John is dealing with people who were saying, “I am not a sinner.” Therefore, he says, If we claim that there is no sin in us (that we are sinless, that we are not sinners) we are liars. And then he adds that the moment we come to our senses, give up on this fullish idea and admit we are sinners by nature and performance and confess this sin, God forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
The first chapter of 1 John was not written to believers but to Gnostics who did not believe that Jesus came in the flesh (that He took human nature like ours), hence the strange opening in the first epistle of John. There is no greeting to believers, unlike what in his second and third epistles.
Instead, John starts addressing the heresy of the Gnostics—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled” (1 John 1:1). John was assuring them that Jesus came in the flesh (our nature), which was witnessed by His disciples.
It is only after addressing Gnostics John turns to Christians with the words “my little children”.
The Gnostics also believed that they had no sin. So the John was telling them that if they would acknowledge and confess their sin of thinking they were sinless, God would forgive them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8–9).
“SINS” IN 1 JOHN 1:9 REFER TO FALLEN NATURE (SINFULLNESS)
In the two instances where we see the word “sins” in 1 John 1:9, it is the Greek noun hamartia that is used. According to William Vine, hamartia (“a missing of the mark”) indicates “a principle or source of action, or an inward element producing acts . . . a governing principle or power.”
In other words, it refers to the sin principle, or our sinful state on account of Adam’s sin.
By using the noun form of this word, John was probably not referring to our acts of sin, as in this case he would have used the verb form, hamartano.
Therefore, it looks like 1 John 1:9 is not talking about confessing our sins but rather about the need to acknowledge and confess to God that we are sinners by nature, and that we all (and Gnostics) must acknowledge our sinful state in order to receive forgiveness of our sins.
“SINS” IN 1 JOHN 2:1
So, in 1 John 1:9 John seems to deal with those who refused to acknowledge that they were sinners by nature and by performance so he told them that they need to acknowledge this fact and ask God for forgiveness of that sin through faith in Jesus so that they could be cleansed from all unrighteousness.
Just two verses later, in 1 John 2:1, John turns to the honest believers who already understood they were sinners and accepted Christ and forgiveness in Him, but like all of us, may still sin from time to time:
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
This time, the words “sin” and “sins” are the Greek verb hamartano. John is now referring to believers’ committing of sins as transgressions of the law.
Unlike in 1John 3:6,9 and 1 John 5:18, where he deals with habitual continuous sinning, in 1 John 2:1 John means believers who may commit occasional sins that do not lead to the sin against HS.
What does John say to those Christian?
He doesn’t prompt them to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness but reminds them when they fail as believers, that they have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ who is righteous reminding them of their righteous identity they constantly have in Christ by faith (1Cor 1:30).
This is not to encourage us to condone sin but to prompt us to look to our Lord Jesus who in order to become our perfect righteousness was willing to go through unimaginable sufferings for all our sins. In this way we gain the right motivation to continue following Him out of love and without condoning sin. This is true repentance.
APOSTLE PAUL DOESN’T SEEM TO PROMPT CHRISTIANS TO CONFESS THEIR SINS
It is very interesting that apostle Paul, who wrote half of the New testament, although often stresses the importance of walking in Spirit and living a holy and truly sanctified life, never tell Christians to confess their sins. However, he reminds all Christians in Romans 8:13 “if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
SHOULD BELIEVERS WHO ARE UNDER GRACE CONFESS SINS?
So, do we need to confess our sins if all of them (including future sins) have already been and will be forgiven (as long as we maintain true faith in Jesus)?
Yes we should confess our sins, but we are to confess them knowing that all my sins are already forgiven and dealt with on the cross of Christ.
We shouldn’t confess sins out of fear or any egocentric motivation but out of love and appreciation for what Lord Jesus already did for us and because we are truly sorry we grieve God with our sins.
TRUE BELIEVERS ARE PERFECT AND FORGIVEN IN CHRIST
The apostle Paul wrote, “… In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace …” (Ephesians 1:6-8).
This forgiveness is referring to salvation, in which God has taken our sins and “removed them from us as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
In addition, if we truly believe we are no longer under the condemnation of the law even when we sin but we are constantly under grace (forgiveness) as long as we keep un truly believing and accepting the free grace and our perfect position in Christ (Romans 6:14; Rom 7:4,6; Rom 8:1; 1Cor 1:30).
Hebrews 10:14 “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
All our sins past presents and future were included in the cross of Christ and there is no condemnation for us because we are in Christ and we are not under condemnation of the law but under grace.
For this reason when we sin, this sin can’t kill us anymore because the law is not impowering that sin anymore.
In Christ now the law, sin, or death can’t touch us.
IF WE ARE FORGIVEN, COMPLETE IN CHRIST, PERFECT IN HIM, WHY DO WE NEED TO CONFESS OUR SINS IF THEY ALL (INCLUDING FUTURE SINS) HAVE ALREADY BEEN FORGIVEN?
Well, if we are forgiven, complete in Christ, perfect in Him, why do we need to confess our sins if they all (including future sins) have already been forgiven (1 John 1:9)?
Even though all our sins — past, present, and future — have been forgiven in Christ, although Christ “cancelled the record of debt (the record of our sins) that stood against us” (Colossians 2:14), yet we are still called to confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
How can these 2 truths be reconciled?
WE CONFESS OUR SINS BECAUSE OF WHAT OUR SINS DID TO CHRIST
AS LEGALLY FORGIVEN AND SAVED BELIEVERS we confess and we are sorry, and ask for forgiveness because all our sins, including the new ones, killed Christ and caused His horrible unimaginable suffering and death out of a broken heart.
WE CONFESS BECAUSE THOSE NEW SINS ADD TO THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST EXPERIENCED ON THE CROSS.
WE CONFESS OUR SINS BECAUSE GOD HATES SIN AND WE GRIEVE HIM WHEN WE SIN
Although all our sins—past, present, and future—were paid for on the cross, we confess them and repent, not because we have fallen from grace and not because we are afraid of loosing our salvation, but because every sin wounds God and Christ, and grieves the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Also our heart aches when we sin under grace because being born again Christians, Holy Spirit and Christ in us hate sin and suffer in us when we sin influencing our spirit with their suffering.
WE CONFESS OUR SINS BECAUSE THEY DISTURB OUR LOVING CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Confessing sins is not about regaining forgiveness. Rather, it is about renewing the relationship which is negatively influenced by our sins.
When a son disobeys a loving father, this disobedience does not mean that he is not his son anymore. But his disobedience negatively effects and disturbs the loving relationship between them. Confession is like the son coming to the loving father and saying, “I’m sorry” and the parent responding with an embrace—not to reestablish the relationship, but to refresh the bond. The story of the prodigal son is an excellent example. He never stopped being the son of His loving father. It was the closeness that was broken, the relationship suffered and caused pain.
Confessing sins is part of the sanctification process—not to gain forgiveness, but to walk in the light, become more sensitive to sin, and grow in grace.
We are forgiven from them not because when we sin we fall under condemnation again. We confess and are forgiven while not being under the law but under grace and because there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
So when we sin as believers who are under grace and not under condemnation of the law, we are to confess our sins because we still need a familial forgiveness and not judicial (legal) forgiveness. Familial forgiveness refers to the restoration of relationship and fellowship between a child of God and the divine Father, while judicial forgiveness refers to God’s legal pardon of sins based on Christ’s sacrifice.
Judicial forgiveness was a one-time event for all sinners and all sins (2Cor 5:19) which dealt with all our sins, while familial (or relational) forgiveness is an ongoing process of restoring fellowship broken by sins. This ongoing process should be progressive through our constant prayers, abiding in God’s Word, claiming promises with faith and thanksgiving leading to constant progress in learning to live an obedient life by the power of the indwelling Spirit.
WE CONFESS BECAUSE THE MORE WE SIN AS CHRISTIANS THE LESS SENSATIVE WE ARE TO THE RESULTS OF SIN AND THE EASIER IT IS TO SIN AGAIN IF WE DO NOT PROPERLY CONFESS AND REPENT
The Bible never teaches that once saved always saved. The best proof is Hebrews 6:4–6:
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”
It is possible even for a true and saved believer to become careless, live a life more and more independent from God, life without heartfelt prayers, without abiding in God’s Word, and as a result sink deeper and deeper into unconfessed sins, lose Holy Spirit and become spiritually dead again without the ability to be reconverted.