If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. If we say have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us.
Many people view God, as a great cosmic power with a set of
balancing scales. On one side of the scales He places all of the good things
that we do, and on the other side He places all the bad things we do. These
people live their lives with this mistaken perspective and see their main goal
as “do as many kind things as possible, and perhaps the good will outweigh the
bad.” This is not the truth of scripture. This is not how the God of the Bible
interacts with people. There are no scales. There is only “sin” and “not sin.” And
we commit that sin- all of us. Because of that sin, according to 1 John 1:6, we
have no fellowship with God. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fellowship
with God. 1 John 1:7 says that by turning from our sin through faith in the
work of Jesus, we can have access to God. But what about when we sin again? Do
we blow it? Have we lost our chance with God? No, verse 9 says, if we confess
our sins, we receive forgiveness for them. He is not a God who banishes those
who mess up, rather He is a Father Who beckons us to fellowship with Him. He
offers us access to Himself through Jesus. And when we mess up, He offers us
forgiveness and restoration. He
interacts with us, not based upon a scale of how well we can perform, rather
with the love of a Father Who understands that His kids aren’t perfect. He
knows that you mess up, yet lovingly, patiently, and caringly, He draws us back
to Himself and the joy that comes with a right relationship with God. What a
good God we serve, Who instead of coming to us with an impossible scale in His
hand, comes instead with forgiveness. May we live in a way where we don’t abuse
that grace. May it be said of us that we strive to live so that He wouldn’t
always have to continually forgive. And then let us thank Him that He
continually does.
Food
For Thought: What is lost in the relationship with God when we sin? How
can that aspect be repaired?
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