Forgiveness of Sins
Through confession and faith in Christ, God removes sin's guilt and restores relationship.
The gospel announces forgiveness: 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' Forgiveness is not merely overlooking wrong but dealing with it fully through Christ's sacrifice. Confession brings hidden sin into the light where it loses power. God's faithfulness guarantees forgiveness; his justice is satisfied in Christ. “Faithful and just” is deliberate: John grounds forgiveness in God's justice being satisfied, not in His overlooking the offence. In Christ, the guilt, shame, and power of sin are broken.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that confession of sin to another believer breaks the power of hidden sin and receives the certainty of forgiveness.
First Epistle of John
Written about in
- What Christianity says about forgiveness
John calls God "faithful and just" in forgiving, not merciful — the wrong is settled, not waived. Bonhoeffer argued that sin spoken aloud to another person loses the power it held while hidden. Forgiveness here costs something, which is why the tradition can then turn round and demand you pass it on.