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The Apostle John makes a comforting assertion in his first epistle: “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). The first thing this verse tells us is that we are sinners. There are several words for “sin,” both in Hebrew and in Greek, and the one used here (harmartia) suggests the idea of missing the mark. We have failed to walk in the way of righteousness. Sin also pollutes. We need to be cleansed from the filth of sin. Think of David after his great transgression with Bathsheba: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Ps. 51:2). As Martin Luther would put it, we need to exchange our filthy garments and put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness.
There is a way to have our sins forgiven. That is very good news. It requires a willingness on our part to confess our sins, to own up to our infamy, to agree that we need forgiveness. And John tells us that God is faithful to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).
Faithfulness is a covenantal word in Scripture. It implies that God is faithful to the promises that He has made. He will keep His word. He can be trusted. There are promises that God has made regarding sin such as this one: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isa. 1:18). Or this one: “But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared” (Ps. 130:4). God is a forgiving God.
But let’s look at our text again. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). Is this saying that when God forgives our sins, this is the just thing to do? Yes, that is exactly what is intended. “But wait a minute,” you say. “God isn’t under any obligation to forgive those who confess their sins.” But that is to miss the point of the text.
What exactly is this text saying? Think of it this way. For God to forgive sin, there must be atonement. A ransom must be paid. His wrath needs propitiating. God is holy and cannot even look upon sin (Hab. 1:13). Sin has to be punished; it cannot just be overlooked. That is exactly what Christ achieved on the cross. In the words of Westminster Confession of Faith 8.5, Christ in His work on our behalf “fully satisfied the justice of his Father.” What Christ achieved was to drain all of God’s wrath against His people upon Himself so that there was none left for the confessing sinner. God the Father must honor the finished work of Christ on our behalf. It is the just thing to do. It is the only thing that God can do, for He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13). He is faithful and just to forgive the sins of His people.