Obsession with Confession (1 John 1:9, sin confession)

[Gr8grace]

The second son was dead and we do NOT see him as restored.

The second son was lost and we do NOT see him as found.





BUT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>he was still a son. Saved and secure in Christ. Experientially...............A LOSER. Position wise................................saved and secure.

 

[shotgunner]

Maybe I am not understanding what you guys mean by FELLOWSHIP. And being, "out of it" or back "in it."

When I went to the CoC, and those legalistic baasheads "disfellowshiped" someone, there was not even the slightest hint of acknowledgment that they ever existed. We were to almost do the Klingon thing of spinning on our heels, and turning our backs to them. I've sinned a lot (I'm not as righteous as some) but God has never once done anything like that to me. He has even answered my prayers when I was still screwed-up.

The way I see it, it's not a matter of the Lord turning away from me. When I am in sin, I've put myself in a place where I have turned away from his ways. That doesn't mean that he isn't right there with me as soon as I change my mind. Repentance is a changing of my mind to turn again into God's ways. Thus I have turned to walk with him again and restored fellowship. For a saved man, it's not a matter of God is angry and judging me worthy of hell, Jesus took care of that. It's more a matter of getting back on the right track.

Sin does have consequences. If I commit adultery, I may very well loose my wife and children. It's not a matter of God being angry over my sin so much as it's God not wanting me to be destroyed because of it.

 

[Galahad]

Another thing for people to consider, in 1 John we have two ways of dealing with sin. Yes, it mentions two. The first, of course, is sin confession (though misunderstood) and the other is walking in the light. Its interesting because one would think that if we sin, we are out of the light. However, that isn't what the verse says. Lets take a look...

1 John 1:7 - If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Lets make some logical inferences. When we sin, do we sin in or outside of the light? One might be inclined to say we sin outside of the light, even going on to say that to be in darkness is to sin. However, how would you align such thinking with 1 John 1:7? It says that if we walk in the light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

That means that you sinned in the light. That means that you had sin that was to be washed by the blood, and you did that sin in the light. Otherwise how does the blood of Christ cleanse you from all sin when you walk in the light if sinning took you out of the light? It doesn't make sense. The blood cleanses you from all sin when you walk in the light, therefore you sinned in the light otherwise there wouldn't be any sin to cleanse. Do you see it?

So, here you have sin confession mentioned but then you also have this concept of walking in the light and the blood of Christ cleansing you from all sin. Which is it? If the blood of Christ cleanses you from all sin by walking in the light, then what sin is there left to be confessed and forgiven of? Its already taken care of. His blood cleansed you. This is something to ponder. If sin doesn't take you out of the light, and the blood of Christ cleanses you of that sin while in the light, what are you confessing for? It is but wasted breath. Your prayer life could be so much more fruitful.

The bee has a body that according to the laws of aerodynamics ought to prevent the bee from flying. So what happened? No one told the bee it was unable to fly. The bee is a positive thinker.

Now Ben, I've read 1 John. I've studied the continual present tense of the cleansing of the blood of Jesus in 1 John. I've studied Gnosticism. I've read your comments above.

Stay with the simple interpretation. Otherwise, you are like the fellow who comes along and whispers to the bee, "you can't fly." Kinda like, "thanks! Now you've messed me up. Down!"

 

[BarlyGurl]

>>>Sin does have consequences. If I commit adultery, I may very well loose my wife and children. It's not a matter of God being angry over my sin so much as it's God not wanting me to be destroyed because of it.<<<<<

For this particular scenario.... <above> I have to disagree. Some things make God ANGRY and adultery is one of them. I notice that you say "God not wanting me destroyed because of it"... and while I do not think YOU <shotgun> are selfish in character, the phraseology of the statement is a self-centered view. Adultery would destroy your wife, and your children, and the life of the "neighbor" you sinned against, destroy your other relationships... I mean TSUMANI destruction in so many lives and your witness for Christ.... so adultery probably wasn't the best illustration for saying "God doesn't want me to destroy myself"... adultery is not a simple sin.

 

[Gr8grace]

The way I see it, it's not a matter of the Lord turning away from me. When I am in sin, I've put myself in a place where I have turned away from his ways. That doesn't mean that he isn't right there with me as soon as I change my mind. Repentance is a changing of my mind to turn again into God's ways. Thus I have turned to walk with him again and restored fellowship. For a saved man, it's not a matter of God is angry and judging me worthy of hell, Jesus took care of that. It's more a matter of getting back on the right track.

Sin does have consequences. If I commit adultery, I may very well loose my wife and children. It's not a matter of God being angry over my sin so much as it's God not wanting me to be destroyed because of it.

I agree. Most believers think the Lord demands judgement and payment from US. When the Lord Jesus Christ paid the judgement and price. He wants the best for us and sin takes us away from Him.


But for most believers..........................................its human good(Evil) that is the most detrimental. Religion is our biggest enemy, not sin.

 

[shotgunner]

>>>Sin does have consequences. If I commit adultery, I may very well loose my wife and children. It's not a matter of God being angry over my sin so much as it's God not wanting me to be destroyed because of it.<<<<<

For this particular scenario.... <above> I have to disagree. Some things make God ANGRY and adultery is one of them. I notice that you say "God not wanting me destroyed because of it"... and while I do not think YOU <shotgun> are selfish in character, the phraseology of the statement is a self-centered view. Adultery would destroy your wife, and your children, and the life of the "neighbor" you sinned against, destroy your other relationships... I mean TSUMANI destruction in so many lives and your witness for Christ.... so adultery probably wasn't the best illustration for saying "God doesn't want me to destroy myself"... adultery is not a simple sin.

I agree with you dear as to the seriousness of adultery. I do however see that God has satisfied his anger toward us in the sacrifice of his son Jesus. We simply can't classify some sins as making God more angry than others or we will fall into dismissing some sins as petty and trying to appease God by our own efforts for others. All must be condemned under sin, so that all can receive righteousness through Jesus Christ.

I would surly agree that the sin of adultery destroys more and does more harm than possibly, smoking or something similar.

 

[Maynard]

Was the older son .............................not a son then?

Who said that??
I know many Protestants like to identify with the second son, because he could be an ungrateful self-entitled son and still benefit the gifts of the Father. Remember though that while the first son wandered far from the Father's home before returning, the second son wandered far from the Father's heart. The second son's relationship with the Father is self-centered and NOT one of reciprocative love.
The reason for our obedience to the Father is at least as important as our obedience itself.
I urge you to begin looking to the first son for inspiration in your walk with the Father.

 

[KenAllan]

Sinning is NOT TO FALL SHORT... TO MISS THE MARK!

To sin is to do your will, not the Will of God. We do not miss the mark when we willingly sin. We willingly sin when we take our eyes off of God. There is NO missing the Mark because we sin willingly!

Sinning is breaking the Laws, the rules God has given us. It has nothing to do with missing the Mark.

 

[vic1980]

David was a man after God's own heart, I'll gladly follow his example as God's heart doesn't change.

2 Samuel 24:10 (KJV) And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

1 Chronicles 21:17 (KJV) And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

Psalms 51:1-4, 7 (KJV)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

This is sound doctrine Shalom

 

[vic1980]

Don't go under law, don't fall from grace. Rest in Jesus.

All belivers Rest in Christ.

But...

How in the world did you come to the conclusion that confession of your sins to God is going back under the Law or Falling from Grace, Who taught you this??? , For they are in deep error and i hope truly that you do not fall into such error.

There are watchmen here explaining to you by the Holyspirit TRUTH.

Read post #116 brother crossnote is trying to teach you something of value pay attention.

rightly dividing the word of truth.

Shalom

 

[ladylynn]

(Gal. 3:13). The average New Testament believer is still trying to get God to respond to them based on their performance. Why? Because they don’t know that the performance covenant of the Old Testament Law is over. We are now under the New Testament ministry of grace and faith (2 Cor. 3:7-8).
The Law was given to convict people of their self-righteousness so they could see their need for a savior. Praise God, we are now no longer under the Law. First Timothy 1:9 says that the Law is not made for a righteous man. And who is righteous? Any person who is born again (2 Cor. 5:21).
Hebrews 7:12 and 18 says,
“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.”
What a radical statement! A disannulling! The word disannulling literally means cancellation, to make null and void. The Old Testament Law has been nullified, canceled, done away with. The Law was weak and unprofitable. It was only a stop-gap measure until Jesus (Gal. 3:23-25).
Ephesians 1:3-5 says,
“[He] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings…hath chosen us…Having predestined us unto the adoption of children” (brackets and emphasis mine).
In the Greek, “hath” is an aortas tense, which means it is a done deal—it’s an accomplished fact. So how blessed is all spiritual blessings? Verse 6 says that we have been accepted in the beloved. Really, that is a super understatement. The Greek word that is used for “accepted” is only used twice in the New Testament. The other place is in Luke 1 where the the Angel Gabriel appeared unto Mary.
Gabriel said, “Hail thou that are highly favoured, the Lord is with thee” (verse 28).
The Greek word for “highly favoured” is the only other time that this word was used. When it says that we are accepted in the beloved, it is saying He has made us highly favored. Mary hasn’t got anything on a born-again believer. Every one of us is accepted, chosen, and highly favored. It’s all part of redemption.
Understanding redemption, the complete forgiveness of your sins, is foundational to understanding the New Covenant and how God deals with you today. If you’re born again and still asking questions like these: “Can I lose my salvation?” “If I die with unconfessed sin, will I go to heaven?” or “Does God answer the prayers of someone who still sins?” then you do not understand redemption.
Redemption is very practical, and your understanding of it will determine what you are able to receive from God, not just in eternity, but here and now.

Bible commentary notes

 

[Ella85]

I look at it like this.....

1. I have been born into the kingdom of God by faith having been eternally saved, sealed, justified and sanctified in Christ positionally which cannot be lost, gained, earned and or facilitated by works I have done and or a lack thereof.

2. Where sin abounds in my life the grace of God much more abounds and takes care of my sin before the Father as Christ continually mediates for me.

3. My fellowship with God can be broken by willful sin...this does not change the status of my (sonship) as that is eternally secure in Christ.

4. My fellowship (walk with God) is restored when I acknowledge my sin before God

Very true and I agree.
His love is so great
His love is everlasting

 

[shotgunner]

Sinning is NOT TO FALL SHORT... TO MISS THE MARK!

To sin is to do your will, not the Will of God. We do not miss the mark when we willingly sin. We willingly sin when we take our eyes off of God. There is NO missing the Mark because we sin willingly!

Sinning is breaking the Laws, the rules God has given us. It has nothing to do with missing the Mark.

Not at all! Anything not of faith is sin. The problem with those who think they can be justified by the keeping of the law is that they do not understand that sin consists of more than just the big 10.

 

[mailmandan]

If we confess our sins...1 John 1:9 is IN CONTRAST to 1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

 

[Skinski7]

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (verse 7).
In other words, if we walk in the light (are saved) we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. To put it another way, once we are saved, we are permanently in the fellowship because the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from all sin. Therefore, we aren't forgiven because we confess our sins.We are forgiven because of what Christ did for us on the cross.

How can people like you buy into that kind of rubbish so easily?

John 1:7 specifically states that IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT (ie. conduct ourselves in accordance with the truth as opposed to conducting ourselves in rebellion to it) THEN we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Your article twists the plain and obvious words of John and inserts "ARE SAVED" and COMPLETELY IGNORES the "IF WE WALK."

To put it another way, once we are saved, we are permanently in the fellowship because the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from all sin.

"To put it another way" means "let's pretend this verse says something else." John doesn't say anything remotely close to this "another way."

For you to uphold and promote this article, which is full of perverted twisting throughout, is simply proof that you do not believe the Bible. Instead you prefer the fiction and fantasy of "put it another way."

 

[Willie-T]

[/I]
[/B][/I][/I][/B][/B]How can people like you buy into that kind of rubbish so easily?

John 1:7 specifically states that IF WE WALK IN THE LIGHT (ie. conduct ourselves in accordance with the truth as opposed to conducting ourselves in rebellion to it) THEN we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

Your article twists the plain and obvious words of John and inserts "ARE SAVED" and COMPLETELY IGNORES the "IF WE WALK."



"To put it another way" means "let's pretend this verse says something else." John doesn't say anything remotely close to this "another way."

For you to uphold and promote this article, which is full of perverted twisting throughout, is simply proof that you do not believe the Bible. Instead you prefer the fiction and fantasy of "put it another way."

I think you have missed what "walking in the light" is. You seem to equate it as "rule keeping".

What IS "the light?" It is Jesus. What is "walking?" It is living your life.

They are talking about living "in Christ", not checking off a list of rules to follow.

In other words (I know you hate that, but Jesus explained Scripture that way all the time.) it is a heart matter, not a regimented lifestyle.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

I use to be against OSAS but now I understand it.

 

[seed_time_harvest]

This is for those who wish to refute the idea of sin confession for forgiveness. Its rather long but I found it on the web and feel like it addresses 1 John 1:9 really well. If you have the time, give it a read. It will definitely open your eyes to the truth, in regards to whether a Christian must confess their sins in order to be forgiven or not. One of the best methods to address 1 John 1:9 to those who believe in sin confession, considering this is the only verse to support the doctrine. Enjoy...

Originally from: 1 John and the Gnostics...... - The Watchman's CryWhy did the Gnostics claim to be "without sin"?

The following article has an interesting historical and biblical perspective:

1 John 1:9

When we read the Bible, we need to look at the context in which each book was written. If we don't do that, it's easy to misinterpret what a particular book or chapter is really saying. When that happens, we can easily come to wrong conclusions, which can then cause a lot of misunderstanding about the work of Christ on our behalf.

One example of this is that many people believe that although their sins have been forgiven prior to salvation, after salvation it is up to them to obtain forgiveness through their confession. Others believe that all their sins have been forgiven at the cross, however, they cannot experience forgiveness unless they confess each time they sin. The verse both parties use to defend their belief is I John 1:9. Let's read the first chapter of 1 John, and keep in mind two important questions: "Who was John's audience?" and 'What was he trying to accomplish in this letter?"

The audience was a confused church in Asia. The pastor there asked John to write a letter to help clear up some major doctrinal heresy called "Gnosticism." Gnosticism comes from the Greek word " gnosis", which means knowledge. The Gnostics were a group of people who believed they possessed superior spiritual knowledge. They believed that all flesh is evil and that only spirit is good. Because they believed that, they didn't believe that Jesus really came in the flesh - they believed He was an illusion. They also believed that because sin had to do with our flesh, there really wasn't sin - sin was also just an Illusion. (That's similar to people today who believe sickness is an illusion.) The church in Ephesus was filled with people who not only didn't believe Christ came in the flesh, they didn't believe sin was real.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life"
(I John 1:1).
In other words, John is establishing that he was an eyewitness to the fact that Jesus truly did come in the flesh. He did this to convince the Gnostics that Jesus was not an illusion.

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ" (verse 3).
This verse says two things. First, John repeats the fact that he, the rest of the apostles and other people saw Christ in the flesh. He wanted the Gnostics to realize that there were many people who could testify to the reality of Christ. Second, he is saying that there are some people in the audience who were not in the fellowship with Christ.

"This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (verse 5).
John's message in this verse is clear: God is light and in Him there is no darkness. We are either in the light (saved) or in darkness (lost). Scriptures are full of this comparison between light (saved) vs. darkness (lost).
(edit out link)

"If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." (verse 6).
In other words, if someone says he has fellowship with Christ, but is walking in darkness (lost), he is lying and not practicing the truth. The Gnostics claimed to be in fellowship with Christ (saved), and yet were actually living a lie and therefore weren't practicing the truth.

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (verse 7).
In other words, if we walk in the light (are saved) we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. To put it another way, once we are saved, we are permanently in the fellowship because the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us from all sin. Therefore, we aren't forgiven because we confess our sins.We are forgiven because of what Christ did for us on the cross.

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (verse 8).
John is now addressing the belief the Gnostics had regarding sin because they didn't believe it was real and therefore believed they had no sin. The "we" John is using here doesn't refer to believers. He is referring to the Gnostics, who believed they were without sin. Because they claimed to be without sin, then they were only deceiving themselves and the truth (Jesus) was not in them.

However, verse 9 says that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." In other words, if the Gnostics were to confess they had sins, then God, Who is faithful and righteous, would forgive and cleanse them from their unrighteousness. In the Greek language, the words "forgive" and "cleanse" mean past actions that have results today and will continue to have results in the future. Also, the word "all" used in these verses means all. It doesn't mean that we are cleansed of our past sins and our past unrighteousness, it means we were cleansed of all our unrighteousness. And if God cleanses us from all unrighteousness, then we are cleansed forever!

"If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives" (verse 10).
Basically this verse is a repeat of verse 8. To put it simply, it means that the Gnostics can't claim to be without sin and yet be saved. John is saying that because the Gnostics claimed they had no sin, they were actually calling God a liar and therefore didn't know the truth.

The purpose of the first chapter of 1 John was to compare the truth of God to the error of gnosticism. John was addressing the Gnostics, who were deceived by their own teaching. He wanted the Gnostics to understand that what they believed conflicted with what God said. He was not, however, addressing believers.

Today, there are people who believe that Christians must confess their sins in order to be forgiven. They believe that it is possible for us to be "in and out" of fellowship with God and that we must "keep short accounts" (or stay "fessed up"). The Bible doesn't teach that we are "in and out" of fellowship with God. A person who is saved is in fellowship with God - eternally. "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." (1 Corinthians 1:9).
A person who is lost is not in fellowship with God. There is no bouncing back and forth. You are either in fellowship with God (saved, walking in the light) or you are not in fellowship with God (lost, walking in darkness).

Scripture also doesn't teach the idea of "keeping short accounts" (being "fessed up"). Teaching that we are to "keep short accounts" with God causes very real and damaging problems because we miss the point of what confession really is. Such popular teaching makes confession a mindless cure-all, a "bar of soap" we use daily to clean up our flesh. A common scenario would be of a person privately confessing to God a bitter attitude towards another and then asking for forgiveness. Afterwards, he doesn't think about it, feeling that he has adequately met the "spiritual" requirement.

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins" (Colossians 2:13)
The fact is that while the sin issue is dead between you and God, it isn't between the people with whom we come in contact daily. When we realize we've wronged another, we need to go to that person and take steps toward reconciling the relationship with that person.

It is easy to "confess" our sins and continue on, thinking we have met a spiritual" requirement. But has there really been a change in our attitude, and not just our action? That would be like the little boy whose father angrily tells him to sit down and be quiet in church. The little boy does so, but tells his father that "I may be sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside!"
God is much more concerned with changed attitudes. As our attitudes change - through the truth of God's Word - our actions will eventually change.

Teaching we must confess our sins in order to be forgiven doesn't produce changed hearts. Why? Because we have placed ourselves under a "law" which demands that we confess every sin in order to be forgiven and stay in fellowship with God. However, there are no laws, Mosaic or man-made, that can free us from sin. The law was never meant to free us from sin because "the power of sin is the law" (1 Corinthians 15:56). Therefore, we usually end up repeating the same sin before the week (or even the day) is over and feel guilt and frustration over our inability to change.

This obsession with confession keeps us under the power of sin because we are consumed with thoughts of ourselves in a sincere desire to please God. As a result, though, we become so concerned about whether we are "in or out of fellowship" with God that we don't have time for our relationships down here. We are too busy keeping "short accounts" to be able to serve our brothers in love. Compare and see how many times the Scriptures exhort us to love one another versus confessing our sins. The emphasis is overwhelmingly in favor of loving our brothers.

We need to focus on the fact that God has forever settled the sin issue. Before Christ, men's sins separated them from God. Christ was the only solution to this dilemma.
Then He hung on the cross and said "It is finished!",
He meant it is finished! God has bridged the gap between Himself and man through His Son. "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them... God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:18,19,21).

Since the Bible tells us that all of our sins are forgiven because of the grace of God, then what do we do when we do sin?
Ignore it and say "I'm under grace, so it doesn't make any difference if I sin?" Many believe that teaching the forgiveness of Christ will cause people to go out and sin more. Paul dealt with this argument over 2,000 years ago. He responded, "By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:2). He continues to tell us that "we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. . . In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. . . For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace"
(Romans 6:6,7,11,14).

The more we understand our identification with Christ, the more we understand that we have been freed from the power of sin. We are freed from sin because of the work of Christ Jesus on our behalf, not because of our law keeping. Teaching the forgiveness we have in Christ is not a license to sin - we don't need a license to sin. The only reason people often believe this is true is because they lack an understanding of God's unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance. They do not understand the motivating power of Christ's love for them.

The Bible tells us "to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:23,24).
Concerning lying, for instance, we are told "to put off falsehood and speak truthfully to our neighbor, for we are all members of one body" (verse 25).
Or, concerning stealing, Ephesians 4:28 says that "he who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need."
In other words, stop lying and start telling the truth. Quit stealing and go to work so you can share with others. These are not laws we are to keep. Because we are children of God, it doesn't make sense for us to continue lying or stealing.

These are just a few verses that tell us what to do when we do sin. Not one verse says to confess our sins before we can go on with life. The motivation, instead, is found in Ephesians 4:32, which says we are to "be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." The only way we can ever love, forgive and accept others is because Christ has first loved, forgiven and accepted us. It is true that we will treat others the way we feel God is treating us. If we feel we have to perform for God and ask His forgiveness each time we sin, we expect the same performance from everyone else. If we believe God loves us only when we do the right things, then we tend to also love others when they, too, do the right things.

The opposite is also true. Only when we understand the unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance of God will we ever be able to share that same love with those around us. It is impossible for us to love and forgive one another if we are constantly worrying about our own acceptance to God. The simple truth is that "we love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

If we believe we must continually confess our sins in order to be loved and forgiven by God, we are actually mocking God and telling Him that Christ's work on our behalf was not sufficient. The damage caused by this belief is extensive. There are many who are in bondage to this "law" that was created and perpetuated by man. That's why it is so important to understand what the bible says about Christ's finished work on the cross and our identity in Him. As we understand these truths and keep our eyes on the Lord instead of ourselves, we will see our lives change.

I hope everyone reads this original post before responding.

 

[crossnote]

Best describes this thread...

 

[dcontroversal]

Very true and I agree.
His love is so great
His love is everlasting

yes it is in deed and endures unto the age of ages......!