1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. CONFESS - with the lips, from a contrite heart; involving confession to our fellow-men of offences against them. HE - God. FAITHFUL - to His own promises: 'true' to His word. JUST. Not merely the mercy, but the justice of God is set forth in the redemption of the penitent believer in Christ. God's promises of mercy, to which lie is faithful, harmonize with His justice (Romans 3:25). TO, [ hina (G2443)] - 'in order that.' His forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from, etc., further the ends of His eternal faithfulness and justice. For...

9_If we confess _He again promises to the faithful that God will be propitious to them, provided they acknowledge themselves _to be sinners_. It is of great moment to be fully persuaded, that when we have sinned, there is a reconciliation with God ready and prepared for us: we shall otherwise carry always a hell within us. Few, indeed, consider how miserable and wretched is a doubting conscience; but the truth is, that hell reigns where there is no peace with God. The more, then, it becomes us to receive with the whole heart this promise which offers free pardon to all who confess their sins. Moreover, this is founded even on the justice of God, because God who promises is true and just. For they who think that he is called _just_, because he justifies us freely, reason, as I think, with too much refinement, because justice or righteousness here depends on fidelity, and both are annexed...

5-10 A message from the Lord Jesus, the Word of life, the eternal Word, we should all gladly receive. The great God should be represented to this dark world, as pure and perfect light. As this is the nature of God, his doctrines and precepts must be such. And as his perfect happiness cannot be separated from his perfect holiness, so our happiness will be in proportion to our being made holy. To walk in darkness, is to live and act against religion. God holds no heavenly fellowship or intercourse with unholy souls. There is no truth in their profession; their practice shows its folly and falsehood. The eternal Life, the eternal Son, put on flesh and blood, and died to wash us from our sins in his own blood, and procures for us the sacred influences by which sin is to be subdued more and more, till it is quite done away. While the necessity of a holy walk is insisted upon, as the effect a...

Verse 1 John 1:9. _IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS_] If, from a deep sense of our guilt, impurity, and helplessness, we humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our iniquity, his holiness, and our own utter helplessness, and implore mercy for his sake who has died for us; _he is faithful_, because to such he has _promised_ mercy, Psalms 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; _and just_, for Christ has died for us, and thus made an atonement to the Divine justice; so that God can now be just, and yet the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. _AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS._] Not only to _forgive the sin_, but to _purify the heart_. OBSERVE here, 1. Sin exist

IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS - Pardon in the Scriptures, always supposes that there is confession, and there is no promise that it will be imparted unless a full acknowledgment has been made. Compare Psalms 51; Psalms 32:1;; Luke 15:18 ff; Luke 7:41 ff; Proverbs 28:13. HE IS FAITHFUL - To his promises. He will do what he has assured us he will do in remitting them. AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS - The word “just” here cannot be used in a strict and proper sen

EXPOSITION 1 JOHN 1:1 1. THE INTRODUCTION. It declares the writer's authority, based on personal experience; announces the subject-matter of his Gospel, to which this Epistle forms a companion; and states his object in writing the Epistle. These opening verses help to raise the reader to the high frame of mind in which the apostle writes. Emotion, suppressed under a sense of awe and solemnity, is shown by the involved construction through which his thoughts struggle for utterance. We are reminded of the introduction to the Gospel, especially in the first clause. Both announce to us the subject of the writing which follows—the Word who is the Life. Both set before us, in the simplest language, truths of profoundest meaning. But while in the Gospel he seems to lose sight of his readers in the magnitude of his subject,

IF WE CONFESS OUR SINS,.... Not to one other; for though it is our duty to confess our faults to our fellow creatures and fellow Christians which are committed against them, yet are under no obligation to confess such as are more immediately against God, and which lie between him and ourselves; or at least it is sufficient to confess and acknowledge in general what sinful creatures we are, without entering into particulars; for confession of sin is to be made to God, against whom it is committed, and who only can pardon: and a man that truly confesses his sin is one that the Spirit of God has convinced of it, and has shown him its exceeding sinfulness, and filled him with a godly sorrow for it, and given him repentance unto salvation, that needeth not to be repented of; and who, under such a sight and sense of sin, and concern for it, comes and acknowledges it before the Lord, humbly imp...

May that Divine Spirit, who inspired every word of this wonderful letter, bless it to all our hearts as we read it! 1 John 1:1. _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, of the Word of life;_ You remember how John begins his Gospel: «In the beginning was the Word «and how, a little later, he says, «In him was life.» The Holy Spirit seems to have recalled those expressions to his mind, for he moves him to use them again. Note how clearly, how explicitly, John writes concerning the Logos, the eternal Word. He says, «That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life,... that declare we unto you.» The facts of Christ's history on earth are recorded by eye-witnesses who could not be deceiv

II. LIGHT AND DARKNESS AND THE TESTS Chapter S 1:5-2:17 _ 1. God is light; walking in darkness and in light (1 John 1:5)_ 2. What the light manifests (1 John 1:8) 3. The advocacy of Christ to maintain the fellowship (1 John 2:1) 4. The tests of fellowship (1 John 2:3) 1 John 1:5 The message they had heard of Him and which they declared to others is, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Light, perfect, pure light is God's nature; He is absolutely holy, with no darkness in Him at all. That God is light was manife

1 JOHN 1:5 TO 1 JOHN 2:2. FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD REQUIRES A RIGHT VIEW OF SIN. 1 John 1:5. Spiritual fellowship depends on moral affinity. Hence since Jesus has declared the holy perfection of God, we cannot truthfully claim fellowship with Him, and at the same time be habitually committing sin. Only as we Christians constantly aim to be like God have we fellowship with Him and with one another, our sinfulness being cleansed by the blood of Christ. To deny that we are sinful or that we have committed sin proves self-deception, ignorance of moral facts, and of God's message to us in the Gospel. Our duty is to confess our sins to God and thereby secure from Him forgiveness and cleansing. Thus does John deal with _the view_ which re