1 John 1:9

🕊️ Commentary on 1 John 1:9

Scripture (NKJV):
“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

📖 Context and Meaning

The first chapter of 1 John[i] is written to believers, urging them to walk in the light of God’s truth and holiness. The apostle John begins by affirming the reality of Jesus Christ—His incarnation, life, and the fellowship believers have with Him. Verses 5 to 10 form a unit that contrasts walking in light versus walking in darkness, and the implications of sin and confession.

Verse 9 stands as a central promise: if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. This is not a call to initial salvation, but to ongoing fellowship with God. This is part of sanctification—the daily process of being made holy, not justification, which is once-for-all.

✝️ Teaching

In Christian theology, forgiveness is grounded in the finished work of Christ. Justification is a legal declaration by God that the sinner is righteous, based on Christ’s righteousness imputed to them by faith alone. However, believers still sin, and sin disrupts fellowship with God, though not union.

1 John 1:9 teaches that:

• Confession is the means of restoring fellowship, not regaining salvation.
• God’s forgiveness is based on His character—He is faithful to His covenant promises and just because Christ has paid the penalty for sin.
• Cleansing from unrighteousness refers to the removal of sin’s defilement, allowing believers to walk in the light again.

God does not require from us anything but confession, that He may forgive us. This aligns with the Christian emphasis on grace: confession is not a work that earns forgiveness, but a humble response to grace already given.

🧭 Application to Modern Christian Living

For Christians today, 1 John 1:9 offers both comfort and challenge:

• Comfort: We do not need to hide our sin. God invites us to confess, promising forgiveness and cleansing.
• Challenge: We must be honest about our sin. Verse 8 warns against self-deception, and verse 10 against denying sin altogether.

In practice, this means cultivating a lifestyle of repentance. Not a morbid introspection, but a joyful return to the light whenever we stumble. It also means trusting that God’s forgiveness is real and complete—there is no need to earn it through guilt or ritual.

Importantly, this verse refutes both legalism (trying to earn forgiveness) and antinomianism[ii] (living as if sin does not matter). It calls believers to walk in truth, humility, and dependence on God’s mercy.

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[i] 1 John 1

New King James Version

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched

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, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that [a]your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But 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 cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Footnotes

1 John 1:4 NU, M our

[ii] noun a person who believes that Christians are released by grace from the obligation of observing the moral law.